June 30, 2019
13th Sunday Ordinary Time
Some of our Boy Scouts are travelling to Camp Philmont in the Rocky Mountains, New Mexico. Troop 325 leaders and scouts have undertaken survival training in order to be prepared for rugged wilderness. An adventure of a lifetime. In our Gospel today, Jesus is determined (literally “his face is setâ€) to journey to Jerusalem and to tell his disciples and others who listen along the way what it will entail. Total commitment.
Jesus deliberately takes the road through Samaria knowing the locals are not friendly to Jews. He is stressing the demands of discipleship. Those who follow him must be ready to be without home and security; discipleship takes precedence over family ties and obligations; and the relationship of Jesus and his disciples is of paramount lifelong importance. These are startling expectations in a culture that values family bonds and honor.
We see the radical quality of God’s call in our first reading when Elijah places his mantle over Elisha. Elisha, recognizing what the gesture means, tells Elijah to give him time to kiss his father goodbye, roast the oxen and get his family affairs in order. St. Paul writes to the Galatians that Christ has set them free! But it is not a freedom to do as they please but “to serve one another through love.â€
Jesus’ words to the would-be disciple who wishes to bury his father first are harsh. But Jesus knows how we use parents, children, spouses, work, age or health to excuse ourselves from discipleship. Present circumstances can never be obstacles to following Jesus. Jesus is saying: “No procrastination. No backward looks. You can’t put God’s kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the moment.â€
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16th Sunday Ordinary
