Fr. Vincent Munari sx
13 Sunday Ordinary Time “C”
The Gospel of this Sunday is “ON THE ROAD”
It has a look to the future when it speaks of the short time left for
Jesus in this world (he will be taken up) and his resolution to take
the road to Jerusalem while he was with his disciples around Caesarea,
in the extreme north of Galilee; and he knew what was coming for him
in Jerusalem.
Also the present is not easy for Jesus: the Samaritans of the first
village that Jesus and the disciples met on the roar, refused to give
him hospitality. And his divine teaching did not touch the followers
of Jesus himself, if James and John ask the permission of invoking
fire from heaven and destroy them!
But Jesus is completely calm and patient, ready to accept everything
aware that this is the way to accept the will of God the Father; he
will soon show the same patience during his arrest, trial and
condemnation: more than for himself he cares for the Father, his
disciples, the possibility to show one or the other aspect of the
kingdom of God: Jesus is moved only by love for friends or those other
people (not himself) can consider enemies.
During this travelling of Jesus, here are 3 stories of vocations,
important for our consideration. The first is the calling of a person
ready to any sacrifice; “I will follow you…”. Interesting the answer
of Jesus: “The foxes and the birds have, but the Son of man has not”).
Jesus warns the person; you must consider the cost of following for
your whole life. May be seeing the good will of the man and with the
power of God, Jesus allowed him to follow and this brought fruits.
The second vocation is an invitation of Jesus himself: “follow me”!
But the boy was awaiting for his father’s inheritance: “let me go and
bury my Father first”. (Avidity of money does not fit for a life
consecrated to Jesus)
The third says, probably after an invitation of Jesus, “yes but let me
first greet my people”. Strange answer of Jesus. Let us try to give
some light with the help of the Spirit himself,
It is the eco of the story of Elijah and Elisha in the second book of
Kings 2. Elisha is ploughing but, when he meets Elijah calling him, he
prepares food for his workers with the meet of the bulls used for the
work, he cooks with the wood of the implement he was using and then
follows Eljah. No possibility of resuming the previous work if the
plough is spoiled and the bull killed. Jesus tells us that if we take
a road because called by him no good comes from looking back.
Some vocations to consecrated life are in this situation: they start
willingly but then the family, the joys or sorrows of life, the
society make the boy (or girl) “look back” and so soon he finds
himself without enthusiasm; he thinks he could go back where he was
before but the plough now is burned, impossible to be used; this is
the story of some that now think it would have been better to remain
with the Master Jesus Christ; faithful to him and to the choice he
made and makes for each one of us.
Fr. Vincent Munari sx
13 Sunday Ordinary Time “C”
The Gospel of this Sunday is “ON THE ROAD”
It has a look to the future when it speaks of the short time left for
Jesus in this world (he will be taken up) and his resolution to take
the road to Jerusalem while he was with his disciples around Caesarea,
in the extreme north of Galilee; and he knew what was coming for him
in Jerusalem.
Also the present is not easy for Jesus: the Samaritans of the first
village that Jesus and the disciples met on the roar, refused to give
him hospitality. And his divine teaching did not touch the followers
of Jesus himself, if James and John ask the permission of invoking
fire from heaven and destroy them!
But Jesus is completely calm and patient, ready to accept everything
aware that this is the way to accept the will of God the Father; he
will soon show the same patience during his arrest, trial and
condemnation: more than for himself he cares for the Father, his
disciples, the possibility to show one or the other aspect of the
kingdom of God: Jesus is moved only by love for friends or those other
people (not himself) can consider enemies.
During this travelling of Jesus, here are 3 stories of vocations,
important for our consideration. The first is the calling of a person
ready to any sacrifice; “I will follow you…”. Interesting the answer
of Jesus: “The foxes and the birds have, but the Son of man has not”).
Jesus warns the person; you must consider the cost of following for
your whole life. May be seeing the good will of the man and with the
power of God, Jesus allowed him to follow and this brought fruits.
The second vocation is an invitation of Jesus himself: “follow me”!
But the boy was awaiting for his father’s inheritance: “let me go and
bury my Father first”. (Avidity of money does not fit for a life
consecrated to Jesus)
The third says, probably after an invitation of Jesus, “yes but let me
first greet my people”. Strange answer of Jesus. Let us try to give
some light with the help of the Spirit himself,
It is the eco of the story of Elijah and Elisha in the second book of
Kings 2. Elisha is ploughing but, when he meets Elijah calling him, he
prepares food for his workers with the meet of the bulls used for the
work, he cooks with the wood of the implement he was using and then
follows Eljah. No possibility of resuming the previous work if the
plough is spoiled and the bull killed. Jesus tells us that if we take
a road because called by him no good comes from looking back.
Some vocations to consecrated life are in this situation: they start
willingly but then the family, the joys or sorrows of life, the
society make the boy (or girl) “look back” and so soon he finds
himself without enthusiasm; he thinks he could go back where he was
before but the plough now is burned, impossible to be used; this is
the story of some that now think it would have been better to remain
with the Master Jesus Christ; faithful to him and to the choice he
made and makes for each one of us.
Fr. Vincent Munari sx