13 Sunday in Ordinary Time
1 Kings 19:16,19-21 / Galatians 5:1,13-18 / Luke 9:51-62
Today is the thirteenth Sunday of ordinary time. On this
Sunday, the church invites us to commit ourselves to Christ Our Commitment demands
that we, without “Looking back,” must freely “slaughter” all the forces,
distractions, and obstacles that prevent us from serving the Lord. In other
words, the liturgy invites us to be committed disciples of the Lord.
The guru whispered the sacred mantra into his disciple’s ear,
warning him not to reveal it to anyone.
“What will happen if I do?” he asked.
Guru replied, ” The one who hears it, shall be liberated, but
you yourself will lose discipleship and suffer damnation.”
Immediately, the devotee rushed to the marketplace, and
repeated the sacred mantra for all to hear. The disciples later reported this
to the guru and demanded that the man be expelled, for his disobedience.
The guru smiled and said, “He has no need of anything I can
teach. His action has shown him to be a guru in his own right.”
In the first reading, the call of Elisha and his response was
a dramatic event. Elisha demonstrated a total commitment to his call. The
slaughtering of his oxen, the kissing of his father, and the bidding of
farewell to his men were symbolic gestures that he had freely accepted his
call. It was a sign of total submission to the will of God over his own will.
It was also an indication that he loved God more than his business and his own
life.
Following the Lord Jesus means allowing Him to change every
aspect of our lives so that we more clearly reflect His way of living, of
thinking and of being.
Following someone else is not easy. The first reading today
comes from the First Book of Kings. Elisha realizes that he must following
Elijah and be his disciple. Elijah does not encourage him, but Elisha follows
anyway. We must realize that following the Lord Jesus means that at times we
will feel rejected, even by the Lord Himself. We must keep on walking and
letting the Lord form us.
In the passage of the Gospel today we have people coming to
Jesus who want to follow Him. Again the message is given to them: it is not
easy to follow the Lord. Again this is important for us when we feel the
difficulties of following the Lord Jesus. He tells us in advance: it will not
be easy. The Gospel today ends telling us that if we start out, we should
continue, no matter how difficult it is.
Jesus seems harsh here, but he is only asking of his
disciples what he asks of himself. Jesus' unconditional commitment to God's
saving work will demand of him his life. He knows this, but the disciples do
not understand. Jesus does not want anyone to rush into discipleship, because the
demands of discipleship require everyone considering it to be aware of the
cost, make Jesus and his mission central to his life, and then go forward
without looking back.
A true disciple is the one who goes beyond oneself and finds
meaning in liberating others.
Happy Sunday
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