Year C

13TH SUNDAY
IN ORDINARY TIME

► Readings, Reflections & Prayers

Scripture readings: Association for Catholic Priests
– www.associationofcatholicpriests.ie
Reflections and Prayers by Fr Jack Finnegan SDB

1st Reading – 1 Kings 19:16, 19-21

The Lord said to Elijah, “You shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place.” So he set out rom there, and found Elisha son of Shaphat, who was ploughing. There were twelve yoke of oxen ahead of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle over him. He left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, “Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” Then Elijah said to him, “Go back again; for what have I done to you?”

He returned from following him, took the yoke of oxen, and slaughtered them; using the equipment from the oxen, he boiled their flesh, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out and followed Elijah, and became his servant.

Reflection

The first reading and the Gospel are about call: Elijah calling Elisha and Jesus, passing through Samaritan territory unwelcome, calling some disciples. The similarities are remarkable. Elisha was out ploughing when Elijah laid his mantle, the symbol of prophetic authority, across his shoulders. But Elisha wants to say goodbye to his folks first. Elijah responds: Go back to your ploughing! The lesson is clear. Divine invitation seeks an immediate response. Elisha understands and, sacrificing his yoke of oxen, follows Elijah as his assistant. What are we ready to sacrifice? Are we ready to respond when the Lord calls? Are we ready to be of service? Are we ready to trust God and be prophetic in the world? Are we ready to live our baptismal commitment?

Prayer

Lord, Adonai, Elisha left his oxen, his plough and his farm. Peter, James and John left their nets and their fishing. When you call on us help us to leave our limitations behind, our refusals, our excuses and our fears. Help us offer you the sacrifice of our service, our compassion, our helpful solidarity with those in need. Touch us with your compassion. Fan into flame the fruit of your Spirit in our hearts. Inspire us each day to do acts of loving kindness in the world. Amen.

Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-11

Reflection

The Lord is my inheritance! The refrain for this morning’s psalm has long been a favourite in the Church. It knows it can trust the Keeper of Israel. Trust lies at the heart of this psalm, trust between God and the one who serves. However, we need to remember that trust is more than a warm feeling or an impulse in time of challenge. It is a dynamic process made up of acts, experiences and spiritual practices that open our awareness to what God is doing in the world and in our own lives. Trust is relational, a commitment. It focuses the mind on God regardless of circumstance. Trust is confidence in the face of difficulty because God is present. The poet’s song is straightforward: The Lord is my life, my destiny. The Lord is everything to me. No wonder the Church sees in this psalm clear echoes of resurrection life. Are we ready to be called to new life in Christ and to trust his love?

Prayer

Lord, Adonai, I rejoice in your glorious presence! You are my inheritance! You are my portion and my cup! You are the light of my life, my treasure! Hold me fast! How I long to say that you mean everything to me! Forgive my lame excuses, my selfish pretexts! Lift me beyond self-interest to the place of oneness! I bless you today! I praise you, you who whisper deep in my heart! I rejoice to worship you! I know that you will never abandon me! With you at my right hand I shall not be disturbed! You always show me the path of life! Let me know the joy of your loving presence now and forever! Amen.

2nd Reading: Galatians 5:1, 13-18

For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.

Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law.

Reflection

Christ came to set us free but our freedom is always threatened by the realities of life. Something like that was going on for the Galatians who were listening to tempting voices. We are free because we do not save ourselves. Christ does. Our task is to embrace the gift he has given us regardless of what is going on around us. All he asks is that we follow his way of love, love of God that finds expression in love of neighbour, love coming alive in solidarity and service. Flesh as Paul uses it means human limitations. Spirit is God’s life in us, vast, creative, unlimited, free. How are we going to live? Out of our limitations or with the Wind of God’s Spirit beneath our wings? The choice is ours.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, we have been created in and for love. You invite us to be loving people. Yet we have become experts at building walls and defences against each other. Free us from what blocks our hearts and stops love from flowing freely in our lives. Free us to love all created beings as you love us. You are our Saviour, our Healer. Renew your life in us. Help us love life, life that is vast, creative, unlimited, free. Renew your Spirit in us and help us fly with the wings of love. Amen.

Gospel Reading: Luke 9:51-62

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But he turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village.

As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Reflection

Jesus turns his face towards Jerusalem despite his awareness of the implications of rejection. And that is what happens when he sends messengers ahead to make arrangements in a Samaritan village. James and John are angry but Jesus rebukes them and makes alternative arrangements. He remains free. He remains himself. Then come the call stories and the echoes of Elisha. What happens to us when things do not go according to plan? What happens when people let us down? Do we make easy excuses when we are invited to offer a helping hand or some useful service? Are we ready to go to Jerusalem with Jesus? Or are we like James and John, full of fire and brimstone and quick anger? Are we like the people Jesus called to follow him, swift with our excuses? Or do we hear God’s voice, put our hand to the plough and respond in love?

