June 27, 2010

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1
Responsorial Psalm
Reading 2
Gospel

Reading 1

The LORD said to Elijah: “You shall anoint Elisha, son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah, as prophet to succeed you.”

Elijah set out and came upon Elisha, son of Shaphat, as he was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen; he was following the twelfth.

Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak over him. Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, “Please, let me kiss my father and mother goodbye, and I will follow you.” Elijah answered, “Go back! Have I done anything to you?” Elisha left him, and taking the yoke of oxen, slaughtered them; he used the plowing equipment for fuel to boil their flesh, and gave it to his people to eat. Then Elisha left and followed Elijah as his attendant.

Ps 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11

Responsorial Psalm

R. (cf. 5a) You are my inheritance, O Lord.

Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge; I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you. O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup, you it is who hold fast my lot.”

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.

I bless the LORD who counsels me; even in the night my heart exhorts me. I set the LORD ever before me; with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.

Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices, my body, too, abides in confidence because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld, nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.

You will show me the path to life, fullness of joys in your presence, the delights at your right hand forever.

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.

Gal 5:1, 13-18

Reading 2

Brothers and sisters: For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.

For you were called for freedom, brothers and sisters. But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love. For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, namely, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. But if you go on biting and devouring one another, beware that you are not consumed by one another.

I say, then: live by the Spirit and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh. For the flesh has desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you may not do what you want. But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Lk 9:51-62

Gospel

When the days for Jesus’ being taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, and he sent messengers ahead of him. On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village.

As they were proceeding on their journey someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”

And to another he said, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

And another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home.” To him Jesus said, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Pray a Rosary each day for our nation.

Pray the Rosary

1. Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

2. The Apostles Creed: I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day He rose again. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

3. The Lord's Prayer: OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

4. (3) Hail Mary: HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. (Three times)

5. Glory Be: GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.

Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer. Repeat the process with each mystery.

End with the Hail Holy Queen:

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Final step -- The Sign of the Cross

The Mysteries of the Rosary

By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary.
The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.

The Glorious Mysteries
(Wednesdays and Sundays)
1.The Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-8, Mark 16:1-18, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-29) [Spiritual fruit - Faith]
2. The Ascension (Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:6-11) [Spiritual fruit - Christian Hope]
3. The Descent of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:1-13) [Spiritual fruit - Gifts of the Holy Spirit]
4. The Assumption [Spiritual fruit - To Jesus through Mary]
5. The Coronation [Spiritual fruit - Grace of Final Perseverance]

Pray a Rosary each day for our nation.

Pray the Rosary

1. Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

5. Glory Be: GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.

Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer. Repeat the process with each mystery.

End with the Hail Holy Queen:

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Final step -- The Sign of the Cross

The Mysteries of the Rosary

By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary.
The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.

Prayer Chain Request for the United States of America

Pray for Nancy Pelosi

Bachmann: Prayer and fasting will help defeat health care reform (Freeper Prayer Thread)

Prayer Campaign Started to Convert Pro-Abortion Catholic Politicians to Pro-Life

[Catholic Caucus] One Million Rosaries

Non-stop Rosary vigil to defeat ObamaCare

From an Obama bumper sticker on a car:

"Pray for Obama. Psalm 109:8"

Psalm 109:8

"Let his days be few; and let another take his place of leadership."

PLEASE JOIN US -

Evening Prayer
Someone has said that if people really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless.
Did you know that during WWII there was an advisor to Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every day at a prescribed hour for one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England, its people and peace?

There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America. If you would like to participate: Every evening at 9:00 PM Eastern Time (8:00 PM Central) (7:00 PM Mountain) (6:00 PM Pacific), stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, and for a return to a Godly nation. If you know anyone else who would like to participate, please pass this along. Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have. Please forward this to your praying friends.

June Devotion: The Sacred Heart

Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. The month of June is set apart for devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. "From among all the proofs of the infinite goodness of our Savior none stands out more prominently than the fact that, as the love of the faithful grew cold, He, Divine Love Itself, gave Himself to us to be honored by a very special devotion and that the rich treasury of the Church was thrown wide open in the interests of that devotion." These words of Pope Pius XI refer to the Sacred Heart Devotion, which in its present form dates from the revelations given to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1673-75.

The devotion consists in the divine worship of the human heart of Christ, which is united to His divinity and which is a symbol of His love for us. The aim of the devotion is to make our Lord king over our hearts by prompting them to return love to Him (especially through an act of consecration by which we offer to the Heart of Jesus both ourselves and all that belongs to us) and to make reparation for our ingratitude to God.

INVOCATION

O Heart of love, I put all my trust in Thee; for I fear all things from my own weakness, but I hope for all things from Thy goodness.
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque

PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART

Devotion to the Sacred Heart was the characteristic note of the piety of Saint Gertrude the Great (1256-1302), Benedictine nun and renowned mystic. She was, in fact, the first great exponent of devotion to the Sacred Heart. In our efforts to honor the Heart of Jesus we have this prayer as a model for our own:
Hail! O Sacred Heart of Jesus, living and quickening source of eternal life, infinite treasure of the Divinity, and burning furnace of divine love. Thou art my refuge and my sanctuary, 0 my amiable Savior. Consume my heart with that burning fire with which Thine is ever inflamed. Pour down on my soul those graces which flow from Thy love, and let my heart be so united with Thine, that our wills may be one, and mine in all things be conformed to Thine. May Thy divine will be equally the standard and rule of all my desires and of all my actions. Amen.
Saint Gertrude

FOR THE CHURCH

O most holy Heart of Jesus, shower Thy blessings in abundant measure upon Thy holy Church, upon the Supreme Pontiff and upon all the clergy; to the just grant perseverance; convert sinners; enlighten unbelievers; bless our relations, friends and benefactors; assist the dying; deliver the holy souls in purgatory; and extend over all hearts the sweet empire of Thy love. Amen.

