13th Sunday of the Year C 2016

(1 Kings 19, 16.19-21; Galatians 5, 1.13-18; Luke 9, 51-62: 13th Sunday of the Year C 2016)

   

 There is some sort of parallelism between the first reading and the second part of the gospel reading. The resemblance is found in the theme that treats the exigency of the call of Prophet Elisha and the call to the would-be-disciple of Jesus. The time Prophet Elijah was ministered was a difficult one. It was a critical time, religious crisis for that matter, infidelity to God on the part of the elected people of God and full blown apostasy through idolatry of foreign gods. It was also the time, of chastisement of the people of God, a time of their purification. There was then the need for another prophet who would work with Elijah (Elijah means: My God is the Lord) for a while and would later continue with his prophetic mission alone. The lot fell on Elisha (Elisha means: My God is the Saviour). The call of Elisha was through prophetic symbolic action. The symbolic act of Elijah, throwing his clock over Elisha, can be interpreted in more than one way. It can be interpreted that Elisha has been invested with the power and authority of Elijah. It also suggests that the kind of activity in which Elijah was engaged had come to an end and a new generation of prophets was on the horizon. Elijah, then, was a kind of precursor, a sign of what was to come. Elisha was called while he was ploughing a field. He immediately left his ploughing and eagerly ran after Prophet Elijah. He had no second thought about following his call. He only asked permission to say farewell to his parents. The account describes the conflict that exists between two fundamental responsibilities: fidelity to the call of God and fidelity to one’s primary family obligations. Elijah did not grant Elisha permission to leave but he did respond that Elisha had been commissioned by God to be a prophet and it was up to him to decide whether or not he could make the radical break from the past that this commission required. His response was wholehearted. His slaughter of the oxen and his destruction of the plowing equipment were symbolic acts of severing his ties with his past. He was now totally committed to the ministry of the people. He demonstrated this by feeding them.

 In the second part of the today’s gospel there are three episodes which teach the things Jesus expects from those who decide to follow him. Jesus demands that he who follows him should not repose his confidence in terrestrial and material things. Jesus referring to himself said: The foxes have holes and the birds of the air their nets but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head. The disciple of Jesus, therefore, will have to know how to live in want, poverty, necessity and scarcity in this world, and on the other hand, know how to repose his confidence and security in God. What is more, he has to regard the possession of the Kingdom of heaven as one’s true wealth. Again, Jesus demands complete and absolute disposition from those who want to follow him and enter the kingdom of heaven. Such disposition would help them not to look for excuses and pretences to postpone decisions and also prevent them from swinging from one indecision to the other. Jesus’ dictum, Leave the dead to bury the dead. Go and proclaim the Kingdom of God clinches the above point. Jesus also demands that the would-be-disciple does not allow himself/herself be distracted by the thought of changing his/her mind after responding positively to the call of God:No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back ward is worthy of the kingdom of God. From the foregoing, it is clear that Jesus makes himself and his message of salvation the absolute values to which other values are subordinated. Any other thing acquires its value in relation to this absolute value. We have, therefore, to ask ourselves sincerely, if we really regard the Lord as the truly and unique value, the value more important in our lives, as is indicated in the responsorial psalm that we sang. If God is the absolute and unique value, we then have to follow his call with our whole being and with our whole strength. That boils down to affirm that there is no part-time discipleship. We must have a willing attitude that frees us interiorly from all other concerns so that we might be able to follow Christ, regardless of our state in life and our profession. This attitude of commitment does not merely arise from our own generosity of heart but, fundamentally, from our having been transformed into Christ through faith and baptism. With the psalmist we cling to God, who is our allotted portion and cup. Such whole hearted commitment is an interior reality and not an exterior demonstration. It is not for a few, it is required from all.

    This interior reality is the mainstay of Paul’s teaching to the Galatians which we are privileged to listen to in the 2nd reading of today. Paul teaches that the Christian is free from the prescriptions of the Jewish law. Therefore, what is important for the salvation of a person is Jesus Christ and faith in him. This faith is to be mediated through charity or love. The Christian, all of us are liberated by Christ so that we can show charity to one another. But to live in the liberty of the sons and daughters of God and to practice love among ourselves we need to allow ourselves be guided by the Holy Spirit. It is this Spirit of God that will guide our lives as the disciples of Jesus and will help us with his guidance and illumination to always stick to our decision to be disciples of Jesus Christ. Happy Sunday!+John I. Okoye