13th Sunday of the Year–Cycle C–2016
FIRST READING 1 Kings 19:16b, 19-21
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.
SECOND READING Galatians 5:1, 13-18
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.
GOSPEL Luke 9:51-62
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.”
My sisters and brothers in the Lord,
We begin to focus on discipleship today and what it means to follow someone else, to follow the Lord Jesus. Each of us has been given complete freedom by our baptism and the second reading reminds us not to use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, as an opportunity to serve one another through love. For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, namely, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The first reading today speaks to us about Elisha’s call to follow Elijah and to take on the role of Elijah. The call demands of Elisha that he leave all that he has done before and be simply at the beck and call of God Himself. Elisha is ready and follows, even though he goes to say good-bye to his father and mother.
The Gospel has several stories of “calling” and each one is a bit different. When some Samaritan people don’t want to receive Jesus, James and John are ready to destroy them. Jesus rebukes the. This is an important element in Christian tradition and quite often ignored. Far too often in our Christian history we have destroyed those who rejected us. We can still do that today in so many ways. Yet it is not the way of Jesus.
Jesus calls others and most are willing to go with Him, but sometimes put conditions. Jesus wants His call to with unconditional, at least to some of the people. How often we can find ourselves replying to Jesus in the same way: I want to fight sin, but not quite yet. I want to do your will, but give me a little more time.
Jesus does not reject us for our weakness and lack of strength to follow Him, but He keeps asking us for more. Jesus tells us just as much as he tells the person in today’s Gospel: “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.”
These are strong statements and can frighten us. If we are among the weak who look to what was left behind, we can only ask Jesus: “Help me, Lord, so that I will begin to look to you alone and not to what was left behind.” We are all called. Let us respond to the call, even if we fail many times. Lord, have mercy.
Your brother in the Lord,
Abbot Philip