A PRAYER OF TRUST

O God, who didst in wondrous manner reveal to the virgin, Margaret Mary, the unsearchable riches of Thy Heart, grant that loving Thee, after her example, in all things and above all things, we may in Thy Heart find our abiding home.
Roman Missal

ACT OF LOVE

Reveal Thy Sacred Heart to me, O Jesus, and show me Its attractions. Unite me to It for ever. Grant that all my aspirations and all the beats of my heart, which cease not even while I sleep, may be a testimonial to Thee of my love for Thee and may say to Thee: Yes, Lord, I am all Thine;
pledge of my allegiance to Thee rests ever in my heart will never cease to be there. Do Thou accept the slight amount of good that I do and be graciously pleased to repair all m] wrong-doing; so that I may be able to bless Thee in time and in eternity. Amen.
Cardinal Merry del Val

MEMORARE TO THE SACRED HEART
Remember, O most sweet Jesus, that no one who has had recourse to Thy Sacred Heart, implored its help, or sought it mercy was ever abandoned. Encouraged with confidence, O tenderest of hearts, we present ourselves before Thee, crushes beneath the weight of our sins. In our misery, O Sacred Hear. of Jesus, despise not our simple prayers, but mercifully grant our requests.

Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954

Catholic Word of the Day: LITANY OF THE SACRED HEART, 10-19-09
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Devotion to the Sacred Heart Today
The Biblical Foundation of Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus [Ecumenical]
Heart to Heart (Sacred Heart of Jesus Devotion) [St. Margaret Mary Alacoque]
(June) The Month of the Sacred Heart {Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
First Friday Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus [St. Margaret Mary Alacoque]
The Heart of the World (On the Sacred Heart of Jesus) (Catholic Caucus)
The Sacred Heart Is The Holy Eucharist(Catholic Caucus)
The Origin of the Sacred Heart Badge

Importance of Devotion to the Sacred Heart
An Awesome Homily on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus by Father Edmond Kline
Catholic Prayer and Devotion: June the Month of the Sacred Heart
Catholic Devotions: Sacred Heart of Jesus
Pope Urges Jesuits to Spread Sacred Heart Devotion
Homilies preached by Father Altier on the Feast of the Sacred Heart
Catholic Meditation and Devotion: The Sacred Heart of Jesus
Daily Recomendation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus powerful prayer!
The Sacred Heart and the Eucharist
The Love of the Sacred Heart

On the Sacred Heart - "We Adore God's Love of Humanity"
HAURIETIS AQUAS (On Devotion To The Sacred Heart) - Encyclical by Pope Pius XII
Solemnity Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary
Sacred Heart a Feast of God's Love, Says John Paul II
The Sacred Heart of Jesus: Symbol of Combativity and the Restoration of Christendom
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus-The Early Church, Middle Ages up to St. Margaret Mary
See this Heart
‘God Will Act and Will Reign’
About Devotion To The Sacred Heart:The Story Of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
Rediscover Feast of Sacred Heart, John Paul II Tells Youth

From: 1 Kings 19:16b, 19-21

Elijah’s encounter with God

[The Lord said to Elijah:] [16b] “Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you
shall anoint to be prophet in your place.”

The call of Elisha

[19] So he departed from thee, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was
ploughing, with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. Eli-
jah passed by him and cast his mantle upon him. [20] And he left the oxen, and
ran after Elijah, and said, “Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will
follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again; for what have I done to you?”
[21] And he returned from following him, and took the yoke of oxen, and slew
them, and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen, and gave it to the peo-
ple, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah, and ministered to him.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

15-18. It is important to note that the “anointing” given to the prophet Elisha is
on a par with that given to the kings – and that there is already a reference here
to the remnant of Israel (cf. Is 4:3).

19-21. Elisha’s response to Elijah’s call is quite exemplary: he leaves everything
behind and puts himself at the disposal of the prophet. That will be how the apos-
tles respond to Christ (cf. Mt 4:20, 22; etc.), and it should be how anyone re-
sponds when the Lord calls him or her to a mission which involves leaving every-
thing. But the call issued by Jesus is more pressing than Elijah’s, as can be
seen from the Gospel passage where Jesus, in response to someone who says,
“I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home,” replies,
“No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of
God” (Lk 9:61-62). Obedience to a call involves a radical self-surrender: “Detach
yourself from people and things until you are stripped of them. For, says Pope
St. Gregory, the devil has nothing of his own in this world, and naked he comes
to battle. If you go clothed to fight him, you will soon be pulled to the ground: for
he will have something to catch you by” (St. J. Escriva, The Way, 149).

The name “Elisha” means “My God saves” and it epitomizes this prophet, just
as the name “Elijah” catches the essence of that prophet’s message: “My God
is the Lord.”

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Galatians 5:1, 13-18

Christian Liberty

[1] For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit
again to a yoke of slavery.

The Fruits of the Spirit and the Works of the Flesh

[13] For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as
an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another. [14] For
the whole law is fulfilled in one word, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
[15] But if you bite and devour one another take heed that you are not consumed
by one another.

[16] But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. [17]
For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are
against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing
what you would. [18] But if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

1-3. The Law of Moses, which was divinely revealed, was something good; it sui-
ted the circumstances of the time. Christ came to bring this Law to perfection (cf.
notes on Mt 5:17-19 and Gal 5:14-15). All the elaborate legal and ritual prescrip-
tions in the Mosaic Law were laid down by God for a specific stage in Salvation
History, that is, the stage which ended with the coming of Christ. Christians are
under no obligation to follow the letter of that Law (cf. St Thomas Aquinas, “Sum-
ma Theologiae”, I-II, q. 108, a.3 ad 3).

