Choices, choices

We are faced with many choices in life. How do we know the right ones to make, and what their consequences will be? Fr Richard reflects on today’s daily mass readings.

Readings for Friday of the first week of Lent can be found here.

Often in life we are faced with choices, and it’s not always easy to know the right one to make. Sometimes, we won’t know if we’ve made the right choice until the consequences are known. For example, in a restaurant we are faced with a range of options on the menu. We might agonise over what to have, what will taste nice or be most healthy. Then when the food comes, it might be delicious or we might wish we’d chosen something else. There’s a split second from when a potentially humorous remark forms in our mind to deciding whether to say it. The person we’re addressing may find it funny, or be deeply offended.

Today’s readings are about the choices we make, and their outcomes. Ezekiel talks about a wicked person who makes the conscious decision to turn away from sin and follow the right path. But also, there is the case of a previously righteous person who decides to turn to wickedness. One path, Ezekiel says, leads to life, while the other will end in destruction. This theme is taken up in the Gospel, where Jesus says that right choices begin deep down inside us, in the heart. It’s a bit like knowing instinctively the right meal to choose or whether a remark will land well. For him, it’s not enough just to follow an instruction manual, to do what is written in the letter of the law, such as “you shall not murder”. That was the approach of the Pharisees. Jesus says that Christian righteousness must go further; it’s about choosing the right attitude (such as rejecting anger), and this will lead to the right outcomes. 

Going beyond the letter of the law can sometimes be a challenge – but Jesus often challenges us! It’s hard always to choose that right inner attitude that goes beyond the letter of the law. Thankfully, Jesus is always there to guide us. All we need to do is open our hearts to him, and he will help us to make the right choices for ourselves and for our neighbours.

Mass today is in St Saviour’s at 10am.

If you’d like more resources for daily prayer, then check out our Day By Day pages.