Homilies

13th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME: SERIOUSNESS IN DISCIPLESHIP

THE GOSPEL TODAY shows us the travel of Jesus and his disciples from Galilee to Jerusalem. To reach Jerusalem, they had to pass through the region of Samaria. Unfortunately, the Samaritan people refused them to enter their territory because their destination was Jerusalem. Jesus respected the Samaritan’s refusal and they took another route to reach Jerusalem.

First, what brings to our attention is the reaction of Jesus’ disciples to the rejection or refusal to enter Samaritan villages. It is quite understandable that Samaritans had to do this because of the existing rivalry and animosity between Samaria and Jerusalem, the former being the capital of the Northern Kingdom, and the latter the capital of the Southern kingdom of the Davidic empire. While Jesus had understood and respected it, his disciples were in fury. They asked Jesus “to call down fire from heaven to consume them.” In other words, they wished God to destroy the whole place. Jesus did not entertain their thought or suggestion. Jesus knew well that he was sent by the Father to be a bearer of peace and reconciliation. He was not sent to bring violence to the people. This is something that we should also consider. In a pluralistic world, we should learn how to become tolerant of others and respectful also to their culture, ideas, beliefs etc.

Secondly, we hear of the lively discussion on true discipleship, its nature and its conditions. We have learned that discipleship does not come easy. It is very difficult indeed. To the first disciple who was filled with enthusiasm to follow him, Jesus cautioned him that discipleship does not give him security and privileges: “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” To the second and third disciples, Jesus also warned them that discipleship means detachment from family or family ties. His uncomfortable words were: “Let the dead bury their dead!” and “Looking to what was left behind is unfit for the kingdom of God.”

What do these things mean to us? For the missionaries, the words of Jesus can be easily comprehended because, in most instances, they have sacrificed security and privileges for the sake of proclaiming the gospel. The missionaries who until now serve in the mountains of Africa, South America, Asia, and elsewhere in the country have understood these challenging words of Jesus. They have also experienced leaving their loved ones, their families for the sake of Christ and his gospel. They learned to combat loneliness and isolation. But this gospel exhortation is not only meant for the missionaries. This is for all of us.

The message of the gospel is very clear! If anything stands in our way or takes priority over Jesus in our lives, then we are not free to follow him. So, we must learn to set our priorities right. Each day is an experience or we are open to situations that these disciples have encountered. Often, we easily compromise our following or our Christian responsibilities. For example, Sunday obligations are among those things which are easily compromised and taken for granted.

The gospel reminds us to be serious in our following of Jesus. Our Christian “name-tag” is not given to us by the Church for no serious reason at all.  We are called Christians because we freely choose to embrace Christ in our life. That Christian commitment must be nurtured every day.

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