Although in this letter to the Galatians the Apostle is emphasizing, as we have
seen, freedom from the Law of Moses, obviously this liberation cannot be entire-
ly disconnected from freedom in general. If someone submits to circumcision af-
ter being baptized, it amounts to subjecting oneself to a series of practices
which have now no value and to depriving oneself of the fruits of Christ’s Redemp-
tion. In other words, subjection to the Law brings with it a loss of freedom in ge-
neral. Paul is using the full might of his apostolic authority when he says, “If you
receive circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you.” Christ’s Redemption
alone is effective; it has no need of the rites of the Old Testament.

14-15. To prepare the way for the coming of the Redeemer, God revealed to the
chosen people the fundamental principles of the natural law, because, as a result
of original sin and personal sins, mankind’s knowledge of these principles have
been obscured and weakened. The ten commandments which he revealed to Mo-
ses (Ex 20:1-21; Deut 5:6-22) traced out very clearly the way to follow to please
God and be saved (cf. Lev 18:5; Neh 9:29; etc.).

When the Savior came, the Decalogue continued in force, because it was part
of the natural law. Indeed, Christ reinforced it and showed that the key to and es-
sence of the ten commandments is Love—love of God, which necessarily brings
with it love of neighbor (cf. notes on Mt 22: 34-40 and Jn 13:34-35).

“It might also be asked”, St Augustine comments, “why the Apostle here speaks
only of love of neighbor, saying that this way the whole Law is fulfilled [...], when
in fact charity is perfect only if one practices the two precepts of love of God and
love of neighbor [...]. But who can love his neighbor, that is, all men, as himself,
if he does not love God, since it is only by God’s precept and gift that one can
love one’s neighbor? So, since neither precept can be kept unless the other be
kept, it is enough to mention one of them” (”Exp. in Gal.”, 45). See also the note
on Rom 13:8-10.

17-21. The fall of Adam and Eve left us with a tendency to seek created things
for our own pleasure, instead of using them to lead us to God. The desires of the
flesh make their appearance, urges which are at odds with God and with all that
is noble in our personality. But when grace enters our soul and justifies us, we
share in the fruits of the Redemption wrought by Christ and we are enabled to
conquer our concupiscence and life according to the flesh.

The vices referred to in vv. 19-21 have their roots in something much deeper —
life “of the flesh”. And, St Augustine asserts, “it is said that someone lives ac-
cording to the flesh when he lives for himself. Therefore, in this case, by ‘flesh’ is
meant the whole person. For everything which stems from a disordered love of
oneself is called work of the flesh” (”The City of God”, 14, 2).

This is why we find included in the “works of the flesh” not only sins of impurity
(v. 19) and faults of temperance (v. 21 ) but also sins against the virtues of reli-
gion and fraternal charity (v. 20).

“Significantly, when speaking of ‘the works of the flesh’ Paul mentions not only
‘immorality [fornication], impurity, licentiousness [...], drunkenness, carousing’
— all of which objectively speaking are connected with the flesh; he also names
other sins which we do not usually put in the ‘carnal’ or ‘sexual’ category — ‘ido-
latry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, envy’ [...]. All these sins are the
outcome of ‘life according to the flesh’, which is the opposite to ‘life according
to the spirit”’ (John Paul 11, “Address”, 7 January 1981).

Therefore, as the Apostle says, anyone who in one way or other obstinately per-
sists in his sin will not be able to enter the Kingdom of heaven (cf. 1 Cor 6:9-10;
Eph 5:5).

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Luke 9:51-56

Some Samaritans Refuse to Receive Jesus

[51] When the days drew near for Him (Jesus) to be received up, He set His face
to go to Jerusalem. [52] And He sent messengers ahead of Him, who went and
entered a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for Him; [53] but the people
would not receive Him, because His face was set toward Jerusalem. [54] And
when His disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do You want us to
bid fire come down from Heaven and consume them?” [55] But He turned and
rebuked them. [56] And they went on to another village.

The Calling of Three Disciples

[57] As they were going along the road, a man said to Him (Jesus), “I will follow
you wherever You go.” [58] And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds
of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” [59] To
another He said, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my fa-
ther.” [60] But He said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for
you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.” [61] Another said, “I will follow You,
Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” [62] Jesus said to him,
“No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the Kingdom
of God.”

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

51. “When the days drew near for Him to be received up”: these words refer to
the moment when Jesus will leave this world and ascend into Heaven. Our Lord
will say this more explicitly during the Last Supper: “I come from the Father and
have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father”
(John 16:28). By making His way resolutely to Jerusalem, towards His Cross,
Jesus freely complies with His Father’s plan for His passion and death to be the
route to His resurrection and ascension.

52-53. The Samaritans were hostile towards the Jews. This enmity derived from
the fact that the Samaritans were descendants of marriages of Jews with Gen-
tiles who repopulated the region of Samaria at the time of the Assyrian captivity
(in the eighth century before Christ). There were also religious differences: the
Samaritans had mixed the religion of Moses with various superstitious practices,
and did not accept the temple of Jerusalem as the only place where sacrifices
could properly be offered. They built their own temple on Mount Gerizim, in op-
position to Jerusalem (cf. John 4:20); this was why, when they realized Jesus
was headed for the Holy City, they refused Him hospitality.

54-56. Jesus corrects His disciples’ desire for revenge, because it is out of kee-
ping with the mission of the Messiah, who has come to save men, not destroy
them (cf. Luke 19:10; John 12:47). The Apostles are gradually learning that zeal
for the things of God should not be bitter or violent.

“The Lord does everything in an admirable way [...]. He acts in this way to teach
us that perfect virtue retains no desire for vengeance, and that where there is true
charity there is no room for anger—in other words, that weakness should not be
treated with harshness but should be helped. Indignation should be very far from
holy souls, and desire for vengeance very far from great souls” (St. Ambrose,
“Expositio Evangelii Sec. Lucam, in loc.”).

