Saturday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 418

Joshua in turn said to the people,
“You may not be able to serve the LORD, for he is a holy God;
he is a jealous God who will not forgive
your transgressions or your sins.
If, after the good he has done for you,
you forsake the LORD and serve strange gods,
he will do evil to you and destroy you.”

But the people answered Joshua, “We will still serve the LORD.”
Joshua therefore said to the people,
“You are your own witnesses that you have chosen to serve the LORD.”
They replied, “We are, indeed!”

In this reading from the Book of Joshua we hear a familiar technique of an accomplished preacher. He arouses the emotions of his congregation, first as he reminds them of all God has done for them, and then when he offers them one last chance to get out. "We will still serve the Lord!" they shout; and, "We will indeed!" 

This scene happens at a critical juncture, as the second generation of Hebrews, children of Egyptian slaves, cross the Jordan and enter Palestine. They will destroy those cities that don't welcome them and claim the land that God has given them. They will harvest from fields they did not plant and from the orchards they did not prune. 

But they must never forget they serve "a jealous God who will not forgive your transgressions and sins." 

Before the devout Christians reacts by insisting the God is always merciful and kind and forgives seventy times seven times, we should remember that life has its own way of not forgiving. Many decisions cannot be undone. 

• If you take your life savings to the casino and lose it all, they won't listen to your sad story and give it back. It's gone, regardless of the consequences. 
• If you lose control of your car and the crash kills people. They're dead.
• If, in a moment of drunken bliss, you conceive a child, that child will be yours for all eternity.  

Grace, like sin, is also forever:

• A baptized child is baptized for all eternity; there is no second baptism. 
• A priest is ordained for all eternity. 
• A married couple are married until death parts them. 

Sometimes these blessings feel like curses. The burdens of virtuous life seem too ridiculous, demanding and risky. We'll ask ourselves, "Why do we have to live this way when no one else does?" 

Because a word once spoken cannot be recalled. The Preacher Joshua tried mightily to impress upon the people the seriousness of their word. Seeming to understand, they swore they would not forget. 

God's mercy cannot undo the past. There is no reset button in real life. But God's mercy can transform the past from curse to blessing: 

• the child born out of wedlock might gratefully accept the gift of life; 
• the gambler ruined by her addiction can find blessing in the Higher Power who demands that she risk all in surrender to God;
• the reckless driver can pledge himself to a life of atonement for the dead; and
• a crucified man will reappear as God.