Word to the Wise
Monday, June 30, 2014 - Monday in the 13th Week in Ordinary Time
[Amos 2:6-10, 13-16 and Matt 8:18-22]When Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other shore. A scribe approached and said to him, "Teacher, 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." [Matt]
After preaching the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus begins his ministry in Galilee. His miracles and teaching attract potential disciples. In today's gospel, a scribe comes to him. Scribes were educated men who knew the Law of Moses. They could also read and write and people would come to them to get contracts written and other business done that required a record of some kind. It was no small matter for this scribe to offer the commitment of following Jesus. Jesus, however, senses that the scribe is perhaps willing to do this if it does not mean the inconvenience of homelessness!
Every year, in campus ministry, we would begin with long lists of students who would sign up for various activities or roles in the community. It did not take long for these lists to dwindle when the signees discovered that discipleship takes time and effort away from other activities that seemed more attractive, not to mention competing with studies, of course! Discipleship means making hard choices and sacrifices but the more we value our faith, the less difficult the choices become. It is when we allow discipleship to be on a par with secular or other consumer options that the choices seem to be too demanding! Pope Francis, in THE JOY OF THE GOSPEL, calls us to be "missionary disciples" and to discover that following Jesus is the best option of all and that it will bring joy if we give ourselves to it. Are we willing? AMEN