Choose to serve

The psalm today in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today is entitled The Two Ways. It is Psalm 1 and the choices offered are the happiness of those who delight in the Law of the Lord or the dispersion and destruction which befalls those who follow the path of the wicked. Friar Jude Winkler comments on the blessings and curses which are associated with the Covenant between God and his people expressed in the words from the Book of Deuteronomy which was written when the Israelites were facing a conquering enemy who may take them into exile. The reality of life and death as the options in the words of Moses may not appear as clear to us. The Book of Deuteronomy is frequently cited by Christian Testament authors and quoted in the Gospel by Jesus. One theological study uses this Book as inspiration for development of a theology of work. It is in the workplace that the daily choices between good and evil and our daily opportunities to take up our cross and die to self as Jesus directs us to do in the Gospel today from Luke often occur. We share the experience of Edward Morse of Creighton University that the life and death choices seem distant but the decision to follow Jesus is daily and continuous. We decide not to join the scoffers and critics mentioned in Psalm 1 but to be merciful and forgiving to those we encounter. We are convinced that the path with Jesus invites us to share is living out the Words of Eternal Life and we have His intimate Presence to remind us to choose life in service of others.