19th Week in Ord. Time, Saturday – 19th August 2023 — Joshua 24,14-29; Mt 19,13-15
Being Faithful
In the first reading, at the end of his life of service of God and people, Joshua asks the Chosen people if they will serve the Lord and God alone or they will turn their hearts to one of the multitudes of gods worshiped by the ancestors. As far as Joshua and his family are concerned, they will continue to serve Yahweh. Joshua then publicly makes his own commitment, hoping to elicit a similar commitment from Israel. The people re-affirm what God has done for them and they say they will serve the Lord. He is warning them of their over-confidence. Joshua admits that it is not easy serving God because God demands total fidelity. The Lord God is a jealous God and demands quite a bit from those who would be faithful. However, the rewards of serving the Lord are continued possession of the Promised Land. Joshua renews the solemn covenant made by God with the Hebrew ancestors. He then lays down a statute and ordinances for them in Shechem and sets up a stone as witness. It was the seventh memorial in the land to remind Israel of what the Lord had done for them through his servant.
