26 June 2022 – 13th Sunday (C)
26 June 2022 – 13th Sunday (C)
(1) 1 Kings 19:16, 19-21
Elisha immediately answers his call; leaving all he follows Elijah
The Lord said to Elijah, “You shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place.”
Elijah set out from there, and found Elisha son of Shaphat, who was ploughing, with twelve yoke of oxen ahead of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle over him. He left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, “Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” Then Elijah said to him, “Go back again; for what have I done to you?”
He returned from following him, took the yoke of oxen, and slaughtered them; using the equipment from the oxen, he boiled their flesh, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out and followed Elijah, and became his servant.
Responsorial: Psalm 15:1-2, 5, 7-11
R./: You are my inheritance, O Lord
Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you.
I say to the Lord: ‘You are my God.’
O Lord, it is you who are my portion and cup;
it is you yourself who are my prize. (R./)
I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel,
who even at night directs my heart.
I keep the Lord ever in my sight:
since he is at my right hand, I shall stand firm. (R./)
And so my heart rejoices, my soul is glad;
even my body shall rest in safety.
For you will not leave my soul among the dead,
nor let your beloved know decay. (R./)
You will show me the path of life,
the fullness of joy in your presence,
at your right hand happiness for ever. (R./)
(2) Galatians (5:1, 13-18
Resisting the flesh which draws us back towards sin and slavery
For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.
Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law.
Gospel: Luke 9:51-62
Jesus resolutely takes the road to Jerusalem, calling others to follow him
When the days drew near for him to be taken up, Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But he turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village.
As they were going along the road, someone 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, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead 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 said to him, “No one who puts hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
The Cost of Discipleship
Commitment and loyalty to Jesus are central today’s Gospel. It’s a quality that should affect decisions that crop up in our own experience. Few really important decisions are made without some hankerings after the alternatives which were not chosen. Some decisions are made in one single go (e.g. to paint the house); others have to be constantly renewed (e.g. to keep a marriage thriving; to care for our friends.) Our decision to be active Christians is never totally definitive, and needs constant reaffirmation. Today’s Holy Scripture gives some examples of radical choice of vocation, like Elisha slaughtering his oxen before leaving home to be a prophet. Can we fully follow the Holy Spirit, to be totally free for God’s service?
Some points from the readings:
(1) Personal commitment to Jesus, putting him first in our life. Making his values part of our lifestyle. It’s mistaken to imagine all pleasure as connected with sin. The nobility of Jesus’ values gives real joy. Following him requires a decision, but is supremely worthwhile.
(2) “Through love become servants to one another.” This is living with the true freedom for which Christ has set us free.
(3) Persevering with Jesus; keeping our hands firmly on the plough, and not looking back. To do so we need to be “led by the Spirit.” Luke is so aware of the gift of the Spirit that he feels enabled, in his gospel, to underline so often the cost of discipleship.
Our personal calling
The Gospel tells how three individuals wanted to follow Jesus and learn more about God. Far from urging them to join his group, Jesus seemed rather to discourage them. The first was told to count the cost of joining, as he would have no fixed abode. The next answer seems quite harsh. “Let the [spiritually] dead bury their dead.” Perhaps the man’s father was still alive, and an eldest son could not leave home until after his father’s death. But if we are faced with a radical option and do not decide at once, we are less likely to do so later. What Jesus said to the third man was equally challenging: “No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” The wooden plough could break if it struck a large stone; so the ploughman had to watch the ground ahead at all times. The commitment of a disciple to following Christ should be equally focussed.
All through life, God is also calling us, whether we respond or not, even as he called Peter from his fishing, Matthew from his tax office, Elisha from his farm. But, how many choose to answer God’s call? Jesus once observed that “Many are called but few are chosen” (Mt 22:14). On the other hand we have his words of warm encouragement, “Fear not little flock, for it has pleased the Father to give you the kingdom” (Lk 12:32).
As a foundation for any vocation to service in the church is the belief that God “so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost, but may have eternal life” (Jn 3:16). This reassures us of the unconditional love on God’s part for each and every person. With that belief we renew our Yes to our basic Christian vocation: “through love become servants to one another” or in our Lord’s words: “Love one another as I have loved you.”
Hands to the plough
Sometimes we wonder if Jesus was trying to discourage people from following him, he was so blunt in spelling out what it would cost. Yet ‘Follow me’ is an invitation frequently repeated in the Gospel, and it echoes in the hearts of every generation.
Jesus calls various people to share in his life and in his interests. Discipleship and loyalty to his mission go hand in hand. And this mission needed to be carried out in right spirit, not as dominating people but as serving them. James and John were eager but they wanted to do things their way; so Jesus sharply rebuked them. A fire and brimstone approach even towards opponents, was unacceptable. Jesus came as a saviour not as the leader of a punishment squad. It seems online that some would-be guardians of orthodoxy today share the angry spirit of the Boanerges: ‘sons of thunder’. We need the guidance of Jesus to help us to clarify and to refine our understanding of discipleship.
Disciples need to to break free from false forms of security. The apostles left behind their established lifestyle in order to be with Jesus. At an earlier time, Elisha left aside his security as a farmer in order to serve with Elijah the prophet. “Yes I will follow you, sir, but first let me…” Have those words a familiar ring to us? So they resemble our own first response to God’s call? I will follow you but on my own terms. I will follow you, if the cost is not too high.
In today’s Gospel, several people wanted to follow Jesus, but found the conditions too strict. The project of spreading the kingdom of God was noble and urgent. Instead of trying to haggle with Jesus over the conditions, they could have gone with him immediately. Ideally our own ‘Yes’ to God should be total, like our Blessed Mother’s. If we do this, it can bring us that spiritual joy which St Paul calls the “pledge,” or first instalment of eternal life.
