DAILY- HOMILY

July 1, 2007
13th Sunday in Ordinary Time - C

1 KINGS 19:16B, 19-21
The LORD said to Elijah: "You shall anoint Elisha, son of Shaphat of
Abelmeholah, as prophet to succeed you." Elijah set out and came upon
Elisha, son of Shaphat, as he was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen; he
was following the twelfth. Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak
over him. Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, "Please,
let me kiss my father and mother goodbye, and I will follow you."
Elijah answered, "Go back! Have I done anything to you?" Elisha left
him, and taking the yoke of oxen, slaughtered them; he used the
plowing equipment for fuel to boil their flesh, and gave it to his
people to eat. Then Elisha left and followed Elijah as his attendant.

GALATIANS 5:1, 13-18
Brothers and sisters: For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm
and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. For you were called
for freedom, brothers and sisters. But do not use this freedom as an
opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love. For
the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, namely, You shall love
your neighbor as yourself. But if you go on biting and devouring one
another, beware that you are not consumed by one another. I say, then:
live by the Spirit and you will certainly not gratify the desire of
the flesh. For the flesh has desires against the Spirit, and the
Spirit against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you
may not do what you want. But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are
not under the law.

LUKE 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."

REFLECTION
Luke is the evangelist of God's kindness and mercy. How then may we
explain the particularly demanding tone of today's Gospel passage? The
reason is that it introduces a new stage in the life of Jesus. The
time has come to leave Galilee and to "go up to Jerusalem."

For Jesus, this is a turning point, a threshold, a crucial decision
committing his whole life. To remain in Galilee is to prolong the easy
life of his first successes, it is to give in to the temptation of
becoming a temporal Messiah, to be an idol of the crowds.

To go up resolutely to Jerusalem is to accept concretely the will of
the Father, which is that Jesus should surrender his life. It is to
break away from the past and to move on into an uncertain future in
accordance with the Father's will.

Those who want to follow Jesus become homeless displaced people. In
today's life there is no place for Jesus and his way. And so also his
follower is an outsider, a man or woman incompatible with this
programmed world, for he or she does not belong there. His or her life
is based on other values. Those who want to share the life and destiny
of Jesus must know what is asked of them. They have to let go of their
disorderly attachment to their families, their relatives and
acquaintances, to their possessions and a comfortable life. They have
to keep their mind free and their way turned to the future. The most
normal duties and bonds are made relative. One thing is essential and
everything else has to give way to this: the mentality with which we
have to accompany Jesus on his way.

Today is a good day to reflect on what it means to be a Christian.
Have we not become too complacent by approving of so many things, like
dishonesty, divorce, extramarital affairs, taking advantage of and
exploiting the poor, the weak, and the ignorant? Well, so many do it.
Why take religion so seriously?

When are we disciples Jesus? Is it only when we come to church
occasionally, such as for baptism, a wedding, and a funeral?

A Christian resolutely takes the road to Jerusalem. It is a road of
life that can be painful. To be a Christian means that we write the
name of God above everything, above our work, above our marriage,
above our freedom. Doing things halfway does not make for joy. A
divided heart remains always a restless heart.

If you let God enter only into a part of your life, if you want to
follow Jesus up to a certain point only, you will experience your
Christian living as a burden, as an unwelcome limitation, a un-
freedom, not as an inspiration or a moving force.

If you remain faithful to Jesus in every area of your life, you will
also share in the fullness of life that Jesus promises. For the way to
Jerusalem is a way to life and saving happiness.

Let's close with a familiar prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola:
"Lord, teach me to be generous,
Teach me to serve you as you deserve;
To give and not to count the cost;
To fight and not to heed the wounds;
To toil and not to seek for rest;
To labor and not to ask for any reward;
Except to know - that I am doing Your holy will." Amen.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray ...
.. for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
.. for the healing and speedy recovery of:
- Dodo
- Ely
- Stef
- Ver Reyes
- Narciso Lim
- Aileen and Dennis Dimapilis
- Tolentino A. Sandoval
- Sandoval and Balingit family
- Salvador L. Mallari
.. for the personal intentions and guidance of:
- Ernesto, Feliciana, Jose Rigor and Maria Fatima
- Jasmin
- Lydia and family
- Peter and family
.. for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Maria, Candido, Isidora, Alipio, Alfonsa, Jovita, Alfonso,
Corazon
- Rando Clemente
- Jaime delos Santos
Eternal rest grant unto them and perpetual light shine upon them. May
they and all the dearly departed rest in peace.
.. for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Peter Paul Fainsan
- Birthday: Tessie Ching
- Wedding Anniversary: Robin & Angel Roque
.. for world peace and reconciliation.

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our
prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.

Have a good day!

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