An RSV footnote after the word “rebuked” in verse 55 points out that other an-
cient authorities add “and He said ‘You do not know what manner of Spirit you
are of; for the Son of Man came not to destroy men’s lives but to save them’”.
These words appear in a considerable number of early Greek MSS and other
versions and were included in the Clementine Vulgate; but they do not appear
in the best and oldest Greek codexes and have not been included in the New
Vulgate.

57-62. Our Lord spells out very clearly what is involved in following Him. Being
a Christian is not an easy or comfortable affair: it calls for self-denial and for put-
ting God before everything else. See the notes on Matthew 8:18-22 and Matthew
8:22.

[The notes on Matthew 8:18-22 state:

18-22. From the very outset of His messianic preaching, Jesus rarely stays in
the same place; He is always on the move. He “has nowhere to lay His head”
(Matthew 8:20). Anyone who desires to be with him has to “follow Him”. This
phrase “following Jesus” has a very precise meaning: it means being His disci-
ple (cf. Matthew 19:28). Sometimes the crowds “follow Him”; but Jesus’ true dis-
ciples are those who “follow Him” in a permanent way, that is, who keep on fol-
lowing Him: being a “disciple of Jesus” and “following Him” amount to the same
thing. After our Lord’s ascension, “following Him” means being a Christian (cf.
Acts 8:26). By the simple and sublime fact of Baptism, every Christian is called,
by a divine vocation, to be a full disciple of our Lord, with all that that involves.

The evangelist here gives two specific cases of following Jesus. In the case of the
scribe our Lord explains what faith requires of a person who realizes that he has
been called; in the second case—that of the man who has already said “yes” to
Jesus—He reminds him of what His commandment entails. The soldier who does
not leave his position on the battlefront to bury his father, but instead leaves that
to those in the rearguard, is doing his duty. If service to one’s country makes de-
mands like that on a person, all the more reason for it to happen in the service
of Jesus Christ and His Church.

Following Christ, then, means we should make ourselves totally available to Him;
whatever sacrifice He asks of us we should make: the call to follow Christ means
staying up with Him, not falling behind; we either follow Him or lose Him. In the
Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) Jesus explained what following Him involves
—a teaching which we find summarized in even the most basic catechism of Chris-
tian doctrine: a Christian is a man who believes in Jesus Christ—a faith he receives
at Baptism — and is duty bound to serve Him. Through prayer and friendship with
the Lord every Christian should try to discover the demands which this service in-
volves as far as he personally is concerned.]

[The notes on Matthew 8:22 state:

22. “Leave the dead to bury their own dead”: although this sounds very harsh, it
is a style of speaking which Jesus did sometimes use: here the “dead” clearly re-
fers to those whose interest is limited to perishable things and who have no aspi-
rations towards the things that last forever.

“If Jesus forbade him,” St. John Chrysostom comments, “it was not to have us
neglect the honor due to our parents, but to make us realize that nothing is more
important than the things of Heaven and that we ought to cleave to these and not
to put them off even for a little while, though our engagements be ever so indispen-
sable and pressing” (”Hom. on St. Matthew”, 27).]

We see here the case of the man who wanted to follow Christ, but on one condi-
tion—that he be allowed to say goodbye to his family. Our Lord, seeing that he is
rather undecided, gives him an answer which applies to all of us, for we have all
received a calling to follow Him and we have to try not to receive this grace in vain.
“We receive the grace of God in vain, when we receive it at the gate of our heart,
and do not let it enter our heart. We receive it without receiving it, that is, we re-
ceive it without fruit, since there is no advantage in feeling the inspiration if we do
not accept it [...]. It sometimes happens that being inspired to do much we con-
sent not to the whole inspiration but only to some part of it, as did those good
people in the Gospel, who upon the inspiration which our Lord gave them to fol-
low Him wished to make reservations, the one to go first and bury his father, the
other to go to take leave of his people” (St. Francis de Sales, “Treatise on the
Love of God”, Book 2, Chapter 11).

Our loyalty and fidelity to the mission God has given us should equip us to deal
with every obstacle we meet: “There is never reason to look back (cf. Luke 9:62).
The Lord is at our side. We have to be faithful and loyal; we have to face up to our
obligations and we will find in Jesus the love and the stimulus we need to under-
stand other people’s faults and overcome our own” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ Is Pas-
sing By”, 160).

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Mass Readings

First reading	1 Kings 19:16,19-21 ©

The Lord said to Elijah, ‘You are to anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king of Israel, and to anoint Elisha son of Shaphat, of Abel Meholah, as prophet to succeed you.’

Leaving there, Elijah came on Elisha son of Shaphat as he was ploughing behind twelve yoke of oxen, he himself being with the twelfth. Elijah passed near to him and threw his cloak over him. Elisha left his oxen and ran after Elijah. ‘Let me kiss my father and mother, then I will follow you’ he said. Elijah answered, ‘Go, go back; for have I done anything to you?’ Elisha turned away, took the pair of oxen and slaughtered them. He used the plough for cooking the oxen, then gave to his men, who ate. He then rose, and followed Elijah and became his servant.

Psalm	Psalm 15:1-2,5,7-11

Second reading	Galatians 5:1,13-18 ©

When Christ freed us, he meant us to remain free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. My brothers, you were called, as you know, to liberty; but be careful, or this liberty will provide an opening for self-indulgence. Serve one another, rather, in works of love, since the whole of the Law is summarised in a single command: Love your neighbour as yourself. If you go snapping at each other and tearing each other to pieces, you had better watch or you will destroy the whole community.

Let me put it like this: if you are guided by the Spirit you will be in no danger of yielding to self-indulgence, since self-indulgence is the opposite of the Spirit, the Spirit is totally against such a thing, and it is precisely because the two are so opposed that you do not always carry out your good intentions. If you are led by the Spirit, no law can touch you.