Readings: 26 June 2022 – 13th Sunday (C)
Key Message:
Do whatever He calls you to do
Homily:
All the readings of today are centred on God calling us and being focussed on our calling.
In the first reading, God calls Elisha through the prophet Elijah. Elisha was a farmer and he was ploughing his field with twelve oxen. He would have been a wealthy farmer since he had twelve oxen. He had enough wealth to keep him occupied in his work. But when Elijah called Elisha, he knew that Elijah was a prophet and so his call would be for a prophetic mission. So once he surrendered himself to follow the prophet Elijah, he let go all his attachments to his regular work. He slaughtered all the oxen and using his farming equipment he cooked meals for everyone and gave to them. Now there was nothing for Elisha to return back to in his earlier way of living. All his mind, body and soul were devoted only to the work of the Lord.
In the Gospel reading, we find our Lord Jesus calling us to work for the kingdom of God. In the responses of our Lord Jesus, we can see the urgency of the requirement for the servants of God.
In the second reading, we read “Live by the Spirit, do not gratify the desires of the flesh.” This is the time we are in. We are guided by the small sweet silent voice of the Holy Spirit. God calls us for His ministry. It may be a ministry of taking care of our family or school or hospital or church. God has ordained each one of us in our own ministry and He continuously guides us by His own silent words. His words can be heard only by the person to whom He speaks. Our Lord Jesus said, “Let everyone who has ears, listen”. It is not the physical ears our Lord is referring to here. Almost all have ears. But our Lord is referring to our spiritual ears. Do we question ourselves as to whether our spiritual ears are deaf so we are not hearing anything from the Almighty God? Or how do we develop spiritually strong ears? Let’s keep talking to our God as our best friend. We can talk to our Lord Jesus simply like “Jesus, I am going to make my child sit and study. You too come with me”. Like that, realise He is a person, forever with you. When we chat with Him then we will also be able to listen to Him. Has not our Lord Jesus promised, “I AM ALWAYS WITH YOU”?
Now coming back to our topic of our Lord’s intensive calling. This calling has been through all the ages. Earlier, God our Father called either directly or indirectly through the prophets. Our Lord Jesus called most of the time directly. Now the Holy Spirit, our Lord, reveals our futuristic calling.
Generally, we follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit when we are comfortable doing it. But when we are uncomfortable or it is beyond our logical reasoning, we tend to disobey Him. Our Father does not immediately choose another person as a substitute for us. It is because we will regret it later. So He keeps coming back to us with the same task. When Jonah did not like going to the city of Nineveh, he took the ship that went in the opposite direction. But our God did not immediately choose another prophet and send him to Nineveh. He made a fish swallow Jonah and had him shipped back in the belly of the fish. After this round trip in the ship and in the fish, our Father again asked the prophet Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh. There was no change in the task of Jonah when he neglected the task. Let us be careful to do the task as soon as it is initiated else the task will be repeated after some round trips.
When assigning a task, God will also tell us the task. He may not reveal the full details of the task initially. That will happen slowly as we proceed. But the Holy Spirit will let us know what the task is. All the callings are precious in the eyes of our God. We may be called to be a priest, a mother, a homemaker, or a choir leader. Every calling is according to the will of our God. The Apostle Paul said, “I have run my race well”. He did not say I have run all your races well. Each one has a specific purpose for their life. Fulfilling the purpose of life is one’s own race to be run.
Let us also analyse how our Lord Jesus fulfils His call in the incidents of today’s Gospel. Our Lord Jesus had set His face towards Jerusalem since He knew it was the time for Him to be taken up. He sent messengers ahead of Him to make things ready for Him. On the way, the disciples tried to make a place ready for Him in Samaria. But what does the Gospel say here? The Samaritans refused to make a place for Him since our Lord had set His mind towards Jerusalem.
Similarly, even when we have the right intentions, some doors may not open for us. But it is God’s will for us since He has destined a place somewhere else for us. Earlier in the week, we read that a Samaritan village pleaded with our Lord to stay with them and He stayed there for two days. Because that was fulfilling the purpose of our Lord Jesus to preach the good news in the villages of Samaria also. Now was not a time to preach the good news in Samaria but to go to Jerusalem straight away. So the doors of Samaria were not welcoming our Lord Jesus now.
So closed doors are redirecting our ways to the world of newer opportunities.
One more lesson our Lord Jesus gives us is, that “He ignored” and kept going forward. Our Lord Jesus would have been tired and wanted to rest. His body would have required some rest at that point of time since in the same Gospel we see our Lord saying “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
So our Lord Jesus needed a place to rest, but He was refused. Our Lord Jesus ignored it, rebuked His disciples for getting angry, and proceeded forward to fulfilling His purpose. He ignored whatever came in His way and kept walking towards fulfilling His call. He did not carry the stress in His mind or anger in His heart. He did not meditate on how much good He had done for them, but still they had not opened their doors for Him. Jesus did not even question why God our Father did not give Him food to eat and a place to stay here.
Like our Lord, we should have faith in God our Father. The devil may tempt our minds to lose our faith in our Lord Jesus and distance from Him. He may bring to our mind the unjust things that happened to us and may make us not forgive those who hurt us. Or he may try to fill our minds with constant worries and self-pity so that we do not reach our goals. So every day we must be careful not to entertain any negative thoughts in our minds and always look forward just like our Lord Jesus.
Just like our Lord Jesus, we should not be mindful of any negative things that happen around us and be always fully energetic about the specific call in our life.