We have a very short Gospel reading today. But as always, it is packed. Jesus says, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” This is why Catholics baptize their infants. We “let them come to Christ” from their earliest days.
In the first reading from Joshua 24, Joshua enjoins the people to make a choice. “If it does not please you to serve the Lord, decide today whom you will serve, the gods your fathers served beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are dwelling. As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
Jesus tells us that we cannot serve two masters. Every day, we have to make the same choice that Joshua told the people of his time to make. Now, our gods may not be the gods of the Amorites, but I can assure you there are plenty of other gods that folks today serve – money, power, prestige, sex and fame to name a few. And at any given moment, we can choose one or the other. But you can’t have it both ways. So, who will you serve today? As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.
Father, help us to serve you always. Help us to turn away from the other gods that offer up attractive but empty promises. Amen.
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