Making the right choices

Life is about the choices we make. To make the right choices we need to be able to make proper judgments. In other words, we need to reasonably understand the consequences of the actions we take or the choices we make. This should then enable us to compare two paths that lead in the opposite directions. By seeing where they each lead, I can then make an informed choice, as we see in the first reading from Deuteronomy 30:15-20. Return to Egypt can only lead back to slavery and despair. Move forward into an uncertain future that promises hope and life and freedom demands faith, the belief that God walks with you. Now the choice that Jesus puts to his disciples is far riskier as we read in today’s gospel from Luke 9:22-25. Either the way of the cross or the way of the world? All Jesus promises is that, if you are willing to sacrifice all for his sake you will gain your very soul. In other words, Jesus is advising us not to compromise on truth, goodness or life. Be true to yourself. Be good to others. And stand for life even, if may be, at the risk of your own life. Hopefully, for most of us, it does not come that. Hopefully also, when the time comes, I can say to the Lord, “I always tried to make the right choices – for truth, for goodness and for life.”