PODCAST - Press sideways triangle below to listen
13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C
St. Mark Parish
June 30, 2019
My Faith Life As a Journey
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
A Journey
For many years, I have used the word “journey” to express how I have been experiencing my life.
I am not sure exactly when I came up with the descriptive word, but I am certain it probably came from Saint Luke’s Gospel. In today’s passage, Luke uses the word “journey” four times.
The Gospel writer is apparently really trying to make a point. He sees Jesus’ entire ministry as a journey, and what’s more a journey to Jerusalem.
For Jesus, this was both a geographical and a spiritual journey. It is also symbolic of a spiritual journey that I believe you and I are on.
And each day is another step in this journey – with Jesus, and back to God. It is a journey with new opportunities and new challenges always coming up.
Experiencing my life as a journey also helps me to see myself as being on the way and not yet there, in other words, as being human and imperfect and in need of growth.
It helps me realize my resources and companions I meet along the way.
So, the image of a journey is very powerful one for me.
Virtues for the Journey
Now, in today’s Gospel passage, we see some of the traits that Jesus holds up to us for this image to come alive in our experience.
These traits emerge in Jesus’ response to some people who want to follow him on hisjourney. It is important to understand correctly what Jesus means here with each of his responses.
1. Go Beyond Comfort Zone
One person in the Gospel says, “I will follow you wherever you go,”and Jesus responds, “Foxes and birds have places to stay, but I do not.”
What he’s saying is that sometimes following him won’t be very comfortable. Sometimes we will have to push ourselves and move out of our comfort zone.
For example, maybe we’ll have to swallow hard, eat our pride, admit we made a mistake and ask for forgiveness. Sometimes, if we are going to journey with Jesus, we’ll have to go out of our comfort zone.
2. Do Good Now
Someone else in the Gospel says that he’ll follow Jesus, but wants first to go and bury his father. Jesus seems very blunt and cold and says, “Let the dead bury their dead.”
Scripture scholars tell us that from the original wording here, this man’s father was not yet dead and nor even dying. The man was just saying that he’d follow Jesus, but not just now, sometime later on in his life.
Jesus’ point is, for example, that if we feel drawn to write a note expressing our appreciation and love to our parents or children or spouse or close friend, do it now and don’t put it off.
If we are going to journey with Jesus, do right now the good things that we feel drawn to do.
3. Look Ahead
Then someone else says that he’ll follow Jesus, but he first wants to say good-bye to his family. While that would seems reasonable, Jesus says that it’s not a good idea to look back when you’re plowing a field.
The idea is that if you are preparing rows for planting corn, the rows won’t be straight, if you’re looking behind yourself. Jesus’ point is to look ahead and live in the present and not in the past.
Don’t wistfully yearn for the “good old days” and don’t be bogged down in past hurts, mistakes, and failures.
If we are going to journey with Jesus, just look ahead and make the most of today’s opportunities.
Conclusion
So,
(1) Sometimes we’ll have to go beyond our comfort zone
(2) Do good nowand not put it off until later
(3) Look ahead and don’t get stuck on what’s behind you, and
(4) Be respectful no matter what.
They are some of the traits for living life as a journey with Jesus and eventually returning to the Father!
No comments:
Post a Comment