Who are you serving? And who are you following? These are two questions raised by today’s first reading and gospel reading. In our first reading today from the book of Joshua 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b, Joshua tells the Israelites “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 now dwelling. As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Then in today’s gospel reading from the gospel of Saint John 6:60-69, after many of Jesus’s disciples left Him and returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied Him because of His teachings, Jesus asked the Twelve apostles, "Do you also want to leave?" Simon Peter answered Him, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God."

So my dear friends in Christ, who are you serving today and who are you following? Are serving God? Are you following Him as well? How are you serving God? How are you following Him? Service to God and Following Christ is what our lives as Christians entails, but are we truly living out that call? We serve God because He is the center of our lives as our Creator, our Savior and our Redeemer and because He is our God as Joshua emphasizes in our first reading today. We follow Christ because as St. Peter reminds us in the gospel reading, He has the words of eternal life and we are convinced that He is the Holy One of God. So how can you serve God and follow Him? We can serve and follow God by:

  1. Hearing His word - when He calls on us or speaks to us in the Scriptures and through the Sacraments
  2. Listening to the word heard - which means giving one's attention to God’s word.
  3. Understanding the word we have heard and listened to. Trying to know what the words means and how it speaks to us here and now.
  4. Accepting the word we have understood, not accepting part of it or some of it, but saying "yes" to all God’s word to us.
  5. Practicing or living out the word of God we have accepted.


So my brothers and sisters in Christ, ask yourself once again, who am I serving and who am I following? Am I serving God and am I following Christ? If we are truly following Christ and serving God, then let us hear Him calling us, let us listen and give attention to His word to us, let us work harder on understanding His word and message to us, let us accept His word we have heard, listened to and understood and lastly, let us practice and live out His word in our world today. Amen!

RevFICO
RevFICO

Editor & Spiritual Director