Gospel Lectio Divina for Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, June 26, 2022
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
Lk 9:51-62
When the days for Jesus’ being taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, and he sent messengers ahead of him. On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village. As they 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.” 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.”
MEDITATE
When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village.
A few things about this part catch my attention. First, James and John at least have the faith to believe they can call down fire from heaven in Jesus’ name. That alone is significant. They were probably right to at least believe they could do it. After being with Jesus for some time, they knew his power and the power they could have by following him. But clearly, they are still learning how to be true disciples. Jesus wishes no harm upon those who oppose him. In fact, he rebukes the disciples for suggesting as much. Destroying his opponents may seem like the logical thing to do for Jesus, whose mission is to save the world. In a similar way, sometimes we prune back the dead branches of a tree or plant to save it. God the Father even saved humanity once by destroying all of it except Noah and his family. But this time Jesus is taking a different approach. He hopes that by showing kindness to his opponents, he plants a seed that would later lead his opponents to follow him. He is hoping that those who reject him will someday come to accept him.
“I will follow you wherever you go.”
When Jesus set out with determination to Jerusalem, some people saw that determination and followed him. Resolve like the kind Jesus had is attractive. It shows will power, commitment, and passion. Jesus didn’t just preach the kingdom of God with his words and deeds. He did it all with great vigor and enthusiasm. He was seen as a radical in his day, and so his true disciples will be seen as radicals today as well. That is how it seems today, and probably how it seemed in Jesus’ time as well: To have excitement toward any cause often results in being labeled a radical for that cause. We’re expected to be even-keel about everything, to not be too devoted to anything, lest we look gullible in believing that that thing we’re devoted to is the answer to all the problems in the world. Even people who are especially devoted to a sports team are called fanatics (fans).
But there is no one better to show such devotion toward than Christ, because he is the only true solution to all the world’s problems. So when people consider me to be a fanatic or radical for Christ, I’ll take that as a compliment.
When the priest walks down the aisle of a church, when people walk the streets in Eucharistic procession, they are symbolically following in the footsteps of Christ, all the way to the cross. The priest doesn’t just appear on the altar from the sacristry like some kind of showman appearing from behind a curtain. He walks from the sacristy to the back of the church, then down the center aisle, toward the crucifix. This doesn’t make much sense logistically, but he is following Christ wherever he goes. When people follow the Eucharist in a Eucharistic procession, they walk in the middle of the street, stopping traffic. Police often have to be called beforehand to guard the route. It’s very countercultural, radical, and fanatical, but that’s the point. The Christians in the procession want to be publically seen as radicals for Christ. The word “radical” comes from the Latin word radix, meaning “root”. Radicals for Christ simply want to go back to what it means to follow him. Crowds gathered to see Jesus walk into Jerusalem, just as crowds gather to join him in a Eucharistic procession. Disciples of Christ follow him wherever he goes, even when it seems strange to everyone else.
“Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”
Was Christ homeless during his ministry? Perhaps. He went from town to town proclaiming the kingdom of God, asking for lodging wherever he went. Some accepted him, some did not. This shows that he was willing to do whatever was necessary to spread the gospel, even if it meant he wouldn’t have a roof over his head at night. Am I willing to go to such great lengths to tell the world about the love of God?
“Lord, let me go first and bury my father…. “first let me say farewell to my family at home.”
The key word in both of these excuses is “first”. The First Commandment is to put nothing before God, not even family. It’s hard to put God before even family. Sometimes I even feel justified putting my family before my commitments to God. But a true disciple of Christ knows we cannot rightly serve anyone unless we serve God first. If I put anything before God, my motivations will be disordered, my love misplaced. God is the source of love, so it makes the most sense to go to him first in order to receive the proper stores of love to serve others.
PRAY
Lord Jesus,
Help me to be your true disciple, putting you before everything–even loved ones. The way to follow you will be countercultural. It will be weird to other people. It doesn’t matter, because you alone have the words of eternal life, so I will do what it takes to stay close to you. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
LISTEN
God is speaking to us in so many ways. Be silent and listen. Contemplate the great wonder of creation, the mysteries of his love for us. What motivated his disciples to follow him? What caused others to walk away instead? Do I possess the qualities needed to follow him? Are there any obstacles in my life hindering me from following Christ more completely?
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
