Gospel Reading: Lk 9:57-62
AS Jesus and his disciples 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.” Jesus answered him, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.”
THE SON OF MAN HAS NOWHERE TO REST HIS HEAD.
God provides animals with the instinct to survive and raise their young. Birds build nests where they lay their eggs and care for their young. Foxes and other animals have dens and holes for protection. This animal instinct is for survival. God continually cares for his creatures even in their short life span (cf Mt 6:26-28).
Jesus cautions a would-be follower about the venture he proposes to undertake. Jesus’ life as an itinerant preacher is a precarious one; it provides no security like that of a nest for the bird and of a den for a fox. The nature of discipleship and working for the Kingdom is that one may have to cut family ties or forego filial obligations. In Jesus’ case, he leaves behind his home in Nazareth and the security provided by his relatives there. He and the Apostles now depend on the support of his followers to whom he preaches the Good News of God’s Kingdom.
Jesus does not mean that his followers enter into a life of abject poverty and insecurity. In fact, those who abandon families and property will be richly provided for, even in this world. What Jesus emphasizes is that the mission of proclaiming the Good News takes precedence over all other concerns and that nothing should distract from it.
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Lord, in having you, I have all!
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SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord 2017” ST. PAULS Philippines, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.
