Reflection on Today's Readings, 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B, August 22nd, 2021
Texts: Josh. 24: 1-2a. 15- 17.18b; Ps. 34: 1-2.15-22; Eph. 5:21-32; John 6:60-69
Today's Reading tells us that Joshua gathered the elders of the people of God; He gathered them to renew their commitment to God. That they presented themselves before the Lord shows that they were conscious of God's presence in their midst. This tells us the meaning of our gathering at every Eucharistic celebration. Every Sunday we gather before the Lord to renew our commitment to serve Him and Him alone. We are to be conscious of the Lord's presence in our midst. Many a time our attitudes show that we are not conscious of the Lord's presence in our midst. The way some of us walk into the church betrays the essence of our coming to the Church. The essence of coming to the Church is to come and meet the Lord. Some of us lack comportment in the way we act and do things. Some of us look as if we are in the Church to fulfil obligation. Some of us look disinterested in things going on in the Church. The problem here is either we think God is not present or we have gotten our understanding of God wrong. If our understanding of God makes us see Him as insignificant, then we will have no reverence towards Him. Our understanding of God could be so shallow that we lose fear of Him. When we have no fear of God, anything goes. Let us know, today, that God is present in every gathering formed in His name. Let us know that every Eucharistic assembly is an assembly of the Lord. At every Eucharistic assembly we present ourselves before the Lord. Whatever we do here, today, we do before the Lord. Therefore, let us comport ourselves.
We have come before the Lord, today, to renew our commitment, we reaffirm our choice to serve Him alone. For the people of Israel, their commitment to serve God was based on their experience of God's wonders and their redemption by God. They said, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods; for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, and who did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.” At every Eucharistic assembly the wonderful works of God are proclaimed and we also experience them in the creation, daily events and in our individual being and existence. At every Eucharistic gathering, we recall the price of our redemption, celebrate our redemption and reap its fruits. This means at every Eucharistic gathering the renewal of our commitment to serve God alone is brought about. Hence, today we have come to say, 'Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods; for it is the Lord who has redeemed us'.
Our commitment to serve God alone should be based on who God is, as shown in His words and works. Our commitment to God should not be because others serve Him, it should be in spite of the decision of others. A genuine commitment is still sustained even if it is only oneself. This manifests in the life of Joshua and the apostles. Joshua expressed it thus: "but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” It means no matter what their decision would be, he would serve the Lord. The elders' decision would not change His own decision to serve God alone. In today's gospel reading, the apostles expressed their own commitment thus: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” In spite of the people's decision to leave Jesus Christ, the apostles stay with Him. This shows that their commitment was genuine. Their commitment to God was based on sound knowledge: "You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” This reminds us that we are to always seek to grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. When we have the knowledge of God, our commitment to serve God alone will be well founded, genuine and sustained till the end.
Joshua said that that he would serve the Lord with his family. This means he had to bring up his family in the fear of the Lord. Today's second reading reminds the husband and wife to imitate the love between the Church and Christ, her Saviour. The wife is to be submissive to her husband as Church is submissive to Christ. The husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her to cleanse her and make her holy and fit for Himself. The husband is to care about His wife as he care about His body. This tells us that we are to respect one another and imitate the love of God.
Lord our God, fill us with the zeal to devote ourselves to You alone, to serve You and You alone. Amen.
Fr. Andrew Olowomuke
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