Gospel	Luke 9:51-62 ©

As the time drew near for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely took the road for Jerusalem and sent messengers ahead of him. These set out, and they went into a Samaritan village to make preparations for him, but the people would not receive him because he was making for Jerusalem. Seeing this, the disciples James and John said, ‘Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to burn them up?’ But he turned and rebuked them, and they went off to another village.

As they travelled along they met a man on the road who said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus answered, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’

Another to whom he said, ‘Follow me’, replied, ‘Let me go and bury my father first.’ But he answered, ‘Leave the dead to bury their dead; your duty is to go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.’

Another said, ‘I will follow you, sir, but first let me go and say goodbye to my people at home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’

Let Us Go up to Jerusalem With Jesus

Biblical Reflection for 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time C

By Father Thomas Rosica, CSB

TORONTO, JUNE 22, 2010 (Zenit.org).- In the opening words of today's Gospel, Luke clearly states where Jesus is headed. He is going up to Jerusalem where, as we heard predicted in last Sunday's Gospel, he will be put to death.

Without a doubt, Jesus speaks forcefully to us about the call to discipleship, of following him. He invites all of those along the way to follow him, and there are many and varied responses to the invitation. Some will not even listen to him (i.e., the Samaritans) because they are prejudiced against the one who issues the invitation. Some respond to the invitation without fully realizing what it entails.

Discipleship is a total commitment, and Jesus wants us to know from the beginning that following him will lead to the crucifixion.

Luke's travel narrative

Luke's journey narrative is based on Mark 10:1-52, but Luke uses his Marcan source only in Luke 18:15-19:27. Before that point he has inserted into his Gospel a distinctive collection of sayings of Jesus and stories about him that he has drawn from "Q" -- a collection of sayings of Jesus used also by Matthew -- and from his own special traditions.

Much of the material in the Lucan travel narrative is teaching for the disciples. During the course of this journey Jesus is preparing his chosen Galilean witnesses for the role they will play after his exodus (Luke 9:31): they are to be his witnesses to the people (Acts 10:39; 13:31) and thereby provide certainty to the readers of Luke's gospel that the teachings they have received are rooted in the teachings of Jesus (Luke 1:1-4).

Just as the Galilean ministry began with a rejection of Jesus in his hometown, so too the travel narrative begins with the rejection of him by Samaritans (9:51-55). In this episode Jesus disassociates himself from the attitude expressed by his disciples that those who reject him are to be punished severely. The story alludes to 2 Kings 1:10, 12 where the prophet Elijah takes the course of action Jesus rejects, and Jesus thereby rejects the identification of himself with Elijah.

Christian discipleship is severe

In today's Gospel, Jesus speaks of the severity and the unconditional nature of Christian discipleship (vv 57-62). Even family ties and filial obligations, such as burying one's parents, cannot distract one no matter how briefly from proclaiming the kingdom of God.

Discipleship requires a wholehearted commitment to the Lord and a generous spirit of service toward his people. The demands are severe. Jesus says unambiguously: "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God" (9:62).

The people of Jesus' time understood this agrarian imagery. The farmer has to keep his eyes fixed straight ahead, otherwise the neatly organized field required for planting would be turned into a chaotic nightmare at harvesting time. The demand sounds harsh, especially when Jesus says, "Let the dead bury their own dead." This is not disrespect for our deceased, but simply a realization that we must live without regret over the past. If we keep our eye on the present, then the fields of our lives will have the grace and freshness of newly plowed spring fields. Our lives will hold great promise for a rich harvest.

Luke also uses the journey motif to teach something about the road that Christians must walk. It is similar to the road Jesus himself journeyed, involving gross misunderstanding and rejection and requiring a great deal of internal strength and energy.

To be a disciple of Jesus requires total commitment on our part. It involves homelessness, not really belonging anywhere. To belong to Jesus must supersede all other obligations. The journey is final, its consequences ultimate. To be called does not require our perfection. Elijah, Elisha, the prophets of Israel, the fishermen of Galilee and even the tax collectors that Jesus called were certainly not called because of their qualifications or achievements. Paul says that Jesus calls "the foolish," so that the wise will be shamed. Our discipleship of Jesus must be much more than staying with him in Bethlehem, Nazareth, Bethany, Bethsaida, Capernaum, or atop Mount Tabor. It must also include being with him in Jerusalem, in Gethsemane, on Calvary.

There is no possibility of a lukewarm response; the Gospel requires all or nothing. The disciples speak the ultimate message of the Lord, "Say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you'" (Luke 10:9). As signs of victory over evil, the disciples have spectacular powers, demonstrating the awesome power of God. They are to rejoice, though not in the power of God active in them or even in the success of their message: Joy comes from the promise of life that has been given to them.

We are today's disciples. Our mandate is the same: to speak by our words and deeds the love of our God, and most of all, to rejoice, because he has called us and gifted us with such abundant life.

Let's go

Today's Gospel also invites us to reflect on the journeying with Jesus in his own land, up to the Holy City of Jerusalem, not only in our Christian lives of disciples, but also as pilgrims in history. Beginning today and continuing next week, I would like to offer some reflections on the meaning of pilgrimage or holy journey.

The phenomenon of the "holy journey" was known a long time before the Christian era and precedes even the Jewish tradition of pilgrimages. Devotional trips have always been related to the ancient reality of "holy places" or "sanctuaries." Such "holy places" or "sanctuaries" were considered sacred because the places acknowledged a presence of a superior power which subsequently became an object of worship. In ancient times people journeyed individually as well as collectively to the "shrines" where they performed special acts of worship for devotional, penitential or votive reasons.

