Today is August 16, Saturday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time.
We read at today’s Mass, “Put away the strange gods that are among you and turn your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel” (Josh 24:23).
When Joshua addressed the people of Israel, he reminded them of all the ways God had chosen, blessed and provided for them. Then he placed before them a decision: “Decide today whom you will serve.” His question still reaches us: Where will I drink today? Will I drink from the living water of the Lord — or from the stagnant wells of false gods?
False gods always promise satisfaction, but they deceive. They are like salt water: it may seem refreshing for a moment, but it cannot quench thirst. Instead, it leaves us more parched than before. Money, pleasure, power, reputation — none of these can give lasting joy. Only the Lord’s covenant love can truly refresh the soul.
‘We will serve the Lord’
In Joshua’s day, the people pledged, “We will serve the Lord.” For us, that commitment might sound like this: Only you, Lord, will quench my thirst. We renew that choice each day by returning to the “well” of God’s Word, remembering his past goodness and trusting that he will provide again.
Joshua even set up a stone as a visible reminder of God’s faithfulness. Perhaps you have something similar in your home — a cross, an icon, a favorite verse — that calls you back to the truth when your heart starts to wander. These reminders anchor us in reality: the Lord alone satisfies.
Today, take a moment to remember a time when God quenched your thirst — when his presence and love filled you. Let that memory deepen your trust. And with Israel, declare again: We will serve the Lord.
Let us pray,
Almighty ever-living God, whom, taught by the Holy Spirit, we dare to call our Father, bring, we pray, to perfection in our hearts the spirit of adoption as your sons and daughters, that we may merit to enter into the inheritance which you have promised. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
