THE WORD
Neh 2: 1–8 / Lk 9: 57–62
As Jesus and his disciples travelled along they met a man on the road who said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus answered, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’
Another to whom he said, ‘Follow me.’ The man replied, ‘Let me go and bury my father first.’ But he answered, ‘Leave the dead to bury their dead; your duty is to go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.’
Another said, ‘I will follow you, sir, but first let me go and say good-bye to my people at home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’
IN OTHER WORDS
As a parish priest, I have noticed many people who enthusiastically joined parish organizations left and right, only to die out in their commitment when regular prayers, meetings and activities set in. I asked one volunteer why she left. She replied: “Father, my three barkadas left the organization, so I left too.”
Today, three volunteers come to Jesus and express their willingness to follow Him. However, the commitment of each one is faulty, because it has its implied limits. The first one volunteers to go with Him wherever He goes, thinking about accompanying Him to this or that town. The last two volunteers express delayed commitments. They fully intend to be His disciples sometime and somehow, but not immediately. The second wants to bury his father first. The third wants to bid goodbye first to his family.
There is nothing intrinsically wrong with what these three volunteers propose. There is nothing wrong with commitment to one’s family; there is nothing wrong with having a home; there is nothing wrong with carrying out one’s filial responsibilities; there is nothing wrong with saying goodbye — unless these are what keep you from wholeheartedly following Christ.
Jesus is talking about having the right priorities. Jesus is saying that those who would be His disciples – those who would follow Him – must be those who put Him above all things, including one’s family. Our love for God must always have a higher priority than our love for family.
Certainly, an uphill climb! However, the Bible teaches us that the heart of life is not to be found apart from a living, saving relationship with Jesus Christ. I can delight in my relationship with God through Jesus Christ, without ever being married, and without ever having a family. It is also possible that God may enable you to better serve Him through marriage and family than by serving Him alone. But the ultimate issue is that we choose to follow Him.
- Felmar Castrodes Fiel, SVD (WBC – Cebu City)
The Word in other words 2015
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
