“As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord”. These words are more than simply a saying on a plaque or poster. They come right out of the book of Joshua and our first reading, and they are words we should think about. Do we truly serve the Lord? If so, then how do we do it? It is something to ask ourselves.
Our second reading from St. Paul to the Ephesians has gotten a bad rap in my opinion over the years. All because some feel St. Paul is coming down hard on women. This is simply not true. If you read the entire passage, St. Paul is much harder on Husbands then the wives. Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the Church. He died for her. He laid down His life and sacrificed all for her. As men and husbands, that is what we are called to do for our wives, as well as honor, cherish and respect them.
Finally, we have the Gospel of St. John, and the conclusion of the famous chapter 6. Many of Jesus’ disciples walked away from Him after hearing his teachings on the Eucharist. These were hard sayings, but notice that Jesus did not call after those who left. He never yelled “wait, I only meant it symbolically, I wasn’t really talking about my flesh and blood”. Instead, He let them walk away. It is the only time in scripture where many of His disciples walked away on Jesus. The reason is simple, there comes a time in every Christian’s life when you have to ask yourself, “do I really believe in Jesus and His Church, or am I just playing games.” It is time to take our beliefs seriously and stand up and be proud to be Catholic. It is not easy standing up for something when much of the world is falling for everything and believes in little or nothing.
We need the courage of Joshua, the boldness of St. Paul and the love of our Lord in His Eucharistic presence to stand up loud and proud and be not afraid to say “I am proud to be Catholic, I love the Lord Jesus and I believe in His bride the Church. As for me and my household, we shall serve the Lord." Something to think about, may God richly bless you always!
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