We touch upon several great moments of truth in the readings today. Joshua commands the Israelites: “Decide today whom you will serve,” and they chose the Lord.

People, Americans especially, like choices. We like to keep our options open. But the reading from Joshua says it is a day of decision.

Most of us start making conscious decisions around the age of 2, the year we learn to say “no.” If we can say no, one presumes we’re giving tacit assent to those events we don’t resist.

In a Catholic wedding ceremony, couples have many choices to make, from the type of procession to the music, readings, and prayers they want proclaimed.

That was it; he had had it with God. The woman he loved was gone, and the job he applied for was given to someone else. He was angry, disappointed, and deeply hurt by people he trusted and thought he knew. He had had it out with God before, but this was the last straw.

On our 10th wedding anniversary, some friends gave my wife and me a welcome mat that had the words from today’s first reading on it: As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.

Jesus our Lord has the words of life. Having his word, we turn in prayer to God, who gives us life.

As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. This weekend the lectionary brings to close the selections from the Gospel of John’s “Bread of Life discourse” that have interrupted the regular readings from Mark.

The greatness of God remains so firmly in the soul that even had it no faith which will tell it who God is. . . . the soul would adore God as such from that very moment. . . .