It is very likely that in the first three centuries Christians did not make pilgrimages to the Holy Land if we understand them as devotional journeys toward a holy place. It seems that a reluctant attitude towards pilgrimages in early Christianity was due to basically two factors: political and religious. The lack of recognition of Christianity, which was practically an underground life in most of the Roman Empire, was a highly discouraging fact in the recognition and veneration of holy places.

From the writings of a Christian apologist from the second century, Justin Martyr, we learn that despite the widespread pagan custom of making therapeutic pilgrimages to the sanctuaries of Aesclepius, Christians did not practice it, because Christ was the unique healer of bodies and souls Although these factors portray a rather negative attitude of the first Christians towards Holy Land pilgrimages, we do have some information concerning sporadic journeys. Those journeys however appear to be classified more as scholarly trips than as pilgrimages.

Tracing the footsteps

The first, as far as we know, was made in 160 A.D. by Bishop Melito of Sardis. He wanted to acquire some details about the names and order of the books of the Old Testament. Another scholarly trip was made by Origen when he came from Alexandria to the Holy Land circa 235 A.D. Before settling down in Caesarea, he decided to retrace "the footsteps of the prophets, Jesus and the Apostles."

Probably the first attested pilgrim in the real sense of the word dates back to the year 216 A.D., when a bishop of Cappadocia, Alexander (a future bishop of Jerusalem), arrived in Jerusalem to "pray and know the holy sites." Therefore, in the first three centuries, besides a few sporadic cases, we cannot talk about the practice of pilgrimages neither to the Holy Land nor to any other places.

The scenario shifted quite drastically after the year 313 when Christianity obtained the status of the legal religion of the Empire. The Golden Age of the Holy Land had begun. The Holy Land itinerary gave the origin and idea to all the other devotional journeys. It seems that the perspective of knowing the biblical sites overshadowed the previous reluctant attitude towards pilgrimages. In fact many people enthusiastically and courageously overcame the hardships and risks of long and perilous travel, and set out for a holy and exciting trip toward the earthly homeland of the Lord.

Eusebius of Caesarea, a fourth-century Christian historian, portrayed Helena, the mother of the first Christian emperor, as the noblest of all Holy Land pilgrims. Eusebius asserts that Constantine wished to be baptized in the river Jordan like Christ. We unfortunately do not know if the emperor's desire was fulfilled and whether he came to the land of the Bible. The Emperor Constantine and his mother Helena played very important roles in the life and history of God's land.

These reflections will be continued next week.

[The readings for 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time are 1 Kings 19:16b, 19-21; Galatians 5:1, 13-18; Luke 9:51-62]

* * *

Basilian Father Thomas Rosica, chief executive officer of the Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation and Television Network in Canada, is a consultor to the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

Almost Disciples

June 26th, 2010 by Fr. Jerome Magat

After rebuking James and John for their vengeful designs to obliterate a Samaritan village for its unwillingness to welcome Jesus, our blessed Lord encounters three men who seek to become His disciples. Their interactions with Christ give us insights into the nature and mission of authentic discipleship. Jesus’ words are antithetical to the spirit of sensuality and comfort in which contemporary society is steeped. He reminds us that authentic discipleship is neither easy nor comfortable. It is not for the faint of heart or for the person who wants to love Jesus and embrace the spirit of the world. Discipleship is demanding and decisive. It requires a radical commitment.

The first potential disciple desires to follow Jesus wherever He goes. Jesus’ reply that, “The Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head,” suggests that discipleship demands tireless work; self-sacrifice; and the proper disposition of belonging to no earthly home and yet possessing all that is necessary to accomplish one’s apostolate. The true disciple is always on the move for Jesus — willing to forego material and natural pleasures for the pearl of great price that awaits those who love God above all persons and things.

The second person desiring discipleship, upon receiving Christ’s call to follow Him, makes the excuse that he must first go and bury his father. Jewish law required one to bury the dead. If a deceased relative was left unburied, the entire family would be rendered ceremonially unclean. Jesus’ reply, “Let the dead bury their dead,” suggests that the “dead” — those who will not share in the glory of heaven — ought to bury the physically dead. In other words, a disciple of Christ must be willing to transcend earthly realities and leave all behind in order to serve God wholeheartedly. This vivid description is intended to stress a point — that nothing should be more important than following Jesus, no matter the cost.

The third potential disciple wants to follow Jesus but desires to say farewell to family and home first. Jesus replies starkly, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.” Here, Jesus warns us that any potential disciple must not rely on the safe and familiar in order to accomplish His work. A true disciple must be willing to act decisively and promptly. Moreover, authentic conversion, which accompanies discipleship, requires that the penitent not look back on his past sins with nostalgia or delay following our Lord.

It is evident that discipleship requires a total commitment from the human person. He must be willing to sacrifice all of his possessions and his very life for the sake of the kingdom. While this may not require us to make the ultimate sacrifice of shedding our blood in martyrdom, it does require us to die to ourselves daily, becoming less attached to our opinions, possessions and our very earthly existence. Jesus makes the aforementioned remarks having set His face upon Jerusalem, determined to accomplish His divine mission. Jesus asks us to follow Him unreservedly placing all our trust in Him.

Fr. Magat is parochial vicar of St. William of York Parish in Stafford, VA.

(This article courtesy of the Arlington Catholic Herald.)

The Work of God

Year C

- 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

You don’t know of what spirit you are.

