30-Sep-15

Gospel LK 9:57-62
As Jesus and his disciples 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.”
Jesus answered him, “No one who sets a hand to the plow
and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.”
Reflection:
To the man who tells him, "I will follow you wherever you go," Jesus replies, "Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head."
In other words, Jesus is saying to be careful and make sure you know what you are getting into before you make a commitment to follow him.
Jesus invites the second man, "Follow me." He replies, "Lord, let me go first and bury my father." Our Lord tells him, "Let the dead bury their dead."
Jesus is teaching us that once we have come alive in Christ, we must not let anything or anyone come between us and our relationship with God.
The third man says, "I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home."
Jesus answers him with a saying that any farmer would immediately understand, "No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what is left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God."
To plow a straight furrow, we must keep our eyes to the front. If we are constantly looking behind our furrow will undoubtedly be crooked.
Jesus is not we must abandon our families in order to follow him; he, of course, wants us to continue to love and remain committed to our families. Jesus himself dearly loved his mother, Mary, and remained concerned for her well being until his last breath on the cross.
But, like Christ, our first loyalty must be to the God who created us.
"In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success." Proverbs 3:6