June 27, 2010 THIRTEENTH SUNDAY OF THE CHURCH YEAR
27 JUNE 2010, 5:15, 8:00, 10:00
READINGS: I Kings 19:16b, 19-21; Galatians 5:1, 13-18; Luke 9:51-62
SAINT MARY PARISH, VIROQUA
Introduction: More than the other gospel writers, Luke tells the story of the journeys of Jesus, especially his ‘final’ journey to Jerusalem. That journey starts in today’s reading.
1. Jesus’ journeys begin within the womb of his mother when she visits Elizabeth. Months later he journeys again in her womb to Bethlehem. When he is twelve years old he journeys with his parents to Jerusalem. Now, he begins the major journey of his life. He sets his face like flint, like chiseled stone, a determined face, towards Jerusalem. He knew that death would await him there. It is a trip by foot, but also it is a "journey inwards" as he moves without hesitation to complete the destiny marked out for Him by the Father.
The first reading also tells the story of a journey. The prophet Elijah invites Elisha to be his successor. Elisha accepts and, after bidding his father goodbye, he slaughters his 12 yoke of oxen and burns his farming implements. Clearly, he is cutting himself off from his past. He is undertaking a new journey. That is the price he pays at the start of his journey. There is a cost to pay at the end of Jesus’ journey. It is the cross. Jesus still has two more journeys: he journeys through death to new life. He journeys finally home to his Father.
2. We also have journeys to undertake. The word ‘disciple’ is used 262 times in the New Testament. You know, in ancient Greece to be a disciple meant to sit at the feet of the master to learn. In ancient Israel to be a disciple meant to follow in the master’s footsteps. We are called to be disciples of Jesus. We all undertake a variety of journeys in this life. And, like Jesus, they all have an inward dimension. We also have a price to pay. To be a disciple means to put Jesus first in our lives. Sometimes, like Elisha, we do have to break away from our past. It is called conversion. Always, like Jesus, it means there will be crosses to carry. This is discipleship! Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a theologian who lived in Nazi Germany. He was a member of the anti-Hitler resistance movement. He was arrested and put in prison. When friends tried to help him escape, he chose to stay for fear of retaliation on others. He was hanged just a month before the end of the war. He was an author who wrote about “The Cost of Discipleship.” He also lived what he wrote…and he died for his faith. He understood the journey; he paid the cost of discipleship.
3. Now, the good news is this! Our lives are journeys with an external and internal dimension. To be a Christian means we pay certain costs. We have crosses to carry. But the crosses we carry are not yokes of slavery. Our crosses have a freeing power that enables us to live by the Spirit. Saints are happy people, even under the burden of their crosses. Saint Teresa of Avila once said, “I don’t like grumpy saints.” Frankly, I don’t think there are any. No one ever grew less happy for having loved Christ more. What gives us this freedom and joy is the companion we have on our journeys, Jesus Christ.
Conclusion: We are disciples. We journey with Christ as our steady companion. The crosses that we carry on these journeys bring us new life. One writer (Andrew Long) wrote, “The main business of a Christian soul is to go through the world turning its water into wine.” Let us get down to ‘business.’