13th Sunday of Ordinary Time

We encountered Jesus setting out on his final journey from Galilee to Jerusalem. He knew what was in store for him yet he resolutely was determined to follow the will of his Father and not deviate from carrying out this mission.

On the way Jesus and the disciples entered a Samaritan village where they were not welcomed. In response, James and John wanted to call down fire from heaven. Their reaction makes sense. The animosity between the Samaritans and the Jews was intense. Their divisiveness compares to what we are experiencing in our country on issues like gun control and abortion that will likely continue to for years to come. Jesus rebuked them for their response, since that wouldn’t help to build God’s kingdom.

Life is full of many journeys. Most of them are round trips, such as going down to the store to buy groceries. Some journeys are trips elsewhere, such as my recent trip to Ocean Shores. I left last Sunday and was back home on Thursday to familiar comfortable surroundings.

But some times we set out on one-way journeys, leaving behind what is familiar to venture to something new, just as Elisha did when he bade farewell to his family and followed Elijah. We move from one place to another. I suspect nearly everyone here moved here to Whidbey from elsewhere. As an army brat, I undertook many one-way trips until my family eventually settled here in Washington.

The return to one’s home and place of comfort and security is never guaranteed. Sooner or later, our last trip becomes a one-way journey that takes us across the threshold leading us to eternity in heaven or hell. Where we ultimately end up depends on how readily we heed Jesus’ directives for building the kingdom of God here and now. In other words, how willing are we to be one of his disciples?

The readings, especially the Gospel, demonstrate the cost of discipleship. Few of us will ever pay the price of martyrdom for being Christian but we are expected to live in a certain way that reflects following Jesus on our journey to eternal life. Is doing that our priority in life? What matters most to us? Is it our final destination of eternal life or the current milieu that impacts our present lives?

Whenever anyone is baptized into the Catholic faith, that person is clothed with a garment and told, “See in this white garment the outward sign of your Christian dignity….bring that dignity unstained into the everlasting life of heaven.” That is the challenge Jesus gives us, urging us to strive for holiness in the midst of the many temptations that arise.

Such is the call to discipleship. The disciple’s life is not easy. Following Jesus requires everything. The disciple may have to put aside the values of his culture and sometimes even his notion of religion to accept Jesus’ teachings. We are called to be saints and to do our part toward building the kingdom of God. It is up to us to discern how to best use our gifts and talents for doing that. But as Luke points out in the gospel, not everyone is willing to do so. We may have other priorities or values that distract us from following Jesus.

Long ago I misplaced the gift a friend in my previous parish gave me. It was a circular piece of wood the size of a silver dollar that was inscribed with the number 2 and the word “it.” Seeing the puzzled look on my face, she said, “Well, Father, you keep saying that you’ll get something done when you get a round to it!”

Wasn’t that the excuse Jesus heard in today’s gospel? One potential disciple said, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” Chances are his father was very much alive, so the potential disciple was really saying, “Lord, I will follow you when I get around to it.”

As you can see by the décor of green, we are back in ordinary time.  The Sundays of the year are numbered unless we are celebrating a special feast, such as Corpus Christi, which was last Sunday. The numbered weeks are a reminder that time moves on.

Speaking of time, sometimes we are told to live today as if this is your last day. Perhaps it will be. Most of us think that there will always be tomorrow, manana  as they say in Spanish, so we put off until tomorrow what we need to do today.

Jesus is inviting us to follow him, not tomorrow but today. Are we willing to say that we will follow him wherever he goes, learning to fashion lives that are holy and hearts that are true? Are we willing to forsake what attracts our attention now to follow him or will we be like those in the gospel who missed the point of discipleship and were left behind?

The gospel concludes with a harsh warning that like Jesus, we must resolve to keep moving ahead on our faith journey with him and not other gods that detract us from being holy.

Christ is our ultimate authority in this life if we want to experience eternal life with him. He invites us to venture through this life with him. “Come follow me.” When we take his call of discipleship to heart, we have much to gain and little to lose, for by walking with him, Jesus is promising us the journey of a lifetime!