Our First Reading comes from near the end of Deuteronomy just before we hear of the last actions and death of Moses. Only Deuteronomy speaks of a covenant in Moab, the last place that the Israelites passed through to get to the Promised Land. It parallels the one made at Horeb, where the 10 Commandments were given to Moses.
Today’s reading offers a choice between life and death. Life is found by full acceptance of the way of life that God proposes. Moses calls on heaven and earth as witnesses. In non-Biblical covenants, it was common to name a list of gods who served as ‘witnesses.’ The covenant between Yahweh and his people is to be witnessed by both heaven and earth.
The way to life that God offers is not one that much of the world proposes. In fact, many see God’s ways as limiting when, in fact, if properly understood, they are liberating. The life that God offers isn’t freedom to indulge in every desire and pleasure but requires hearing, assimilating, and living out God’s way of life. Today, God offers us the option between life and death and leaves the choice up to us.
The Gospel continues the theme of death and life. Jesus foretells what’s going to happen to him: intense physical suffering, total rejection by the leaders of his own people, and a brutal execution… but it will all lead to the resurrection and a new life that can never be taken away.
Jesus goes on to say that anyone who wants to be his followers must be prepared to walk the same path, carrying their cross after him. The thought of taking up a cross is daunting and I was very much helped by something I read as a young man. Hugo Rahner, the less famous but equally erudite brother of Karl, wrote: “The disciples of Jesus need never seek the Cross, it comes to us from every side and, in part, we are our own Crosses.”