When Joshua gathers all the tribes of Israel at Shechem, he knows that, in spite of their previous promises to be faithful to God, they have brought the gods of the Amorites with them to the promised land. So, Joshua challenges them: Decide today whom you will serve. Thinking back on all they have seen God do, the great miracles he performed before their eyes and the protection he offered them along their entire journey, the people promise, We will serve the Lord, for he is our God. In so doing, they affirm their desire to worship the God of their fathers. Unfortunately, the people will not keep their promise, and will need to appeal to God’s mercy again and again; Psalm 34 reminds us that the Lord has eyes for the just and ears for their cry. God continually delivers God’s people. If only they could remember this always, and remain faithful, rather than being swayed by tangibles!
In John’s Gospel, the people are also becoming attached to the great miracles Jesus has performed in their midst, but they quickly become caught up in the tangible, resisting his invitation to eat his flesh and drink his blood. Their view is narrow. The Twelve, however, remain with Jesus, accepting the mystery of all that Jesus promises: You have the words of eternal life, Peter says. The Twelve know that, if they stay with Jesus, the mystery will unfold before them. Their faith is not dependent on what they hold in their hands, but on what Jesus has placed in their hearts.
To take Jesus into your life, to allow him to enter and become one with you, is so much greater than any tangible proof of his Real Presence can offer us. We are God’s children, essentially, and we can be joined to Christ because he is present essentially in the Eucharist. If we believe that Christ is at work in our community, in us, then Paul’s message to the Ephesians – Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ – is an invitation to our participation in his Presence and in his life. When we serve one another, we are allowing Christ to work in our lives. His Real Presence changes what we do, and what we choose to do for each other. Paul elevates marriage as a symbol of what it means to be church, and of what it means to be in relationship with Jesus himself. When we have faith and enter into Eucharist with a conscious awareness of all the Lord gives us, we will flourish as one Body, one spirit in Christ, devoted to lives of service, carrying the promise of a relationship that is eternal.
This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com
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