Fully committed

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to reflect on the commitment involved in living our Baptismal anointing as priest, prophet, and leader.

Called to the journey

In the passage from the First Book of Kings, Elisha is called to succeed to Elijah’s position.

* [19:19–21] Elijah’s act of throwing his mantle over the shoulders of Elisha associates him with Elijah as a servant (v. 21). Elisha will later succeed to Elijah’s position and prophetic power (2 Kgs 2:1–15). Elisha’s prompt response, destroying his plow and oxen, signifies a radical change from his former manner of living.1 

The psalmist rejects the futile worship of false gods, preferring Israel’s God.

 * [Psalm 16] In the first section, the psalmist rejects the futile worship of false gods (Ps 16:2–5), preferring Israel’s God (Ps 16:1), the giver of the land (Ps 16:6). The second section reflects on the wise and life-giving presence of God (Ps 16:7–11).2

The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Galatians stresses the importance of Faith in living the freedom for Service.

 * [5:13–26] In light of another reminder of the freedom of the gospel (Gal 5:13; cf. Gal 5:1), Paul elaborates on what believers are called to do and be: they fulfill the law by love of neighbor (Gal 5:14–15), walking in the Spirit (Gal 5:16–26), as is illustrated by concrete fruit of the Spirit in their lives.3

The Gospel from Luke describes Jesus departure for Jerusalem through Samaritan territory and the commitment asked of would-be followers of Jesus.

* [9:57–62] In these sayings Jesus speaks of the severity and the unconditional nature of Christian discipleship. Even family ties and filial obligations, such as burying one’s parents, cannot distract one no matter how briefly from proclaiming the kingdom of God. The first two sayings are paralleled in Mt 8:19–22; see also notes there.4 

Michael Kavan comments that as Jesus’ journey continues, his words to potential followers remind us not only of his love, but also that our journey with him is not an easy feat. We are asked to leave behind what is comfortable to us and to journey into the unknown with little more than our faith. A journey with Jesus involves sacrifice, risk, and a lot of tough decisions.

As we go through our day, I ask God for the strength to accept His invitation to come follow. Allow me to understand that the journey will not always be easy; difficult days and uncertainties lie ahead. But allow me to understand that I am not alone. Allow me to be open to the Holy Spirit as a guide that keeps me focused on my journey ahead and the importance of loving others as Jesus modeled so well for us with the Samaritans. After all, it is through his love that we gain closer proximity to the Kingdom of God.5 

Don Schwager quotes a prayer of Ignatius Loyola, (1491-1556)

 "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."6

and... “Jesus' disciples must bear insult and suffering patiently,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD.

"It would be false to affirm that our Savior did not know what was about to happen, because he knows all things. He knew, of course, that the Samaritans would not receive his messengers. There can be no doubt of this. Why then did he command them to go before him? It was his custom to benefit diligently the holy apostles in every possible way, and because of this, it was his practice sometimes to test them... What was the purpose of this occurrence? He was going up to Jerusalem, as the time of his passion was already drawing near. He was about to endure the scorn of the Jews. He was about to be destroyed by the scribes and Pharisees and to suffer those things that they inflicted upon him when they went to accomplish all of violence and wicked boldness. He did not want them to be offended when they saw him suffering. He also wanted them to be patient and not to complain greatly, although people would treat them rudely. He, so to speak, made the Samaritans' hatred a preparatory exercise in the matter. They had not received the messengers... For their benefit, he rebuked the disciples and gently restrained the sharpness of their wrath, not permitting them to grumble violently against those who sinned. He rather persuaded them to be patient and to cherish a mind that is unmovable by anything like this." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 56)6 

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 9:51-62 asks is Jesus being unreasonable? All this man wanted to do was say goodbye to his family before following Jesus. Didn’t Elijah permit Elisha to say his good-byes before leaving (1 Kings 19:19-21)? To make matters worse, Jesus’ response to the two other would-be disciples seems a little rigid, even unwelcoming. Was Jesus actually trying to discourage these people from following him?

If you’re suspecting that something deeper is going on here, you’re probably right. First, it helps to remember how this passage fits into Luke’s timeline: we have just learned that Jesus is now “resolutely” traveling to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51). The hour of his passion is drawing near. Luke is showing us a new sense of urgency in Jesus’ life and message. There just isn’t time left for secondary things—even good, important things. For those individuals whom the Lord is calling, it’s now or never!
Second, we don’t know how they responded to Jesus’ words. Maybe there was more to the conversation; we don’t know that either. That’s because Luke is actually more interested in encouraging us, his readers, to follow Jesus than in recounting the details of an event long past. As one commentator has put it, we may not know how they responded, but we do know what our own response ought to be.7 

Bruce Epperly, Cape Cod pastor, professor, and author, shares that today’s readings ask much of us. They also present a vision of alignment with God’s Vision that unleashes divine power and the ability to be faithful to God in ways we have not previously imagined. They challenge us to think larger in terms of ethics, social responsibility, and personal empowerment.

Jesus is ultimately counseling a holistic spirituality in which all of our various “calls” and “vocations” must be balanced with one another, with no absolutes, but willingness to care for loved ones and yet look beyond family and nation, kin and allegiance, to our ultimate allegiance, the divine vision for our lives. Decisions will need to be made, and sacrifices too, but these are all ultimately for the greater good of creation and to embody our love for others as well as ourselves.8 

Friar Jude Winkler describes the generosity with which Elisha gives up his old life to follow the Prophet Elijah. The “flesh” described by Paul is similar to the sense of “concupiscence” as expressed by Augustine. Friar Jude reminds that following Jesus is always a journey and when God calls, we have to answer.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, questions our assumption about the Hebrew Testament that everything was somehow a prophecy of our religion and of Jesus Christ. This is grossly unfair to our Jewish brothers and sisters as it undercuts both the biblical meaning and role of the prophet whose power and purpose was much more immediate and concrete than foretelling the New Testament.

If we’re going to talk about biblical prophets, we need a more accurate understanding. Our starting point is an amazing, positive experience of theophany—God appearing to humans—as we see in Isaiah 6, (Isaiah 6:1-8) that fills hearts not with cynicism, sarcasm, negativity, or opposition, but with ecstasy that has to be shared. One experience of the Absolute is so absolutizing that it has the effect of relativizing everything else—including the temple, the priesthood, and sacred texts.
Consequently, the prophets’ most constant and consistent critics are those who self-identify as standard bearers of religious institutions. We see this in Jesus himself, who builds on his Jewish tradition. It’s ironic that although prophets come out of religion and religious experience, they find themselves attacked by religion itself. All too often, like Jesus, they are killed or exiled by the religious establishment.9 

The journey with Jesus, connected to our Baptismal promises, commits us to love beyond those who are close, but to be prophets of Love for all Creation.

References

1	(n.d.). 1 Kings, chapter 19 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 30, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/1kings19:26
2	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 16 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 30, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/16
3	(n.d.). Galatians, chapter 5 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 30, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/galatians/5
4	(n.d.). Luke, chapter 9 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 30, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/lk/9:66
5	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries - Creighton University. Retrieved June 30, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
6	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 30, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
7	(n.d.). 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved June 30, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/06/30/
8	(2019, June 20). The Adventurous Lectionary – The Third Sunday in Pentecost – June .... Retrieved June 30, 2019, from https://www.patheos.com/blogs/livingaholyadventure/2019/06/the-adventurous-lectionary-the-third-sunday-in-pentecost-june-30-2019/
9	(2019, June 30). Understanding the Prophet — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 30, 2019, from https://cac.org/understanding-the-prophet-2019-06-30/