FOLLOWING JESUS RESOLUTELY
Introduction
To the reasoning of his friends that God must be punishing him for his sins, Job answers that he is innocent, that he cannot answer why he suffers, but that God is wise and that he, Job, can only appeal to him for mercy.
Jesus gave himself totally to his mission. He asks the same radical commitment to the kingdom of God of justice and love not only of his apostles but also of all who “follow” him – of us. A “radical” commitment is asked, that is, going to the roots in the depths of our being; it must be consistent, it is a commitment that does not look back but that has its eyes on both the present and the future.
Opening Prayer
God our Father,
we have accepted your invitation
to follow your Son as his disciples.
Let your Spirit give us the wisdom and the strength
to take our faith seriously
and to accept our task in life
with all its consequences.
Let the Spirit help us to go your Son’s way
without fear or discouragement,
for we are certain that Jesus will lead us to you,
our loving God for ever and ever. Amen!
1 Reading JOB 9:1-12, 14-16
Job answered his friends and said: I know well that it is so; but how can a man be justified before God? Should one wish to contend with him, he could not answer him once in a thousand times. God is wise in heart and mighty in strength; who has withstood him and remained unscathed? He removes the mountains before they know it; he overturns them in his anger. He shakes the earth out of its place, and the pillars beneath it tremble. He commands the sun, and it rises not; he seals up the stars. He alone stretches out the heavens and treads upon the crests of the sea. He made the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south; He does great things past finding out, marvelous things beyond reckoning. Should he come near me, I see him not; should he pass by, I am not aware of him; Should he seize me forcibly, who can say him nay? Who can say to him, “What are you doing?” How much less shall I give him any answer, or choose out arguments against him! Even though I were right, I could not answer him, but should rather beg for what was due me. If I appealed to him and he answered my call, I could not believe that he would hearken to my words.
Responsorial PSALM 88:10BC-11, 12-13, 14-15
R. (3) Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
Daily I call upon you, O LORD;
to you I stretch out my hands.
Will you work wonders for the dead?
Will the shades arise to give you thanks? R.
Do they declare your mercy in the grave,
your faithfulness among those who have perished?
Are your wonders made known in the darkness,
or your justice in the land of oblivion? R.
But I, O LORD, cry out to you;
with my morning prayer I wait upon you.
Why, O LORD, do you reject me;
why hide from me your face? R.
Alleluia PHILIPPIANS 3:8-9
Alleluia, alleluia.
I consider all things so much rubbish
that I may gain Christ and be found in him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel LUKE 9:57-62
As Jesus and his disciples 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.” Jesus answered him, “No one who sets a hand to the plough and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.”
Commentary
God First
While I was doing my studies in theology, we had a professor of the treatise on Grace who tried to drive home the primacy of God thus: “If you do not mention the phrase ‘primacy of God’ in the final examination, I will fail you.” It goes without saying that during the examination, I mentioned the phrase as many times as I could and passed with flying colours! The vocational narratives in today’s gospel underline this primacy and priority of God in life. You cannot respond to the call of God in piecemeal fashion. Once we choose to respond, it must be absolute and irrevocable, with all other commitments and relations coming a distant second. Once we embrace the call, we must burn the bridges behind. Once we put our hands on the plough, we must not look back or turn around – unless we have been ploughing in the opposite direction to God!
Intercessions
– For the Church, that Christ may become more visible in its will to serve God and people in its loving concern for the poor and its continuous conversion to the gospel, we pray:
– For all Christians who claim to follow Christ, that they may live up without fear to the demands of the gospel and bear witness to the crucified Lord, we pray:
– For those who suffer in their bodies and their hearts, for those who work for justice in the world and for peace among people, that they may find strength in their unity with Christ in his passion and his death, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
in these gifts of bread and wine
we bring ourselves before you
and you let your Son give himself to us.
May we learn from him
to make ourselves free and available
to people and to you
and to seek your will in all we do.
Help us to follow your Son
in his trials and in his glory,
now and for ever. Amen!
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
in this Eucharist you have enlightened us
with the word of wisdom of your Son
and given us the bread that gives us the strength
to follow him without hesitation.
Keep breathing on us
the wisdom and strength of your Spirit,
that we can go with Jesus
through the desert of pain and the cross
for the sake of bringing life and joy
to our brothers and sisters in need
and for giving glory to you,
our God for ever and ever. Amen!
Blessing
Jesus tells us today: “Follow me.” We have accepted his invitation. Then we have also to accept the consequences. We have to learn to love without end, to forgive without delay, to give ourselves also when not pleasant. May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!