August 25th, 2024 - Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today’s Scripture readings are all about choices – really big choices.  1200 years before Christ, Moses' hand-picked successor, Joshua, stands before the ancient Jews and tells them they must choose whether they will follow the One who delivered them from slavery in Egypt and sustained them for 40 years of desert wandering or whether they follow various and sundry gods worshipped by the rest of humanity in that part of the ancient world. Joshua says: “Choose this day whom you will serve. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Fast forward 1200 years and the disciples hear Jesus say: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” The disciples faced a big choice… do we buy this message? Like the ancient Jews and the first Christians, we have a choice to make. The choice above all choices is always to follow Jesus Christ. He not only has the words of eternal life; he is eternal life; he is our bread of heaven; he is our good shepherd; he is our loving savior.