26TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Psalter: Week 1 / (White)
St. Francis of Assisi
Ps 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6
Let my tongue be silenced if I ever forget you!
1st Reading: Neh 2:1-8
In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of king Artaxerxes, I was doing my duty as cupbearer. I took up the wine and gave it to the king. I had never been sad before the king in the past. So, the king said to me, ”Why do you look sad? You don‘t look sick. Is there something that bothers you?”
I became hesitant. And I said, ”May the king live forever! How could I afford not to be sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins and its gates are burned down?” The king said to me, ”What do you want, then?” I asked help of God from heaven and said to the king, ”If it seems good to the king and if he is pleased with my work, then may he send me to the land of Judah, to the city where my ancestors are buried, that I may rebuild it.”
The queen was sitting beside the king, and the king asked me, ”How long will you be gone? When will you be back?” I told him the date and he allowed me to leave. And I said to the king, ”If it pleases the king, may you give me letters for the governors of the province at the other side of the River that I may travel to Judah; and also a letter to Asaph, the caretaker of the king‘s forest, for I will need wood for the gates of the citadel near the temple, for the walls of the city and for the house where I shall live.”
The good hand of God was supporting me, so that the king gave me what I asked.
Gospel: Lk 9:57-62
As they went on their way, a man said to him, ”I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus said to him, ”Foxes have holes and the 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 answered, ”Let me go back now, for, first, I want to bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, ”Let the dead bury their dead; as for you, leave them, and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Another said to him, ”I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say goodbye to my family.” And Jesus said to him, ”Whoever has put his hand to the plow, and looks back, is not fit for the kingdom of God.”
REFLECTION:
Once I was in Dubai. My friend toured me around the UAE. Among the beautiful places he brought me to was Burg Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. Before taking the elevator, no one will escape the blue glass marker. On it brightly written are these words; ”The word impossible is not in the leaders‘ dictionary. No matter how big the challenges, strong faith, determination and resolve will overcome them.”
The call to follow Jesus is difficult and hard. Its demands are rigid. No doubt not very many succeed in following Jesus. No doubt the two men in the gospel invited by Jesus did not make it due to the conditions they laid before Jesus. To the other one, after Jesus told him that ”the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head,” nothing more was heard of him. To follow Jesus faithfully needs what the Sheikh had when he built the tower: strong faith, determination and resolve.
We honor St. Francis today, one of the most popular and loved saints. Against the oppositions of his family and the people and of the trends of his time, he did what he believed is right. He faced the challenges with his strong faith, he was determined and was resolved to follow Jesus. No doubt, St Francis succeeded in his difficult calling and mission.
Daily Reflection
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Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57th Edition) The New English Translation for the ROMAN MISSAL
With permission from the EPISCOPAL COMMISION ON LITURGY of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines
Readings and Reflections
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