Luke 9:51-62

51 And it came to pass that when the days were approaching for him to be taken up to heaven, he steadfastly took the road for Jerusalem.
52 And he sent messengers before him; and going, they entered into a city of the Samaritans, to prepare for him.
53 And they did not receive him, because his face was of one going to Jerusalem.
54 And when his disciples James and John had seen this, they said: Lord, is it all right with you that we command fire to come down from heaven to consume them?
55 And turning, he rebuked them, saying: You don’t know of what spirit you are.
56 The Son of man came not to destroy souls, but to save. And they went into another town.
57 And it came to pass, as they walked in the way, that a certain man said to him: I will follow you wherever you go.
58 Jesus said to him: The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.
59 But he said to another: Follow me. And he said: Lord, suffer me first to go, and to bury my father.
60 And Jesus said to him: Let the dead bury their dead: but you go, and preach the kingdom of God.
61 And another said: I will follow you, Lord; but let me first take my leave of them that are at my house.
62 Jesus said to him: No man putting his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God

Inspiration of the Holy Spirit - From the Sacred Heart of Jesus

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time - You don’t know of what spirit you are.

Great is the power of God and greatly blessed are those who have received it. Moses commanded the sea to open and it obeyed, the prophet Elijah commanded the heavens to pour down rain and they obeyed.

The power of God was always in me, the Son of the Living God, a power that cannot be put in the wrong hands. My power is the power of my Word, it is absolute power that has created everything that has come into existence.

However I did not come into the world to show off my power or to exalt myself with it. I came with a different purpose; I used my power to save the world by denying my self, by taking up my cross and by sacrificing myself.

The power exercised in performing my miracles was the power of God giving testimony of my coming into the world.

I granted my apostles and all those who believe in me a share of my power so that they would be able to heal the sick and to cast out demons. There was a moment when the Apostles were tempted to misuse that power in a moment of pride. I showed them how the spirit of God uses His power not to destroy but to build, not to condemn but to save, not to exalt but to humble.

As children of God, you would all have the same powers that I had here on earth, but because of the pride in your hearts, those great gifts have to be suppressed for now.

The power of God is at home in the hearts of the humble. It is the great power of faith that is given to those who put all their trust in God. It pierces through the heavens and comes straight to my throne; it always receives when it asks. Nothing pleases me more than to answer the petitions of the humble.

Humility is the great lesson that I taught the world. I said, learn from me because I am meek and humble of heart. I tell you now, come to me and become like me so that you benefit from my power that makes you sons and daughters of the Most High.

I explained how the foxes have holes, and the birds of the air nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head. I was saying, here is your King, the Almighty God who having everything has reduced himself to nothing in order to teach you that humility is the way to go, because pride blinds the soul and leads you to sin.

He who desires me must follow me, He who follows me will become like me, but the price he has to pay is detachment from the world and from his self-love.

Author: Joseph of Jesus and Mary

Archdiocese of Washington

Jun26

Five Disciplines of Discipleship

By: Msgr. Charles Pope

The first observation for this Sunday’s Gospel is that it provides a kind of remedy for the sappy portraits of Jesus that seem to predominate today. Such portraits present Jesus as the quintessential “nice guy” whose main task was to affirm people, befriend the poor and generally be “nice.” It is a true fact that he did affirm, he befriended the poor and did have some nice things to say. But it is also true that Jesus is firm and uncompromising in setting forth conditions for discipleship. In today’s Gospel Jesus is clear in his own resolve and demands the same from those will follow him. There are to be no excuses and no postponements. He wants a decision. He is clear as to what that decision must be and he is not willing to wait for an answer tomorrow. This is no sappy or syrupy Jesus. He is serious and sets forth sober principles that he expects to be followed.

In today’s Gospel we can find five disciplines of discipleship which are both taught and exemplified by Jesus.

1. Purposefulness – The Gospel opens today with this line: When the days for Jesus’ being taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem. (Luke 9:51) Jesus was resolute. He was heading to Jerusalem to suffer, die and rise. He had this for his purpose and would not be deterred from this goal. He was determined to undertake the great battle and the great mission entrusted to him. Everything he did was to be oriented to this goal. We too are summoned to be purposeful, to be determined and to have our life centered around the one goal of knowing God in order to love Him, serve Him, be saved by Him and spend eternity with Him. Everything we do must somehow be linked to this one thing. Other Scriptures speak of the necessity of being resolutely purposeful and of having our life centered on the one thing necessary: This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Phil 3:13) No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. (Mat 6:24) A double minded man is unstable in all his ways (James 1:8)

2. Perseverance – As the text of today’s gospel continues a certain Samaritan town rejects and will not receive Jesus or the missionary group accompanying him. When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village (Lk 9:54-56) Now the fact is that if we witness to Jesus Christ authentically we are going to experience some hatred and rejection. Jesus is not deterred by this rejection but simply moves on to the next town. He also rebukes James and John for being so thin-skinned and revengeful about it. We cannot allow our little egos to get in the way of witnessing to Christ. Neither can we allow vengeful anger to sidetrack us into hate and away from love. We must persevere in proclaiming the Gospel message in season or out of season, whether we are accepted or rejected. Some will reject us. Instead of stopping out of hurt or discouragement we are counseled to shake the dust from our feet and move on to the next town, or soul (cf Matt 10:14). By the way, Jesus perhaps had this incidence in mind when he (humorously?) gave James and John the nickname “Sons of Thunder.” (Mk 3:17) So perseverance in spite of hatred and persecution is the second discipline of discipleship taught and demanded by the Lord.

3. Poverty – As they were proceeding on their journey someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” (Lk 9:57-58) Now this man apparently thought Jesus was headed somewhere high, perhaps to a palace. He probably figured on a worldly Messiah who was set to conquer and take charge and he wanted a place close to this new King in the palace. But Jesus rebukes the notion that following him will lead to this. In fact, it will lead to the cross. To follow Jesus will require that we learn to be poor to this world. Wealth, power, popularity and prestige entangle us with this world and keep us from our appointed task of proclaiming Christ crucified and finding our way home to heaven. We need to embrace a kind of poverty where we learn to simplify, pull free from worldly entanglements and travel light. We need not be destitute but neither should we be enamored of this world’s wealth. And frankly following Christ often means directly that we will experience financial impacts. The world know how to reward it’s own. But most often this reward comes at the cost of compromising the gospel. Living as a Christian often means we will live in a way that limits financial and other rewards. We won’t make easy compromises with sin or evil for profit or access. We won’t just take any job or be ruthless in the workplace. We won’t deal with unscrupulous people. We won’t lie on our resume, cheat on our taxes or take unethical short cuts. We will observe the Sabbath, be generous to the poor, pay a just wage and provide necessary benefits. We will pay the tithe. So pulling free of easy compromises and entanglements with the world and being “poor” to its riches is the third discipline of discipleship.

