Homily
for July 1, 2007
Liturgical Year C - Cycle I
13th Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Joshua Nyoni Topic:
Commitment
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Reading I
I Kings 19:16b, 19-21 The LORD said to
Elijah: “You shall anoint Elisha, son of
Shaphat of Abelmeholah, as prophet to succeed you.” Elijah set out and
came upon Elisha, son of Shaphat, as
he was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen; he was following the twelfth.
Elijah
went over to him and threw his cloak over him.
Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, “Please, let me kiss
my father and mother goodbye, and I will follow you.” Elijah answered,
“Go
back! Have I done anything to you?”
Elisha left him, and taking the yoke of oxen, slaughtered them; he used
the plowing equipment for fuel to boil their flesh, and gave it to his
people
to eat. Then Elisha left and followed Elijah as his attendant. Reading II
Galatians 5:1, 13-18 "Brothers and
sisters: For freedom Christ set
us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of
slavery.
For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters. But do not
use this
freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another
through
love. For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, namely,
'You shall
love your neighbor as yourself.'...I say, then: live by the
Spirit and
you will certainly not gratify the desires of the flesh..." Gospel Luke 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.”
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The readings we have just
heard today are well connected: they all have the same theme - the theme of
freedom, liberty and commitment. On July
4th, we celebrate our Independence day: our freedom. Being freed
from what? Being freed for what? Speaking about freedom and
liberty, St Paul says “Do not use your
freedom, brothers and sisters, as an opportunity for the flesh; rather
use it
to serve one another through love”. Paul wants that we have a very
clear notion
of what Christian freedom is all about. He wants that we revisit our
notion of
freedom. What does freedom mean for me
here and now? Does it mean being able to do what pleases me?
Anything?
Anytime? Anywhere? Does it mean being able to do anything
and
everything? I think such kind of freedom is for the pagans. Christian
freedom
entails commitment. The world tells us that if we make a commitment, we
lose
our freedom. Jesus and Paul are telling us that we are not free until
we are
committed. To the one who said “ I will
follow you sir, but first let me go and say good-bye to my people at
home”,
Jesus replied: “Once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks
back is
fit for the kingdom of God”. Through this, Jesus was highlighting the
need for
commitment and dedication. Having a divided heart on the task begun is
not
worth the deal. Once we begin a task, we must give our all to it.
You as scientist know it very well that
something will not be successful unless you put your whole being into
it. Its
success or failure we depend entirely on how much we give to it. Each one of us has put our
hands to some “plow”. As young people,
we have put our hands to the “studies.” As husbands and wives you have
put your
hands to “marriage.” As a priest I have tied and put my hands
to the
“ministry.”. Now if we keep looking
backwards, what will happen? If we keep
on looking backward, our attention will be divided, our strength will
be lost.
We won’t be fully committed. We will be
half-hearted. Jesus does not want
half-hearted, lukewarm followers.
Looking back may suggest having second thoughts, entertaining doubts
and
regrets that ultimately will lead to quitting altogether. However, if we keep looking
forward, fixing our eyes on Jesus, we will give our undivided
attention. It is only when we have done this, that we
will be able to harness all our energy for the task before us.
Because of this, we will find that
fulfillment which we desire. Those who
give themselves wholeheartedly find joy in the task, despite hardships.
Jesus
encourages us today that we must not be lukewarm but we must give
ourselves
wholeheartedly to the task and it is only then we will be rewarded by
him. May God help us.