It is no surprise to hear that we live in a culture of choice. We are faced with so many choices each day - what to wear, what to eat, what to study, how to spend free time, etc. It is certainly a place of privilege to live within such a culture.

The reading from Deuteronomy channels the many choices we make to reflect that which is ultimate: life over death. "I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the Lord, your God, heeding his voice, and holding fast to him" (Deut 30:18). Of course, not all the decisions we make each day may necessarily suggest life over death, but our overall attitude and consciousness do.

Couple this with the Gospel invitation to deny oneself, take up the cross, and follow Jesus. None of that sounds like initially life-giving behavior, which tells us that perhaps what we may think is the choice of life, may not be what it seems at first. Therein lies the challenge, for the more deeply we look at this invitation, we see the Source of all life, calling us to more than just ourselves. The Ten Commandments are basic guides to choose life! (Ex. 20:1-17).