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Meditation: Luke 9:51-62

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:60)

If you ever listen to popular love songs, you’ll find a lot of exaggeration. You hear lines like “I’d give the moon if it were mine to give.” “I’m gonna love you till the stars fall from the sky.” “My love is deeper than the deepest ocean.” But behind all of this fanciful imagery, there is something very real. Even if they are speaking only out of infatuation or love at first sight, these lovers are saying that they would do anything for their beloved.

That’s what Jesus is asking of his disciples here. He is looking for something much deeper than mere infatuation. He wants us to be as deeply in love with him as he is with us. The young man who asks to go home and bury his father is not wrong. But Jesus is trying to show him that anyone who experiences God’s radical, passionate love will become equally radical in response—to the point where everything else is secondary.

So when we read these words, we shouldn’t think of Jesus as a harsh, demanding taskmaster who is out to take away all we hold dear. Rather, he is a lover, wooing us with something more desirable than anything on this earth—himself. As God told Israel once, “I will espouse you to me forever … in right and in justice; in love and in mercy; I will espouse you in fidelity” (Hosea 2:21-22).

Today is a good day to ponder how deeply God loves you. He may not send you flowers or buy you diamond rings, but he delights in giving you even better and longer-lasting gifts. He has gone so far as to give you his very life—all so that he could be with you for all eternity. So in your prayer today, picture Jesus sitting next to you. See the love in his eyes, and know that he will never leave you. He has such wonderful plans for your life. How can you not want to follow him?

“Lord, I am captivated by your grace and mercy. Your love is beyond imagining! I surrender all to you, because your love is better than life!”

1 Kings 19:16, 19-21; Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-11; Galatians 5:1, 13-18

Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion

1. In the first reading, Elisha followed God’s inspiration in spite of what the costs might be. We are often afraid of following God because we think he will ask too much of us. We even use it as an excuse not to try. What are the “small things” God is asking of you that you have been struggling to carry out? What steps can you take to be more responsive to God’s call on your life?

2. God our Father is not a demanding taskmaster. He is full of love and kindness toward you. The responsorial psalm says he promises us “fullness of joys” and “delights”. How do you view God the Father—as a loving, kind, and merciful Father or as a demanding taskmaster? Why should having the correct image of our heavenly Father be a source of “joy” and “delight” to you and to others?

3. In the letter to the Galatians, St. Paul asks us to “serve one another through love.” What practical steps can you take to respond to God’s call by serving your brothers and sisters in Christ in your parish and in your community?

4. The Gospel reiterates a point from the first reading, i.e., obeying God’s call to follow his will rather than our own. In practice, however, we often act as if God needs to accommodate himself to what we have already decided. What are some things you can do allow God, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to become more involved in your decision-making? For example, how often do you pray and ask God to reveal his will prior to making an important decision, rather than just quickly deciding on your own?

5. The meditation, reflecting on the story in the Gospel reading from Luke, reminds us that “The young man who asks to go home and bury his father is not wrong. But Jesus is trying to show him that anyone who experiences God’s radical, passionate love will become equally radical in response—to the point where everything else is secondary.” What are the obstacles in your life that get in the way of your experiencing “God’s radical, passionate love”? What steps can you take to overcome them?

6. Take some time now to pray and ask the Lord for the grace to experience more deeply his great love for you, and the grace to respond to his great love by surrendering your whole life to Him. Use the prayer at the end of the meditation as a starting point.

A Christian Pilgrim

HE SET HIS FACE TO GO TO JERUSALEM

(A biblical reflection on the 13^th Sunday in Ordinary Time [Year C] – June 30, 2013)

Gospel Reading: Luke 9:51-62

First Reading: 1Kings 19;6,19-21; Psalms: Ps 16:1-2,5-11; Second Reading: Gal 5:1,13-18

The Scripture Text

When the days drew near for Him to be received up, He set His face to go to Jerusalem. And He sent messengers ahead of Him, who went and entered aq village of the Samaritans, to make ready for Him; but the people would not receive Him, because His face was set toward Jerusalem. 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?” But He turned and rebuked them. And they went on to another village.

As they were going along the road, a man said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.” 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.” To another He said, “Follow Me.” But He said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” But He said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.” Another said, “I will follow You, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God. (Lk 9:51-62 RSV)

The life of Jesus was a journey through this world until He finally returned to heaven. The good news for us is that heaven if the goal of our pilgrimage too. It is an end well worth the cost of singleminded dedication and detachment.

As Jesus’ mission on earth drew to a close, “He set His face to go to Jerusalem” (Lk 9:51). In Jerusalem, which symbolizes the entirety of God’s plan, both old and new, Jesus accomplished the Father’s will by His death, resurrection, and ascension (Lk 9:31). As a result of Jesus’ obedience, the Holy Spirit was poured out and the Kingdom of God advanced throughout the world.

Jesus set His face toward Jerusalem, determined to fulfil His Father’s plan for Him. He turned His back on everything that would prevent Him from accomplishing God’s will. He had faith that the Father was His inheritance, His chosen portion and cup (Ps 16:5). Therefore, He surrendered His life to His Father. Jesus knew that there was “fullness of joy” in the Father’s presence – that in His “right hand are pleasures for evermore” (Ps 16:11).

Like Jesus, we too must set our faces toward Jerusalem. To glorify the Father as Jesus did means we also will undergo suffering and persecution as He did. We can take courage, however, because Christ has overcome the world (Jn 16:33) and in Him we too overcome. To be victorious in Christ, we are called to accept the Father’s will and follow Jesus without reservation.

Following Jesus requires that we surrender ourselves to Him and place our security in Him alone. Jesus relied only on the Father for His security and thus had “nowhere to lay His head” in this world (Lk 9:58). Like Jesus, we need to put aside everything and preach the Kingdom of God: “Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God” (Lk 9:60). Finally, we cannot look back to the past but need to look forward to the future. One who plows does not look back to see if his furrows are straight (Lk 9:62). With hope and expectation, we keep our eyes fixed on God, trusting in His sovereignty and having confidence that His plan will be fulfilled in us.

These proverbs are reflections on what is required to be a disciple of Christ. Jesus calls us not to “save” our lives, but to sacrifice them as well as all our worldly treasures for Him, just as He did for the Father. In so doing, we will find fullness of life and know that God is our inheritance.

Short Prayer: Heavenly Father, open our eyes to the majesty of our heavenly home. May this vision compel us forward as we seek Jesus, the pearl of great price. Jesus, we want to be with You forever! Amen.