13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, C

Following Jesus

Luke 9:51-62

The readings reflect the urgency of following God.

Elisha followed Elijah and succeeded him only after doing final service to his father.

In the gospel Jesus  reprimanded those whom he called but have to do some errands first, "Those who look back are not fit to enter into the kingdom of heaven."

There are three connotations of following: the first one is about following the law; the second one involves physically following another, and the third one involves offering one's life to do the will of another.

Jesus commands us to radically follow Him.  Going to church every Sunday and following the 10 commandments are simply not enough.   We need to follow the Lord and live out His will if we wish to gain eternal life.

The Song "Day by day" can give us a glimpse on how we can follow Jesus.  The lyrics go this way:

Day by day
O dear Lord, three things I pray -
to see Thee more clearly,
love Thee more dearly,
follow Thee more nearly day by day.

See Thee more clearly ... The reason we opt for material things instead of God is because we don't exert effort to know him each day through the teachings of the Church and the Word of God and the reception of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist.  We cannot start loving someone whom we don't know.

Love Thee more dearly ... It's a bit odd for men to propose love to women if in the first place, they neither know how God loves nor do they love God.  For love to be sincere, it has to be deeply rooted in God's love, for God is love.

Follow Thee more nearly ... Each day, let us make it a point to get closer to Jesus, to develop intimacy with Him, serve Him, and follow Him in carrying our crosses.  Martyrs receive the crown of everlasting life because of their adherence to Jesus through the offering of their lives.  Are we ready to align our lives with Jesus?

If we do these things, seeing, loving, and following Jesus, then everything we do is Jesus' fruitful work on earth.  People would see and feel the love of Jesus concretely.

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