First Reading: A reading from the book of Joshua Josh 24:1-2, 15-18

We will serve the Lord God, because he is our God.

Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel togerther at Shechem; then he called the elders, leaders, judges and scribes of Israel, and they presented themselves before God. Then Joshua said to all the people: 'If you will not serve the Lord, choose today whom you wish to serve, whether the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorities in whose land you are now living. As for me and my House, we will serve the Lord'.

The people answered, 'We have no intention of deserting the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors out of the land of Egypt, the house of slavery, who worked those great wonders before our eyes and preserved us all along the way we travelled and among all the peoples through whom we journeyed. We too will serve the Lord, for he is our God'.

This is the word of the Lord

Second Reading: A reading from the Second Letter of St Paul to the Ephesians Eph 5:21-32

This is the great mystery, it applied to Christ and the Church.

Give way to one another in obedience to Christ. Wives should regard their husbands as they regard the Lord, since as Christ is head of the Church and saves the whole body, so is a husband the head of his wife; and as the Church submits to Christ, so should wives to their husbands, in everything. Husbands should love their wives just as Christ loved the Church and sacrificed himself for her to make her holy. He made her clean by washing her in water with a form of words, so that when he took her to himself she would be glorious, with no speck or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and faultless. In the same way, husbands must love their wives as they love thier own bodies; for a man to love his wife is for him to love himself. A man never hates his own body, but he feeds it and looks after it; and that is the way Christ treats the Church, because it is his body - and we are its living parts. For this reason, a man must leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one body. This mystery has many implications; but I am saying it applies to Christ and the Church.

This is the word of the Lord.

Gospel Reading: A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John Jn 6:60-69

Lord, whom shall we go to? You have the words of everlasting life.

After hearing his doctrine many of the followeres of Jesus said, 'This is intolerable language. How could anyone accept it?' Jesus was aware that his followers were complaing about it and said, 'Does this upset you? What if you should see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before? 'It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh has nothing to offer. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. 'But there are some of you who do not believe'. For Jesus knew from the outset those who did not believe, and who it was that would betray him. He went on, 'This is why I told you that no one could come to me unless the Father allows him'. After this, many of his disciples left him and stopped going with him. Then Jesus said to the Twelve, 'What about you, do you want to go away too?' Simon Peter answered, 'Lord, who shall we go to? You have the message of eternal life, and we believe; we know that you are the Holy One of God.'

The Gospel of the Lord.

GOSPEL REFLECTION

Reading

He was a young man. He was crouched over the wet mud in the dug up Market Place. Very intently, he was scraping away the dirt from every deeply-embedded stone. In his hand was something that looked like a very small spoon. Most of the stuff he would throw away, but every now and then he paid special attention to some tiny fragment, placing it carefully to one side.

“Excuse me, what are you doing?” I ventured to ask him. Graciously he explained, “I’m an archaeologist from Durham University,” he said, “and I’m trying to find something of value here; something worth keeping.”That's the point in today's Gospel, too. Like the prophet Ezekiel in today's First Reading, Jesus was sent by God to the rebellious house of Israel, where He found His own brothers and sisters obstinate of heart and in revolt against God.

As I crossed the road to Woolworths for a passport photograph, I was smiling to myself. I was remembering the words- “something of value; something worth keeping.” In my mind’s eye I saw myself, after I had died, thrown out of Heaven by St Peter, as a piece of worthless scrap, unfit to live with saints. Then I saw God running out through the pearly gates, bending down over me, with a small spoon, like the University student in the Market Place.

So there was God, carefully sifting and scraping through my life, throwing away the dirt and the mistakes and the sins. I could hear God whispering, “There must be something of value here; something worth keeping. Even if it kills me (again), I’ll find the golden part of Daniel, the shiny bit that is made in my own image. Even Daniel cannot destroy that!”

I was smiling because the image of God was not the one I was brought up with. As a child I was told about a hard God, who searched for my bad bits, not my good bits: a God of fear rather than Joy. I was smiling because I do not believe anymore in a God who punishes – only in a God who loves and laughs and weeps. These days I only believe in a God who never, ever gives up on me. (Daniel O’Leary. Prism of Love p.25)