HOMILY OF 26TH WEDNESDAY ORDINARY TIME — YEAR A
HOMILY OF 26TH WEDNESDAY ORDINARY TIME: YEAR A
HOMILY THEME: FOLLOW ME
BY: Fr. Mike Lagrimas
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.”
ALSO RECOMMENDED: HOMILY OF 26TH WEDNESDAY ORDINARY TIME
The main direction of the journey of Jesus is towards Jerusalem where He will undergo His passion and death. And no one can distract or prevent Him from moving towards this direction: “He resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem” (Lk 9:51). And as He Jesus was walking along the road, He was calling certain individuals to follow Him. There are even those who were volunteering to be His disciples. However, some of them are setting their own conditions before following Him. It is as if they were trying to negotiate their vocation with God.
Today we see three examples of these conditions set by the would-be followers of Jesus.
The first says that he will go wherever Jesus goes. But the Lord must have sensed that the man is expecting some material benefits. So, Jesus hastens to dispel such false expectation: “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”
Jesus is not saying that poverty or deprivation is a necessary requirement for discipleship. Rather, He is simply inculcating the spirit of freedom from any attachment to material things. A disciple who is anxious and tied down with concerns about material things is not free to follow the Lord. He would be like a dog that always wants to follow its master. But it cannot do so because it is prevented by its leash.
The second man, though personally invited by Jesus, asks first to be allowed to go and bury his father. This may look like his father has just died and he wants to attend the funeral. But judging from the circumstances, it appears that his father is still alive. And as a dutiful and devoted son, he cannot leave yet his dying father. So, he has to wait for his death before he follows Jesus.
The answer of Jesus may sound absurd and insulting: “Let the dead bury their dead.” In practical terms, how can the dead do that? But He is just strongly emphasizing the point that His call transcends the needs of family, tradition and culture. In short, the needs of the living are more important and urgent than those of the dead. The answer to His call is now, not later. What if his father does not die for years? Does that mean Jesus will be made to wait for him that long?
The third man has also the welfare of his family in mind. He asks permission to go home first to formally bid farewell to his family. Perhaps he has in mind what Elisha did before leaving his family to follow Elijah. Definitely, this is a reasonable request in view of the demands of good manners. But Jesus replies to that request by saying, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.”
This does not mean outright disregard for basic good manners, especially towards parents and family. Rather, Jesus is invoking total commitment and focus on the mission at hand. Once the decision has been made to serve God and His people, there is no turning back. Moreover, this is also a reminder to His disciples to always look and move forward. Their duty is to sow the seeds of the Gospel, and they are not to be too concerned about whether their labors have borne fruits or not.
In all these three examples, Jesus is pointing out that following Him should be first and foremost in the mind of His disciples. It demands total commitment and dedication to the Kingdom of God. There is no such thing as partial and conditional discipleship. It is all or nothing.
In all honesty and humility, we have to admit that, at some point in our life, we have been like the three would-be followers of Jesus. Sometimes we are expecting rewards in serving the Lord – not necessarily material, but oftentimes in terms of recognition and public accolades as ego-booster. At other times, we delay serving the Lord for various reasons, mostly selfish and worldly. And also sometimes we cannot move forward because we keep looking back at the outcome of our labors, hoping these have borne abundant fruits and expect to receive credits for these.
Every day, the Lord Jesus invites us: “Come, follow me.” May our ‘yes’ to the Lord’s invitation be prompt, unconditional and absolute so that we become His effective instruments in building His kingdom on earth.
FOR A SIMILAR HOMILY, CLICK HERE>>>>>
Dear friends in Christ, Your support for the past 12years has kept us going. We ask you to support us with your donations to enable us to upset our “annual bills”. Our priests are willing to offer Holy Masses for your Private Intentions. May you Click on “Next”, or the “Donate” button to get started. God bless you!!!
