The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary call for
openness to the Word of God from which the radical choices required of those
responding to the invitation to greater intimacy with the Divine will be seen
as life giving. The proclamation of Peter in the Gospel of John today is
offered as our statement of willingness to continue our journey with Jesus. Joshua,
in the passage from the Hebrew Testament, calls the Israelites to be clear
about the need to choose the Covenant with God who brought them out of slavery
in Egypt over the gods and practices of the peoples in the societies among them
who do not know the God of Israel. The small band of Israelites living among
many who lived differently is to be the example of living the Will of God to
their neighbours. The letter to the Ephesians is identified by Friar JudeWinkler as belonging to what are known as the “household instructions” for
followers of Jesus. The disciples living in Ephesus were living with people
influenced by Stoic philosophy. The instructions in this passage are to the
Stoic mind a way to seek the value of order and a plan in the universe. This
letter provides a social order which would have suited the dominant philosophy
for women to be subject to their husband but it extends it to call on Christian
families to also make husbands treat their wives as parts of their own bodies
and persons. This value of the unity and oneness of man and woman in marriage
would be the model of the wedding of Christ in intimacy with those who accept
Him and the model of the Body of Christ, all people, intimately joined in a
marriage to Jesus. “I am the Bread of Life” is the radical choice for followers
of Jesus. The internalizing of Jesus is the Way believers present the
invitation to the Radical Choice to others.
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