June 30-July 1 2007
1 Kings 19:16b, 19-21 Psalm: 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10,
Galatians 5:1, 13-18
Luke 9:51-62
Introduction
A young man was very excited because he just won a ticket to the footy. His excitement lessened as he realized his seat was in the back of the stadium. As he searched the rows ahead of him for a better seat, he saw an empty one right next to the field. He approached the man sitting next to the empty seat and asked if it was taken. The man replied, "No." Amazed the young man asked, "How could someone pass up a seat like this?" The older gentleman responded, "That's my wife's seat. We've been to every Football Match together since the day we were married but she has passed away." "Oh, how sad," the man said. "I'm sorry to hear that, but couldn't you find a friend or relative to come with you?" "No," the man said, "They're all at the funeral."*
Commitment
The readings today have a general theme of commitment but it’s not about a commitment to our personal passion such as sports. They remind us today to focus our commitment to God divine call: his call to follow Jesus, to serve him through one another. Commitment is an act of being involved or engaged in an obligation; living up one’s promise to be faithful in all circumstances. A commitment to the divine call always requires detachment to one’s personal happiness, security, and even one’s family in order to attach oneself totally to God.
Readings
The first reading describes how Elisha committed himself whole-heartedly to God’s call to be a prophet, in spite of his initial hesitation when God called him through the prophet Elijah. Upon receiving God’s invitation, Elisha responds promptly, he expresses his total detachment to his former living by slaughtering his oxen he had been plowing with, and then cooking them (using the yoke and harness) as fuel for neighbors to eat, and kisses his father and mother goodbye.
Actually the responsorial psalm, “You are my inheritance, O Lord," has traditionally been used to exemplify the commitment to ordained ministry or religious profession. But it more accurately reflects the commitment we made on our baptism
.
Gospel The Gospel today has two parts: First part deals with the beginning of Jesus’ journey from the northern town of Galilee to the southern city of Jerusalem through the land of Samaria. It invites us to discover what the call to discipleship means. We hear the hostile nature of Samaritan territory, the villagers wouldn’t welcome Jesus, which infuriated, James and John, that they requested Jesus to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them as Elias had done (II Kings 1:9-12). Jesus rebuked them, however, because he was not a destroyer, but a Savior. So far at this stage the apostles have so little understanding of their commitment as followers of Christ. Commitment to Jesus also means detachment to violence and harmful thoughts against others, even to enemies. They already forgot what Jesus taught them, to bless those who curse them and pray for their love enemies.
Now the second part of the Gospel gives us in tight sequence three cases of would-be followers of Jesus. Three different characters who would like to commit their lives to Jesus. Jesus warns them that to follow him requires total dedication and complete self-surrender. It will not be a bed of roses. We do not know if they ended up as faithful followers of Christ. What matters is the message of the Gospel: how does one follow Jesus; how can we be fully committed to Christ.
Those who are to follow Christ are asked to follow him totally and immediately, without any reservation by giving up everything they have. First, one must give up security, one must subordinate everything without delay to the duty of evangelizing, and one must forget the past and face the future. In short, if one wants to follow Jesus, one must act decisively – fully committed by words and examples.
A life of commitment to all
A life of commitment to a divine call, as explained in today’s reading, is not restricted to saints, priests and the religious, but it’s for all. As baptised Christians we are called to be living prophets to our families, community, Church, and society by listening to and putting into practice what Jesus says to us.
We are here this morning because, in one way or another, we would like to say to Jesus, “I love and I will follow you.” Sometimes we have been faithful to him and other times because of our weaknesses we have not. But the good news is that we are following him as best as we can, aren’t we? If not you wont sacrifice one hour of time today to come to Mass and worship our Lord. In a few moments, 30 minutes or so, we will all leave this church, we will go our own way and return to the world with all sorts of tough choices and difficult demands. Tomorrow most of you will to your workplaces, our students will be starting their school holidays, and tomorrow I will spend my day off.
Hence in this Mass we have come together, to pray for strength that we will able to faithful with our commitment to follow Jesus, to live up his values and imitate his examples. It will never be easy to follow Jesus but we will do it. So we have to ask for forgiveness when we fail, and we have to renew our determination to walk with Jesus.
My dear friends, let us pray for strength to honor our commitments that we may all resolved to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and follow him to the end. Amen.
*story adapted from Fr Tony
* Hanggang tenga ngiti: A-so-happy-moment-taken-in-1997-with-my-very-good-friend-Sr-Maria-Comiso- RCM. She's an inspiring example of a faithful follower of Christ.
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