Scripture Reflection
August 23, 2009

Scripture Readings:
Joshua 24: 1-2, 15-18
Psalm 34
Ephesians 5: 21-32
John 6: 60-69

Some years ago I was preaching at a popular novena held in a parish in the eastern United States. It was a tradition at that novena to give a special blessing to each participant at the end of every service. On the first day a woman came up for the blessing at the end of the line, holding two wedding rings in her hands. After I offered the traditional blessing she asked me, “Father, will you bless these rings, too?” Something inside of me moved me to ask her, “Did your husband leave you?” She answered, “Yes, and I am praying that he will come back soon.” Tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke those words. So I offered a simple blessing for the rings and promised her that I would keep her and her husband in my prayers. Each day after that, she came up in line for the blessing with her wedding rings in her hands.

I have often wondered what happened for this woman – whether or not her husband ever returned. The pain in her voice and her eyes was so palpable as she asked me to bless the wedding rings. The covenant of marriage that she and her husband had made was in jeopardy. Covenants, which are much more profound than contracts, engage the whole person and call for the gift of self. Covenants involve the human heart. And when they are violated, hearts are broken.

In the Gospel passage for this Sunday, Jesus faces what may have been a heartbreaking moment for him. He has been teaching his followers and others that he is the one who offers them true life from God. His efforts have resulted in a substantial following, especially by those who have been impressed by his powerful deeds. But now the initial enthusiasm seems to be waning, as some of his followers object to his teaching. John tells us, “As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.” Since Jesus was truly human as well as divine, I wonder what it felt like for him to see these erstwhile followers sever their relationship with him.

As he watches some of his followers drift away, Jesus puts a crucial question to the Twelve: “Do you also want to leave?” This is one of those fork-in-the-road moments which shape people’s lives. I suspect that it was one of those moments in life when time seems to stand still. In a similar way, in the first reading Joshua puts a critical decision before the people of Israel: “If it does not please you to serve the Lord, decide today whom you will serve . . . “
 

All of us experience critical moments of decision that have far-reaching significance for our lives. Married people certainly experience such moments in their covenant relationship with their spouse. Will we stay married or not? As a Passionist priest, I have had to renew my decision to serve as a religious and priest at times when marriage and family life seemed more attractive. We also experience such defining moments in our relationship with Christ. Sometimes we are tempted to give up on Christ when we experience keen disappointment or some other form of personal suffering. And there are moments in which the challenge of being faithful to Christ in our moral choices seems to be too daunting. These are moments of decision that shape our character.
 

At such times it is very important for us to remember in order to gain perspective. In the reading from the Book of Joshua, the response of the people is one that is imbued with memory. “For it was the Lord, our God, who brought us and our [ancestors] up out of the land of Egypt, out of a state of slavery.” It was the faithful God of the covenant who “protected us along our entire journey and among all the peoples through whom we passed.” In coming to their decision to renew the covenant the people make memory of the countless ways in which God has freed them, protected them, and guided them along the way. They remember that they belong to God; they are His. In the Gospel, Peter speaks for the other eleven in recalling their experience of Jesus as the one whose teaching gives them true life: “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.” In walking with Jesus and listening to him they have come to recognize him as the true Revealer of God. They have become different because of him. And they cannot forget or deny that reality.
 

In our own critical moments of decision it is important for us, too, to take time to remember. We must not deny in the darkness what we have seen in the light. What is it that led me into this relationship (marriage, religious life, a significant friendship, etc.) in the first place? What has happened along the way? What commitments have I made to this person or these people? In our relationship with Christ we are challenged to remember the ways in which he has walked with us, guided us and taught us along the way. We need to recall the ways in which our faith in Christ has given us new life. We do this so that, even in times of darkness, we may renew our covenant relationship with Christ.
 

“Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” We come to celebrate the Eucharist because we believe Peter’s words to be true. At this celebration we make memory of God’s mighty deeds – God’s faithful expressions of love past and present. As we approach the table of the Lord, let us renew our decision to follow Christ, to walk alongside him each day of our lives.
 

Fr. Robin Ryan, cp