Set On Him

A Reflection on the Gospel for June 30th, 2019:
​Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Luke 9.51-62

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, Jesus 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 Jesus; but the Samaritans 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 Jesus 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 Jesus said, “Follow me.” But he replied, “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 a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

---

It is difficult to imagine how Jesus must have felt knowing that His days of sacrifice will soon be upon Him. Yet, He “set His face to go to Jerusalem”, even though He knew what awaited Him there.

I imagine myself as one of Jesus’ followers in the gospel passage, wanting to go where He went, to do what He wanted me to do, and to follow in His footsteps. I can imagine myself wanting to do all that I can for Him because I love Him. So I am not surprised that James and John offered to “command fire to come down from heaven and consume” the Samaritans for their coldness to Jesus. I can also understand how someone could say “I will follow you wherever you go” because I too want to be with Him all the time.

As I continue following Jesus, the realization that following Him is not as simple as just being with Him, dawns upon me. There are sacrifices to be made and priorities to be set. If I am to follow Him, I have to be in a position to literally go where He goes. I cannot pause from following Him to perform things that I need to do at home. When I follow Him I should be ready to set aside other matters and concentrate on being with Him and serving Him.

The image of plowing the field is very powerful. When a farmer plows, if he looks back, he will not be able to watch and guide the plow into making straight furrows on the field. So it is with Jesus—my eyes should always be set on Him, making sure that nothing will prevent me from looking forward to Him.

"So it is with Jesus—my eyes should always be set on Him, making sure that nothing will prevent me from looking forward to Him."

Tweet

This is the price of discipleship. Following Jesus entails giving up some bad habits I had formed in life; the spreading of news (a.k.a. gossip) even if I am not sure of its truth or origin, the little white lies that I habitually say to get myself out of uncomfortable situations, or judging people just because they do not act or think as I do. Moreover, it may mean being kind and attentive to persons who really try my patience and doing things for them even when I do not feel like doing them, simply because I have to love them as Jesus loves them, and me. On a deeper level, it may even mean having to choose between family obligations and my Christian duties because I have this relationship with Jesus and I love Him and I want to follow Him. 


“Live, Jesus, in our hearts! Forever!“ (Saint John Baptist de la Salle)

Liz Venezuela

---