Prayer

Lord Jesus, you knew you had to go to Jerusalem and invited your disciples to follow you along the way. You faced rejection from the start, a sign of how things would be. You heard lame excuses. You encountered prejudice and hardened hearts. And in all of this you remained free. You remained a bearer of Love. Help us to be like you when people turn against us. Teach us to let go of anger and keep our hand on the plough of fidelity. Grant us the wisdom of compassion, the understanding of kindness, the knowledge of your presence in all we do. Help us to respond always in the love that is your way. Amen.

► Lectio Divina

by Fr Juan José Bartolomé SDB

Introduction to Lectio Divine

Today the Gospel recalls some of the most significant moments in the life of Jesus. He had walked the roads of Galilee, proclaiming the good news and healing the sick. Then, one fine day, he decided to go up to Jerusalem. This decision let loose a whole series of events which eventually led to his tragic death. Jesus foresaw his death and made use of the long journey to prepare his disciples for it. The journey lasted several days. Jesus transformed his time with them and their intimate sharing into an exclusive school for his closest followers. He was aware that he was going to his death and he wanted to prepare his disciples to be faithful followers to the very end. When we recall episodes that took place during this journey, and the contents of Jesus’ teaching, we have a unique opportunity to accept his teaching and to be transformed into his disciples. Unlike those first disciples who walked with him on the journey, we have the good fortune of knowing how the journey ended. Because we know that this teaching was given as he approached his death, we are more likely to pay attention to it and more willing to accept it. We are in a better situation than those disciples who listened to him as he went along the road to Jerusalem.

Read: understand what the text is saying, focussing on how it says it

Luke’s account of the journey to Jerusalem (Lk 9, 51-19, 29) opens in a very solemn manner. Aware of the fact that the time was drawing near for him to “ascend” to heaven, Jesus decides to “go up” to Jerusalem, following a precise divine plan, rather than his own will (cfr. Lk 9, 31). It is not by chance that this journey, which will turn out to be a way of the cross, begins with rejection and will end with rejection. The one who will be taken up to heaven is rejected by the people of a village in Samaria (Lk 9, 53), and again by the authorities and by the people in Jerusalem (Lk 23,13-23).  As a good Jew, Jesus could have decided to pass through the Jordan Valley and avoid Samaria. But since his journey to Jerusalem was not a free choice, neither was he free to choose which way he should go. He took advantage of the incident to instruct his angry disciples James and John (the “Sons of Thunder” – cf Mk 3.17).  He rebuked his disciples severely and went to another village. He was to be the victim of violence and he rejected violence on the part of his followers.

There were three brief encounters with people who wanted to follow him, but they each had other priorities. They serve to illustrate the type of followers Jesus wanted as he went towards his “ascension”.  Luke does not give their names, but only their request. The three want to follow Jesus. We do not know how any of them reacted to the harsh words of Jesus. The important thing for the evangelist is not the good will of the would-be disciples, but the warnings given by Jesus to all who want to be his followers.

The first (Lk 9, 57) and the third (Lk 9, 61) tell Jesus of their desire to follow him. The second one is the only one who was invited by Jesus to follow him (Lk 9, 59). The answer Jesus gave to the first one who wanted to follow him could not be more devastating. He wanted to follow him wherever he went, but Jesus warned him that he had nowhere to go and no home to stay in (Lk 9, 58). What matters in discipleship is following Jesus. It does not matter where you go.

The other two, the one chosen by Jesus and the one who wanted to be chosen (Lk 9, 61), both refer to their family situation which relegates following Jesus to second place. Burying your father is an inescapable duty and leaving your family is a reasonable personal decision, but Jesus does not regard them as valid reasons for not following him. The kingdom must take up all the time and fill the hearts of those who want to follow him. The followers of Jesus will have nowhere to go, but they cannot be preoccupied with anybody other than Jesus or anything other than the Kingdom.

Meditate: apply what the text says to life

Here we have the beginning of Luke’s account of the journey of Jesus to Jerusalem. It is significant that in his account the journey begins badly and would finish badly. The journey that would lead to his death in Jerusalem begins with a public rejection. He is denied hospitality on his journey through Samaria. Jesus did not react in a rude manner, but he did not let the opportunity slip and he transformed the whole episode into an instruction for his disciples. What happened to them was not just an anecdote, but a sign of what was about to take place. Jesus would not allow his followers to use violence towards others, but they themselves would have to suffer violence. It seemed reasonable to respond to the insult, but this was not a good start to the journey he was about to begin. Not only did he have to put up with rejection by foreigners, but he also had to leave his own beloved people. Those who want to follow him will have neither a home of their own, nor a family. Only those who are concerned about the Kingdom of God are worthy to be his followers. Any other preoccupation, however reasonable or virtuous it might be, is not valid in the eyes of Jesus. As for the Master, so shall it be also for the disciple. Home is wherever he preaches the gospel, and his fate is the giving of his life. Anyone who follows Jesus on the way to Jerusalem needs to know where it will lead him.

