Twenty First Sunday in Ordinary Time B.
Joshua 24: 1-2, 15-17, 18b. Ephesians 5: 21-32. John 6: 60-69.
Every day we make countless decisions. The first crises of
the day may be the decision to get out of bed when the alarm goes off in the
morning. I find that getting out of bed in a hurry and leaving the
decision about whether I should get up or not happen in the shower to be the
best solution to getting up late. Getting up on time is a very small
decision. It can have a huge impact on the day if it leads to getting to
work late and missing an important meeting with the boss. Little decisions about what to eat or how much to eat may not seem
important until our weight gets out of control and our health begins to suffer.
A small decision about gambling or drinking may lead us far beyond where we
intended to go, into a whole pattern of little decisions that destroy our
outlook on life.
A successful college graduate is the result of many small
decisions to study and learn. A successful marriage is the result of many
small decisions to show love and respect for one another, especially on very
difficult days. Every successful life is the result of many great and
small decisions to do what has to be done to be successful. God has given
us the gift of free will. God made our ability to decide the rudder that guides
and steers our lives. It takes many small steps to climb a
mountain. It takes many small decisions to build a life. The secret
to success is to take small things very seriously.
The followers of Jesus had heard him tell the crowd that his
flesh was real food and his blood was real drink. They said, “This
saying is very hard. Who can accept it?” Jesus knew that they
would be challenged to accept even more difficult things than this. He
also knew that no one could accept what he was saying without the grace of
God. Jesus said very bluntly, “No one can come to me unless it is
granted to him by my Father.” At this point many of the
followers of Jesus decided to leave him and go back to what they were doing
before they met him. When this happened Jesus forced a decision on
those who remain with him. Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you
also want to leave me?” It was very important for them to make
a decision. Just hanging around or putting off a decision for another
time was not good enough. Jesus said, “Tell me, do you want to
leave me too?” Decision making and commitment are essential to
following Jesus.
This is the same challenge that Joshua gave the leaders of
When Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you
also want to leave me?” Peter answered “Master, to
whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
Many little decisions bring us to Jesus, the small decision
to come to Mass every Sunday, made one Sunday at a time. The small
decision to pray daily, made one day at a time. The small decision to
study the Word of God in Scripture made one opportunity at a time. The small decision to love our neighbor, one person at a time.
Small decisions matter.
This is a paraphrase of Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Less Traveled.”
Two roads diverged in the yellow woods,
And I was sorry that I could not travel both.
And I looked down one as far as I could see,
To where it bent in the undergrowth.
Then I took the other road, as just as fair
Because it was grassy and worn,
Although both roads were worn about the
same.
I would keep the first road for another day,
Yet, knowing how way leads onto way
I doubted if I should ever come back again.
Two roads diverged in the woods
And I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference.
Jesus said, “Do you also want to leave me?”
You have to decide. “Master to whom shall we go? You have the words of
eternal life.” Yes, following Jesus is the road less traveled.
But following Jesus over the years of our lives makes all the difference.