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13th
Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C
Saint Margaret
Parish, Bel Air
June 30, 2013
My Journey with and to the Lord
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
A Journey
Since I can
remember, I have used the word “journey” to express what my life is all about. I
am not sure when I came upon the term, but I am almost certain it came to me
from studying St. Luke’s Gospel.
In today’s passage,
Luke says that Jesus “resolutely
determined to journey to Jerusalem.”
Luke sees Jesus’
entire ministry as a journey to Jerusalem, where the culmination of Jesus’ work
will take place.
For Jesus, this was
a geographical journey from Nazareth of Galilee in the north to Jerusalem in
the south. But it is also symbolic of a spiritual journey that we are all
on.
Each day is another
step in that journey – with God, and
back to God. And it is a journey with
new opportunities and challenges always coming up.
Seeing my life as a
journey also helps me to see myself as unfinished and not having arrived at my
destination yet. It helps me see myself as human and imperfect as a Christian
and a Catholic priest.
And out of this
self-understanding I am also able to view others in a similar fashion.
Virtues for the Journey
In today’s Gospel
passage, we see some of the traits that Jesus calls us to have for the journey
of life.
It is worth looking
at these to better understand what Jesus thinks it’s going to take. It’s akin
to taking a wilderness trip, you check out other who’ve been there, you visit
outfitter sites, you check maps, weather, terrain.
What it will take emerge
in Jesus’ response to individuals who want to follow him on his journey.
1. Go Beyond Comfort Zone
Let’s look in on
those conversations. One person says, “I
will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus
responds, “Foxes and birds have places to
stay, but I do not.”
Jesus is saying that
sometimes following him won’t be the comfortable thing to do and we will have
to push ourselves and go out of our comfort zone.
For example, maybe
we’ll have to swallow hard, eat our pride and admit we made a mistake and ask
for forgiveness.
Going on a journey
will have us doing lots of uncomfortable things.
2. Do Good Now
Some one else says that he’ll follow Jesus but wants to go
and bury his father first. Jesus bluntly
says, “Let the dead bury their dead.”
Scripture scholars tell us that from the original wording
here, this man’s father was not dead and not even dying. The man was just saying that he’d follow
Jesus but not now, sometime later on in his life.
So Jesus’ point is that, for example, if we feel drawn to
write a note of appreciation and love to family member or close friend, do it
now and don’t put it off.
If we’re going to journey with Jesus, do right now the
good things that we feel drawn to do.
3. Look Ahead
Someone else says
that he’ll follow Jesus, but he first wants to say good-bye to his family. That seems okay, but Jesus responds to him
with the words, if you’re plowing a field and look back over your shoulder,
that’s no good.
The idea is that if
you are preparing rows for planting corn, the rows won’t be straight or the
corn kernels evenly distributed if you’re looking back over your shoulder.
His point is to look
ahead and live in the present and not in the past.
Don’t be wistfully
yearn for the good old days and don’t be bogged down in past hurts, mistakes,
and failures.
Journey with Jesus
takes looking ahead and make the most of life’s opportunities right now.
4. Be Respectful
Finally, in this
passage we note that the residents in the area of Samaria have shut their doors
and their minds to the Apostles. The Apostles
are angry and want to pray that God will strike their town with lightning and
burn it down.
And Jesus’ response –
No, No, No! He’s very respectful and
caring even of those who disagree with him and he wants us to be the same
way.
So, we may feel
strongly and disagree with others about one of the Supreme Court’s decisions
this week on affirmative action, voting rights, or same-gender marriage, but if
we are going to journey with Jesus, we are to be respectful and caring no
matter what.
Conclusion
Looks like our knapsack’s packed and we’ve got all we need
for the journey. Better check.
Ø Ready to
move out of our comfort zone? Check!
Ø Do good
in the present moment? Check!
Ø Look
straight Ahead? Check!
Ø Respect
all you meet along the way? Check!
Look’s like we’re good to go!
