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"I will follow you wherever you go"
Luke 9: 51-62
The Word: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/062622.cfm
If you can take yourself back to your earlier days of
education, the grade school years, try to remember for a moment how many
reasons you gave that your grades were not up to par.
“The dog ate my homework!” I never used that one because
I thought it was a real stretch knowing what our dog would eat. “I have a cold and just don’t feel good
today, can I stay home from school?” I actually tried that once and my mother
made me spend the entire day in bed – I never used that one again. “I forgot my books at school and lost the
homework assignment.” Yeah, right! Excuses, excuses; none of these are
reasons. The real reason is that I’m
just not trying hard enough and I know I can do better but lack the will to do
it. That same principle can be applied
anywhere in our lives. I’m not too busy
to pray or come to Church I just have the wrong priorities and frankly, I’m
just lazy! Everyone is busy with the things of life so it’s a matter of
choosing to participate or not. Actual reasons may be obvious but excuses are
plentiful.
I think among the most timely statements Jesus made is
the comment by Luke in the Gospel today.
Jesus was “. . . resolutely
determined to journey to Jerusalem . . .” That powerful emphasis by Luke
reveals that Jesus saw his mission as one that regardless of opposition needed
to be carried out. He was on this
singular journey and nothing would stop him even as he and his disciples traveled
through enemy territory – Samaria. Our Lord knew that in Jerusalem he would
meet opposition that would lead to his own death and the fulfillment of his
Father’s will in the resurrection. He was determined to fulfill that mission of
ultimate sacrifice and love for humanity.
However, the response of the disciples James and John to
the Samaritans gesture of their closed door policy towards Jesus was startling
– “Should we call down fire from heaven to consume them?” That visceral desire for vengeance was met by
Jesus with a strong rebuke that I imagine was much more unbendable than a mere
slap on the hand. It may well be good for all of us to recognize the signs of
the times we live in right now. In light
of the Supreme Court decision last Friday how many people have engaged in
tribal warfare as a response – wanting to call down fire from heaven on the
other side? Such division and vengeance have
no place in the Christian message and Jesus reinforces that this Sunday. We are
called to a single minded discipleship and to be resolute as Jesus was in our
journey with him. Yet, have you found yourself a member of an opposing tribe?
In other words, we are called to leave behind all other
attachments and distractions, then follow in the way Jesus shows us – to carry
out and live his mission in the world today whether we be married, single,
ordained or religious. So, the Lord can be demanding in his requirements and we
see those who took his invitation literally:
St. Francis of Assisi, St. Teresa of Calcutta among the most well-known saintly
examples. While we may not find ourselves in their stature the invitation of
discipleship is the same for all of us.
Our Lord hears many excuses from those he invites to
follow him: “I have to bury my Father
first.” Well we don’t know if his Father is dead or alive. Customarily, the eldest son lived with his
parents, managed their property and saw to the details of their final days and
burial. So, that loss of his Father might be years away and he is explaining
his responsibility to carry through as the oldest Jewish son. It may be a
justifiable reason but Jesus explains that his call has an immediacy about it.
It is urgent to share in Christ’s mission – now.
“First, let me say goodbye to my family.” Well, where is
his family and what does “goodbye” mean?
A big going away party that might take several days? How long before the invitations go out for
that goodbye party? The stress of Jesus
is again on the direct response not on waiting till a more convenient moment.
We do love our personal convenience don’t we?
“I’ll follow you wherever you go.” Jesus responds that I
have no fixed home or place but must carry on from town to town. One wonders what the response of this eager
disciple to be might have been. “Oh,
well let me reconsider this.” Hmmm
So, let’s see: a daily cross and a renunciation of all
other attachments, including familial relationships to a certain degree, to
follow him. I don’t know about you but
on the surface I don’t find that particularly attractive at times. In fact, it may sound a bit over- the – top
and certainly no guarantee of success. It’s somewhat insecure with no promise
of fame, fortune or popularity; maybe for Jesus but for me too? Yet, on a
deeper level, which is where we are always called to go with Jesus’ teaching,
there is something more convincing. What would that be?
For one, stop the tribal warfare! No more mission to destroy the other side
that will come back and ultimately destroy us. The only side or “tribe” we
should be on is that of Christ himself. So, do we live our Christian lives and
our rich Catholic traditions in a way that sees them as treasures above all
else or is that just another thing we do? Do we live our life using excuses as
reasons? Jesus’ single minded commitment
to his mission is the model and road we should always stay on as we live our
Christian lives. That’s quite a “price” to pay in a world that says you can
have it all because we must choose between
Paul in our second reading from Galatians I think refers
to the daily battle we all face: that between the tensions of spirit and flesh;
between the material world we live in with all of it beauty and advantages, its
challenges and rewards and the world of the spirit, which calls us to higher
values that demand sacrifice and overcoming our own tendency to take the easy
way or to satisfy ourselves through some form of instant pleasure. To live and
to “serve one another through love” rather than argument and revenge is what
Christ calls us to as we journey to our Jerusalem. And this great value is our
contribution to the divided and dark warfare we see around us. It is time for healing and for choosing the
sacred dignity of each human person.
As we gather to break open the sacred Word of God and to
break bread with each other, we welcome Christ among us and once again renew
our promise of discipleship, no matter how much it cost – priceless. So, no
more excuses only reasons why we follow the Lord.
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