Lk. 9: 51-62
I met my colleague last Wednesday, who was invited to our community to preach a monthly recollection. We enjoy close companionship and don’t need an introduction to share our life situations. While we were travelling to our community, I told him my experience of being in a parish for the first four months after my ordination and the transition that I experienced being in a seminary again. I told him that at the end of the day, I feel that I am not reaching out to anyone for pastoral care. My companion shared his experience that because being in a multimedia sector, he is constantly surrounded by systems and, at the end of the day, he has accounts dealing with businesses, just like me, and absolutely no pastoral outreach. I shared with him that I find consolation by constantly bringing to my mind the Word of God: “See, I have come to do your will.” (Heb. 10:9) and Christ wants to glorify him in this given situation.Then I asked him about the recollection’s theme, and he said it’s about commitment. We did not speak further on this topic, and when he started his preaching, I realised that God was speaking to both of us through his talk.
He shared with us that our commitment is a covenant and not a contract. It gives us identity and shapes our character. A life of commitment means saying a thousand “no’s” and saying a few precious “yes’s…” Then he also mentioned that though we make commitments, we tend to think that we always have choices in our life and remain wanderers. To stress this point, he shared with us a meaningful Jewish story concerning Moses.
Having killed the Egyptian, Moses went into hiding in the desert. There he led the life of a shepherd. One day, one of his sheep went astray. He went in search of this sheep and found the sheep. At that moment, he realised that he was that lost sheep. At that very instance, he had the revelation of Yahweh in the burning bush, calling him to a greater commitment by being the leader of the Jewish people…
In today’s gospel, we see Jesus instructing his disciples concerning what kind of commitment they are called to live. In the first part of the gospel, we see when the Samaritan village gave a cold welcome to Jesus and his disciples, James and John. They wanted to destroy this Samaritan village by calling down fire from heaven, but Jesus rebuked them. Why did Jesus rebuke them? The commitment to Jesus is also the commitment to our brethren. It is easy to destroy people, but to build and transform those who are entrusted to our care demands great commitment. We need to be patient and compassionate with them like Jesus, giving them time to recognise God’s plan and helping them to recognise and grow into the commitment to which they are called.
Then we see another person approaching Jesus and expressing his willingness to follow Jesus. Jesus tells him that while foxes have dens and birds have nests, the Son of Man has nowhere to sleep. The commitment demands an absolute abandonment of the Abba father. In fact, this child like trust will help us to live our commitment with great love and fidelity. When we don’t have this absolute trust in Providence, we remain doubtful and half-hearted in everything we do. Therefore, it becomes a pre-requisite for our commitment to the Lord.
Then we see Jesus asking another person to follow him. Immediately, that person gives the excuse of burying his own father. It is the right of a Jewish man to bury his own father. He tells Jesus that if he let him fulfil his family obligation, then he would come and follow him. Jesus tells him to let the dead bury their dead. What does it mean? If the Lord calls someone to follow him, then that person’s primary commitment is to the Lord. Even the most essential rights and duties are replaced by the mission entrusted by the Lord. We see when Jesus calls the sons of Zebedee, they leave their boast, nets, along with their father on the shore, and follow him.
We see another person who wanted to follow Jesus, but he needed time to say good bye to his family members. At the very outset, we may wonder, if it is the basic right of a person, what is wrong with it? But Jesus tells him that one who keeps his hands on the plough is expected to carry forward his/her vocational journey without a second thought. We see in the first reading that when Elisha was called by the Lord, he burned his plough and gave a treat for his friends and followed his master Elijah immediately.
As we reflect on this passage today, let us analyse and see whether we are faithful and committed to our call. Are we ready to place the primacy of being a disciple of Jesus above all our other commitments? Let us grow in our commitment to the Lord by being committed to our beloved brethren. Let us grow in the awareness that being a disciple of Christ is making a covenant with him which demands certain sacrifice from our part and that this covenant lasts for eternity.