Joshua 24:1-2,15-18  |  Psalm 33  |  Ephesians 5:21-32  |  John 6:60-69

This week’s readings give us a challenge.  After several weeks of reflection about Jesus, the bread of life and the new and eternal life that is offered to us, we come to the time when the people have to make up their minds.  In the first reading, from Joshua, the people make a deliberate choice for the Lord, and in the Gospel, the twelve followers of Jesus make a decision to stay with him.  This choice was too hard for many other people and they turned away.

We too are asked the same question: ‘Do you want to go away too?’  If we are honest, there will have been times when most of us have lost interest or enthusiasm, or we have turned away because it was too difficult. The Bible, however, is our ‘Book of Consolation’ as it tells stories over and over again of the welcome back and the second and third or more chances of choice and decision.  In today’s gospel, the followers of Jesus respond to his question with a question of their own: ‘Lord, who shall we go to?  You have the message of eternal life and we believe, we know that you are the Holy One of God.’

Perhaps this week we can renew our personal choice – a choice to be faithful followers of Jesus because we believe and we know that He is the holy one of God.  Then we will again ‘Taste and see that the Lord is good’.