Word to the Wise
Monday, June 27, 2022 - Monday in the 13th Week in Ordinary Time
[Amos 2:6-10, 13-16 and Matt 8:18-22]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." Another of his disciples said to him, "Lord, let me go first and bury my father." But Jesus answered him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead." [Matthew]
The great spiritual writer, C. S. Lewis, once wrote, "Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The one thing it cannot be is moderately important." The Gospel According to Matthew makes it clear that following Jesus is not one of many equally important options. It must be the first and most important thing. Note the last line of today's passage when a disciple asks: "Lord, let me go FIRST and bury my father." Jesus' reply might seem harsh if faith is on an equal basis with custom, even good custom.
Pastors know well the many activities that assume an importance equal to or even superior to (in the minds of parishioners) attendance at Mass. But Mass attendance is not the only example. The needs of others that make a claim on our time and attention can seem to conflict with favorite pursuits. Following Christ may require our attention to the hungry, thirsty, naked, imprisoned and stranger. [Matt. 25:31-45] There are, like the disciple today, a thousand "What if's" that we can think of. The point of today's words from Jesus may be an opportunity to ask ourselves, "How important is my faith to me?" What comes FIRST in my life? AMEN