TRUE FOLLOWERS OF THE LORD - 6/26/22 (Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Luke 9:51,61-62

When the days for Jesus’ being taken up were fulfilled, He resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem,

And to another He said, “Follow Me.” But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.”

And another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home.” To him Jesus said, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.”

For the full readings, click here: 

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/062622.cfm

For the examination of conscience and guide to confession, click here:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/

Blessed Sunday! Why was Jesus resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem? Was He not aware that He would suffer and die there? Our Lord knew what would happen to Him. And yet, He was determined to undergo His sufferings and death because of His love for us. It is through His crucifixion that we have the hope of eternal life. Even though it was painful for Him, what He had in His mind was our salvation. Jerusalem is the symbolism of heaven. We are all called to follow Jesus, including the means by which He entered heaven. This means that we are invited to be determined to face the sufferings and challenges in our lives. 

However, this is easier said than done. The parents have the primary role of leading their family to heaven. But, are we determined to face the sufferings we will encounter? When there are some oppositions within a family, some may be filled with anger and engage in a very heated opposition as if they want to destroy one another. Meanwhile, children may hide their pain, sadness and anger deep within their hearts because of many problems in their own homes. If we want to follow Jesus, we should just not obey His teachings but also to follow His example of gentleness, patience and mercy. Jesus had a pure desire to save us, not destroy us, no matter how wounded He would be in Jerusalem. 

Our Lord Jesus reminds us that those who always look to what is left behind are not fit to enter the Kingdom of God. What does this mean? It means that, even if we persevere in our prayer, moral and spiritual life, there is still a tendency for us to go back to our sinful past. It's good for us to be devoted to our Lord in our prayers. But, why is it that we still end up falling to our sinful past which affects our family? Some of us may still have the attachment to the satisfactions of sins. When we become consumed by our anger, and even by other sins, we feel the satisfaction of expressing our emotions without seeing that we are hurting our own hearts, the hearts of others, and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. But, we should not lose hope because despite our imperfections, Jesus is still telling us, "Follow Me."

No matter how much we offended Him, He is still calling us to be His followers. We are not perfect, but He still chooses us, not because of our actions, but because of His merciful love for us. It is humility to admit to ourselves that we were slaved to our sins before. And, this humble recognition should lead us to trust in Jesus even more because in Him, we can find true freedom. Sometimes, even if our family members are not yet faithful to Christ, we just need to love them and be patient with them without imposing our views if they are not yet ready and open for it. We just need to trust in God's mercy and timing. Are we determined to have everlasting life? If yes, are we determined to imitate Jesus who endured all of His sufferings because of His love? May we always beg for His strength to bear the faults of others and to always love them. If we experience suffering, let's remain at peace knowing that we are on the same path to heavenly Jerusalem. By the grace of God, Jesus will free us from the darkness of our errors. 

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic