I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus answered him, JUne 30 2019

Book of Kings
1 KGS 19:16B, 19-21

Saint Paul's letter to Galatians
GAL 5:1, 13-18

From the Gospel according to Luke
LK 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."

Vatican Media Screenshot

Pope Francis on Three ‘Personages’ of Vocation

‘To follow Jesus, the Church is itinerant, she acts immediately, in a hurry and resolute.’

June 30, 2019 15:47Jim FairAngelus/Regina Caeli

The decision to follow Jesus must be prompt and decisive – and you better be prepared to leave behind the comforts of home. This is a message not only for the individual but for the entire Church.

That was the theme of Pope Francis June 30, 2019, before praying the noonday Angelus with a large crowd in St. Peter’s Square.  The crowd braved a record European heat wave, sprouting umbrellas to shield against the sun pouring down from a bright blue sky.

The Pope spoke on the day’s Gospel (Luke 9:51-62) where the apostle begins the story of Jesus’ last journey to Jerusalem and recalls three would-be disciples and the Lord’s response to them.

“The first personage promises Him: “I will follow you wherever you go” (v. 57). He is generous!” the Holy Father said. “However, Jesus answers that, unlike the foxes that have holes, and the birds that have nests, “the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (v. 58) — Jesus’ absolute poverty.”

With that response, the Pope explained, Jesus recognizes the person’s willingness but reminds him that it will be a difficult path ahead.  After all, Jesus has given up everything to follow his vocation.

The second personage, Francis continued, wants to follow Jesus but asks first to bury his deceased father. The Pope admits this is something reasonable but Jesus has a different response: “Leave the dead to bury their own dead” (v. 60).

“With these words, willingly provocative, He intends to affirm the primacy of the following and of the proclamation of the Kingdom of God, even over the most important realities, such as the family,” the Pope said. “The urgency to communicate the Gospel, which breaks the chain of death and inaugurates eternal life, doesn’t admit delays but calls for promptness and availability. Therefore, the Church is itinerant, and here the Church is resolute; she acts in a hurry, at the moment, without waiting.”

Finally, the Pope addressed the situation of a third personage. He also wanted to follow Jesus but asked first to say goodbye to his parents. Again, this was a reasonable request but Jesus’ response was firm: “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God” (v. 62).

“To follow Jesus, the Church is itinerant, she acts immediately, in a hurry and resolute,” Francis insisted. “The value of these conditions set by Jesus — itinerancy, promptness, and decision — doesn’t lie in a series of ‘no’s’ said to good and important things of life. Rather, the accent is put on the main objective: to become a disciple of Christ!”