FIRST READING
Job 9:1-12, 14-16
Job answered his friends and said:
I know well that it is so; but how can a man be justified before God? Should one wish to contend with him, he could not answer him once in a thousand times. God is wise in heart and mighty in strength; who has withstood him and remained unscathed?
He removes the mountains before they know it; he overturns them in his anger. He shakes the earth out of its place, and the pillars beneath it tremble. He commands the sun, and it rises not; he seals up the stars.
He alone stretches out the heavens and treads upon the crests of the sea. He made the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south; He does great things past finding out, marvelous things beyond reckoning.
Should he come near me, I see him not; should he pass by, I am not aware of him; Should he seize me forcibly, who can say him nay? Who can say to him, “What are you doing?”
How much less shall I give him any answer, or choose out arguments against him! Even though I were right, I could not answer him, but should rather beg for what was due me. If I appealed to him and he answered my call, I could not believe that he would hearken to my words.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 88:10bc-11, 12-13, 14-15
R. (3) Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
Daily I call upon you, O LORD; to you I stretch out my hands. Will you work wonders for the dead? Will the shades arise to give you thanks?
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
Do they declare your mercy in the grave, your faithfulness among those who have perished? Are your wonders made known in the darkness, or your justice in the land of oblivion?
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
But I, O LORD, cry out to you; with my morning prayer I wait upon you. Why, O LORD, do you reject me; why hide from me your face?
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
ALLELUIA
Philippians 3:8-9
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I consider all things so much rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GOSPEL
Luke 9:57-62
As Jesus and his disciples were proceeding on their journey, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” And to another he said, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.” And another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home.” Jesus answered him, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.”
REFLECTIONS:
Are you ready to follow the Lord wherever he may
lead you? With the call the Lord gives the grace to respond and the strength
to follow all the way to the end. Why does Jesus issue a challenge with
the call? Jesus was utterly honest in telling people what it would cost
to follow him. When a would-be disciple approached Jesus and said he was
ready to follow, Jesus told him it would require sacrifice the sacrifice
of certain creaturely comforts. Jesus appealed to this man's heart and
told him to detach himself from whatever might hold him back. Spiritual
detachment is a necessary step for following the Lord. It frees us to give
ourselves without reserve to the Lord and his service. While many of us
may not need to give up the comfort of our own home and bed to follow Jesus,
we, nonetheless, must be willing to part with anything that might stand
in the way of doing God's will. Another would-be disciple said he would
follow as soon as he had buried his father. What he meant by this expression
was that he felt the need to return to his home to take care of his father
through old age until he died. The third had no obligation to return home,
but simply wanted to go back and say good-bye. Jesus surprised these would-be
disciples with the stark truth that nothing should hinder us from following
the Lord. Was Jesus being harsh and rude to his would-be followers? Not
really. We are free to decide whether we will take the path which Jesus
offers. But if we choose to go, then the Lord wants us to count the cost
and choose for it freely.
What does the story of a plowman have to do with the journey? A plowman
who looked back while plowing his field caused the line or furrow he cut
into the soil to become crooked. One crooked line easily leads to another
until the whole field is a mess. The plowman had to look straight ahead
in order to keep the plow from going off course. Likewise, if we look back
on what we have freely left behind to follow the Lord whether that be
some distraction, attachment, or sinful habit which leads us away from
doing God's will our path will likely diverge and we'll miss what God
has for us. The gospel does not record the response from these three would-be
disciples. We are only left with the question which Jesus intends for us
as well. Are you ready to take the path Jesus offers? His grace is
sufficient and his love is strong. There is nothing greater we can do with
our lives than to place them at the service of the Lord and Master of the
universe. We cannot outgive God in generosity. Jesus promises that those
who are willing to part with what is most dear to them for his sake "will
receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life" (Matthew
19:29). The Lord Jesus offers us a kingdom of lasting peace, unending joy,
surpassing love, enduring friendship, and abundant life. Is there anything
holding you back from pursuing the Lord and his will for you life?
"Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding,
and my whole will. All that I am and all that I possess you have given
me. I surrender it all to you to be disposed of according to your will.
Give me only your love and your grace with these I will be rich enough and will desire nothing more." (Prayer of Ignatius Loyola, 1491-1556)
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