Thirteeth Sunday in Ordinary Time, June 26, 2016
I like it when Jesus meets people. In the second part of our Gospel (Luke 9,51-62), Jesus meets three persons – very different persons. Let us have a look at the text: the first one says: “I will follow you wher-ever you go.” This person, a man or a woman, is enthusiastic about Jesus. He or she wants to give everything to follow Jesus. The second person says: “Let me go first and bury my father”. Jesus ac-tively asks this person, but this person is clinging to everything he or she experiences as normal, as unquestionable. And he or she is prepared to pro-tect this “comfort zone” where nothing should come and disturb, there is no room for surprises. This is the meaning of the word Jesus says: “Let the dead bury their dead” – there is no life without leaving behind things you are used to, there is no life without risking something. And the third person says: “I will follow you, but first let me say fare-well to my family at home”. This is someone who hesitates, who thinks about everything in depth and who wants to keep everything in his or her hand. Three very different persons. Do you recognize yourselves in one of these? The reaction of Jesus is different for everyone of the three, the reac-tion of Jesus is always very personal. Remember the first one – the enthusiast. Jesus brings this person back to reality. Living and wandering with Jesus, proclaim his good news, is not easy, to follow Jesus is not always only happiness. And Jesus is realist enough to make this clear to those who have a wrong idea of what it means to be on Jesus’ side. Now remember the second one – the one who clings to his “comfort zone”, who tries to avoid surprises and hates risks. Here Jesus encourages to take the chance of the moment, to accept the invitation Jesus offers. And the third one – the one who hesitates. Jesus challenges this person directly. “Don’t look back. Go your way with me, now!” Jesus would talk to each of us here in a similar way. Did I say “Jesus WOULD” do this? I should say: “Jesus talks to each of us here in a similar way.” This is my conviction – for Jesus we are partners, we are friends, he talks to us, we have a name and Jesus knows all our names – and he invites us to be his friends. Let us keep some silence and ask ourselves: Who am I in the eyes of Jesus, what would he tell me, what does he tell me now? Can I trust him, do I want to trust him? Am I sure that Jesus is my friend?
Fr. Wolfgang Felber SJ