13th SUNDAY OF THE YEAR

13th SUNDAY, 26 JUNE 2022: 1 KINGS 19. 16b, 19 -21; GALATIANS 5. 1, 13-18; LUKE 9. 51-62

Thrust: Freed and Called to follow!

Indicative: We are freed from the slavery of sin in order to follow the Lord

1. We can pick up one dominant theme from today's word of God. It is "Call to follow". God's call comes to anyone. But for what is this call? What is the purpose and objective of this call? How does one respond to this call?

 2. In the first reading, Elisha responds to the call to be a prophet in the footsteps of his master Elijah. In the second reading, St Paul reminds us that we are called for freedom and once freed, what are its implications? In the gospel, we see how a Samaritan village and three men called would reject the Lord's call to follow him.

3. The Lord calls us to be freed from the slavery of sin for following him. In the light of Elisha's call, this freedom to follow the Lord is to be a prophet. And a prophet is one who totally surrenders his life to God and is selflessly committed to His work.

4. In the light of Paul's exhortation, this call for freedom is to "Walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh". It means to guard and fight against all that is unspiritual and unfraternal. In other words, it is to combat all that which goes against the ways of God and which harms the other. Positively, it is to "love and serve one another".

5. In the light of the gospel, this call to follow the Lord implies not to be judgmental, intolerant and retaliating even in the face of negative response. It is a free call and one may or may not respond positively.

6. But if one rejects the call, we need not judge them and seek to punish them. For,  they would bring judgment on themselves. That is why, Jesus rebukes his disciples who want to punish and destroy the Samaritan village that rejected Jesus.

7. Further, three men fail to respond to the call to follow the Lord. There is an intention to follow him. But they lack the three essential conditions for discipleship.  They are namely, focus, detachment and commitment. 

8. All the three were not focused on the Lord, his mission, his kingdom. They were not ready to detach themselves from the old way to follow the new way of life. They were not willing to commit themselves totally to be with him and to join in his mission.

9. The first one fails because he was clinging to the securities and guarantees of the world. He was not ready to be freed from these attachments.That is why when he learns that Jesus had "nowhere to lay his head, unlike the foxes having holes and birds having nests", he declines the call.

10. The second and third ones fail because they were not freed from their family ties. One was bothered about the funeral rites of his father; and the other, about bidding farewell to his family. One need not argue that these are not wrong concerns but quite legitimate.

11. The point here is not the validity of family obligations. Rather, it is to assert clearly that focus, detachment and commitment are essential to follow the Lord. To follow the Lord in intimate relationship and in undivided mission - this is the crux of vocation. This is the highest priority and this is something urgent. Nothing should block this or delay this.

Imperative: The call to follow the Lord requires freedom from defocus,  worldly attachments and wrong commitments and pursuits and freedom for loving and serving him totally and unreservedly