This last journey of Jesus got off on the wrong foot. He was refused entry to a village because he was on his way to Jerusalem. The reaction of the disciples was very understandable. They would like to have brought down God’s punishment on the people who rejected the very one who went in search of them. But Jesus rebuked the disciples, not because they had actually had recourse to violence, but simply because they desired it. They did not want to engage in violence themselves. They left the decision in God’s hands. They thought it was enough to call on God to take revenge on those who had offended Jesus, and they expected a positive response from God. Revenge was not Jesus’ way, and he did not want his disciples to seek it either. The God of Jesus will never answer prayers motivated by a spirit of revenge. The two disciples meant well. They wanted to preserve their Master’s honour. But their prayer was not heard. Christians should never pray for evil to come against those who have done them wrong. Even an offence against Jesus is not sufficient excuse to desire evil against the perpetrator.

The only violence the disciple should wish for it that which comes from following Jesus. He has not got time to waste thinking of punishment for others. His time should be taken up totally in following Jesus. The only violence Christians should inflict is the violence that touches themselves. Too often we disciples of Jesus can be hard on others, maybe just to forget how hard the demands of Jesus are. We react quickly to the injustices done to us because we are Christians, and we think we are free to respond to the demands made on us as Christians. Just because we are rejected by some, we think we have the right to reject people who do not agree with us or with our ideas.

Jesus has already warned us – following him is not going to be easy. It is not enough to be enthusiastic about him for a while. To the person who promised to follow him wherever he went, Jesus replied that he had nowhere to go. On the road to Jerusalem, Jesus had no home or bed to offer to anybody.  And he did not hide this fact from those who wanted to follow him.  The animals have a place to rest, but Jesus had none. To the one who wanted to follow Jesus but had to go and bury his father first, Jesus replied that there is nothing that should delay those who are called to proclaim the Kingdom. Even the dead must wait when it is a question of preaching the living God. Burying a parent does not come before proclaiming the Gospel. To the one who wants to go and say goodbye to his friends before entering the circle of disciples, Jesus says that anyone who looks back over his shoulder is not fit to take his place in the Kingdom. Nothing can come before God and his kingdom.

It is a pity we are so familiar with these responses of Jesus. We miss the force of his words, and we fail to recognize the incredible demands he makes of those who want to follow him closely.  We are keen to know what Jesus expects of all who want to be his disciples but we do not realize how impossible are the demand he makes. Being a disciple of Jesus presents a challenge that few are ready to face. If there are many who say they are his disciples, it is because they have not fully understood his words.

How can a Master expect us to follow him, if he does not even offer us a place to rest? Jesus did not deceive the people who said they wanted to follow him. If they have no home, and no place to rest, they will have to be able to share in common their tiredness and their place of rest. They will have to share poverty and solitude, while they listen to his words and enjoy his company.  The only privilege the follower of Jesus can rely on is that of having the Master as his companion in work and in repose. By not promising anything else, and by warning them clearly that with him they will not even have as much as the foxes and the birds, Jesus teaches us not to fool ourselves into thinking that we will gain any benefit from our Christian way of life. Before we resolve to follow him closely, he wants us to stop and think whether it is worth following someone who promises so little. It would be good for us to reflect on this today.

How can we be anything but surprised at a Master who does not allow a disciple to bury his father? At the time of Jesus, burying the dead was a work of mercy, especially in this case when the dead person was the man’s father. It was an unavoidable duty. The urgency Jesus felt for the preaching of the kingdom imposes an exceptional demand. Let those who are not called to proclaim God’s kingdom, bury the dead. Only those who put God above everything else, however sacrosanct it may be, are worthy of God. Anyone who wants to follow Jesus must be willing to sacrifice every obligation, in order not to put off proclaiming God. For the disciples of Jesus, everything else can wait except the preaching of the Kingdom. Is there anyone who does not think that a demand like this is excessive and unreasonable? Does a Master who teaches this kind of doctrine, deserve to be followed?

How can we fail to be shocked by the severity of a master who does not allow a simple greeting to delay someone from following him? How can we understand a leader who does not accept that we owe something also to our family members? And yet, Jesus still wants only disciples who do not waste time cultivating relationships that have no future. Only the Kingdom of God that is to come should occupy the heart and the hands of Jesus’ disciples. Nothing else matters. Jesus does not want anything that is not of God to preoccupy the minds of the disciples who accompany him.  It is not a question of breaking with someone else in order to follow Jesus. Jesus does not want us to alienate our family members and friends just because we have decided to follow him. But he will not accept that anybody or anything should delay our commitment to God and to his Kingdom. Christ’s followers can have no valid reason for postponing their commitment to their missionary work. This is something else we would do well to reflect on today.

If Jesus has been honest enough to tell us the conditions, then the least we can do is to reflect on them a bit more. To follow him without seriously considering what is involved, is to reduce his demands to mere suggestions. Anyone who follows Christ, follows his way and his conditions. Following him is optional. But once we have started the journey we no longer have any choice either as regards the way or the goal. Again, we need to reflect: can we leave him today? Because if not, we are compelled to journey the way that he has chosen for us, with the conditions he imposes.  One thing is certain: our journey and our conditions will not be very different from the journey he travelled and the conditions he endured.