4. Promptness – And to another he said, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God (Luke 9:59-60). We tend to think that the man’s Father has just died and thus cringe at the Lord’s “cruel” remark. But the text does not in fact say the man’s father has just died. Hence, a more likely understanding of this text which also respects the Lord’s response is that the man is really saying something like: “I want to follow you, but my father is getting up in years and I will surely have to care for him. Perhaps when I am free of family obligations I will follow you.” The fact is that we can have a thousand excuses to avoid making God our priority. We endlessly postpone whole hearted discipleship by saying “Perhaps when I retire I’ll be better about getting to Church and praying…..Perhaps when I get the raise I’ll be more generous to the poor.” And so we delay our conversion. Then finally retirement does come and we have other excuses such as, “Well I’m not as young as I used to be and it’s harder to get out and go to Mass or get more involved.” And the fact is that it has always been tomorrow that “I’ll do better.” Jesus is unimpressed with all the excuses and the promises about how things will be better “later.” He says, “Now.” The fourth discipline of discipleship is promptness. We must promptly obey God.

5. Permanence – And another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home.” To him Jesus said, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Lk 9:61-62) This excuse sounds similar but Jesus different response points to another discipline of discipleship, that of permanence. Jesus teaches quite plainly that we are to set our hand to the Gospel plow and stop looking back to the world. The Letter to the Ephesians states well our call: Put off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Eph 4:22-24). The second Letter of Peter says Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your call and election permanent (2 Pet 1:10). The Lord has called us from things like: Harmful habits, ruinous relationships, soul-killing sinfulness, and perilous pleasures. We are, by his grace to leave these things behind and not look back. Proverbs, 26:11 says, As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness. Clearly then we must cling to Christ. Going back and forth from the world to Christ is unacceptable. And old spiritual says, “Some go to Church for to sing and shout, before six months they’s all turned out.” The fifth discipline of discipleship is permanence.

This song says, Jesus says, “Here I stand, won’t you please let me in?” and you said “I will but tomorrow.” Tomorrow? Who promised you tomorrow. Better choose the Lord today, for tomorrow very well might be too late.

Sunday Gospel Reflections

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading I: 1 Kgs 19:16b, 19-21 II: Galatians 5;1,13-18

Gospel
Luke 9:51-62

⁵¹ When the days drew near for him to be received up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.
⁵² And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him;
⁵³ but the people would not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem.
⁵⁴ And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to bid fire come down from heaven and consume them?"
⁵⁵ But he turned and rebuked them.
⁵⁶ And they went on to another village.
⁵⁷ As they were going along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go."
⁵⁸ And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head."
⁵⁹ To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."
⁶⁰ But he said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God."
⁶¹ Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home."
⁶² Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

Interesting Details

This passage begins the journey that leads Jesus to Jerusalem. Luke's journey narrative (9:51-19:27) presents a captivating portrait of Jesus, the faithful and the resolute Son (9:35), who in word and deed teaches the way that leads to life with God.
(v.51) At the transfiguration, Jesus conversed with Moses and Elijah about his exodus, a reference to the death, resurrection and ascension that he was to fulfill in Jerusalem (9:31). With great solemnity, Jesus now sets out on his journey to Jerusalem, the city that symbolizes the continuity between the old and the new in God's plan; and from there the words will be preached to all the nations (24:47).
(vv.52-53) Samaria was the territory between Judea and Galilee. The journey from Galilee to Jerusalem in Judea must pass through Samaria. For ethnic and historic reasons, Samaritans were not friendly to the Jews (Jn 4:9), especially when the Jews were passing through their territory on the way to the holy city, Jerusalem. The Samaritans to this day believe that God should be worship on Mount Gerizim and Jerusalem represents a heresy.
(v.54) "Fire from heaven" alludes to 2Kings 1:10-12 where the prophet Elijah twice called down fire from to destroy his enemies. (v.55) Jesus lives out in deed his teaching about non-retaliation against enemies.
(vv.59-60) "Let the dead bury their dead" is commonly interpreted as those who do not respond to the Gospel will be spiritually dead; they will have time to bury the physically dead. Jesus' demand even overrides the most important filial obligation to the Jews, which is to bury one's father. At that time the eldest son would stay with his parents, manage their properties, and bury them. This may take almost 30 years. Jesus challenged the people to follow him now, not years later.
(v.61) Elijah gave permission to his disciple Elisha to bid good-bye to his family (1Kgs 19:19-21), but the call of the reign of God is more urgent.
(v.62) The farming practice at that time was very primitive. A farmer guided a plow by one hand while his other hand drove the unruly oxen. If he looked back, the new furrow became crooked.

One Main Point

To be a follower of Jesus, the priority is always the kingdom of God. It supercedes a comfortable life and family relationships without hesitation or regret.

Reflections

What is my reaction when I feel unwelcome in a group, a society or a new land? How do I tolerate diversity? Feel the anger of James and John, but listen to the words and the deed from Jesus.
Imagine the journey of Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem as the journey of my life. Do I have a destination? What is it? What is my priority in life? How do I follow the way?

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Feast Day:	June 27
Born:	376 at Alexandria, Egypt
Died:	444 at Alexandria, Egypt
Patron of:	Alexandria, Egypt