Gospel: Mt 8:18-22
WHEN Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other shore. A scribe approached and said to him, “Teacher, 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.” Another of his disciples said to him, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” But Jesus answered him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.”
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Jesus holds Jewish tradition in very high regard and will not advise any Jew to be dead absent from his father’s funeral. Giving a decent burial to one’s parents fulfills the commandment to honor them, and every Jew is bound to this sacred duty.
Jesus speaks about the high cost of discipleship. To a scribe who says, “I will follow you wherever you go,” Jesus replies that his mission entails sacrifice and great suffering. Jesus is not eager to gather around him excited followers who do not understand the implications of following him and becoming his disciples.
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SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord 2018,” 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.
