DAILY- HOMILY

JUNE 27, 2010
13TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – C

FIRST KINGS 19:16-21
You must anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king of Israel, and anoint
Elisha son of Shaphat, of Abel-Meholah, as prophet to succeed you.
Anyone who escapes the sword of Hazael will be put to death by Jehu;
and anyone who escapes the sword of Jehu will be put to death by
Elisha. But I shall spare seven thousand in Israel; all the knees that
have not bent before Baal, all the mouths that have not kissed him.'
Leaving there, he came on Elisha son of Shaphat as he was ploughing
behind twelve yoke of oxen, he himself being with the twelfth. Elijah
passed near to him and threw his cloak over him. Elisha left his oxen
and ran after Elijah. 'Let me kiss my father and mother, then I will
follow you,' he said. Elijah answered, 'Go, go back; for have I done
anything to you?' Elisha turned away, took a yoke of oxen and
slaughtered them. He used the oxen's tackle for cooking the meat,
which he gave the people to eat. He then rose and, following Elijah,
became his servant.

GALATIANS 5:1, 13-18
Christ set us free, so that we should remain free. Stand firm, then,
and do not let yourselves be fastened again to the yoke of slavery.
After all, brothers, you were called to be free; do not use your
freedom as an opening for self-indulgence, but be servants to one
another in love, since the whole of the Law is summarized in the one
commandment: You must love your neighbor as yourself. If you go
snapping at one another and tearing one another to pieces, take care:
you will be eaten up by one another. Instead, I tell you, be guided by
the Spirit, and you will no longer yield to self-indulgence. The
desires of self-indulgence are always in opposition to the Spirit, and
the desires of the Spirit are in opposition to self-indulgence: they
are opposites, one against the other; that is how you are prevented
from doing the things that you want to. But when you are led by the
Spirit, you are not under the Law.

LUKE 9:51-62
Now it happened that as the time drew near for him to be taken up, he
resolutely turned his face towards Jerusalem and sent messengers ahead
of him. These set out, and they went into a Samaritan village to make
preparations for him, but the people would not receive him because he
was making for Jerusalem. Seeing this, the disciples James and John
said, 'Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to burn them
up?' But he turned and rebuked them, and they went on to another
village. As they travelled along they met a man on the road who said
to him, 'I will follow you wherever you go.' Jesus answered, 'Foxes
have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has
nowhere to lay his head.' Another to whom he said, 'Follow me,'
replied, 'Let me go and bury my father first.' But he answered, 'Leave
the dead to bury their dead; your duty is to go and spread the news of
the kingdom of God.' Another said, 'I will follow you, sir, but first
let me go and say good -- bye to my people at home.' Jesus said to
him, 'Once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is
fit for the kingdom of God.'

REFLECTION
The common theme of the three readings today is clearly discipleship
and following Jesus. This involves a mission and a lifestyle that must
be those of Jesus.

St. Luke narrates Jesus' encounter with three people. They are
presented with the concrete possibility of following Jesus as his
disciples in a significant context. The context in which he places
them is that they were going along the road, and even more precisely,
on the way up to Jerusalem. Calling them to discipleship, Jesus has
already resolutely decided to live faithfully his journey to the
Father. Luke says: "When the days drew near to be taken up, he set his
face to go to Jerusalem." Jerusalem is the place where Jesus' journey
will meet its goal and completion: the passion, the resurrection, and
the ascension. Going to Jerusalem with determination expresses the
decision of his surrendering faithfully to the Father's will.

The three encounters point to three aspects that are necessary for any
experience of discipleship or of Christian living. The first one is
the reference to Jesus: his person, his mission, and his lifestyle.
Luke quotes these words of Jesus: "The Son of Man has nowhere to lay
his head." Discipleship must be unconditional, without security. There
are no places or times of vacation.

In the second place, discipleship does not mean only one condition or
one personal lifestyle. It is a mission. A disciple is someone who is
sent. Jesus says: "As for you, go and proclaim the kingdom." We would
be totally wrong to claim that we are Christians without being
involved in the evangelizing project. The more intense our
relationship and personal friendship with Jesus, the more they make us
come out of ourselves to become witnesses and bearers of the kingdom
of God for others. Finally, Jesus' call is especially urgent.

The kingdom of God is received as a gift in total openness. And it
involves all the dimensions of human life. In his love for all and
preferentially for the poor, the Father urgently wants his salvation
to redeem everything, and his kingdom to transform history in a
radical way. Jesus' call to discipleship situates the explanation and
the foundation of our response which must be unconditional, in the
saving context of his mission. On the other hand, when a disciple with
determination surrenders himself, it is an expression and an
experience of authentic freedom.

Jesus demands a complete, wholehearted and immediate response. There
is no room for ambiguity or compromise. Jesus is passing by and moving
on. We must follow him.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Myrna
- Jilbert Perez
- Ely Lara
- Rita P. Cuerva
… for the personal intentions of
- Maricar
- Titong V.
- Atrero family
- Patrick and Mary Ann
- Lawrence
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Jed Matthew T. Sarte
- Birthday: Mike Jugo
- Birthday: Cerise B. Banaag
- Birthday: Helena Z. Benitez
- Wedding Anniversary: Ricky & Lizanne Castillo
- Wedding Anniversary: Marcelo & Emily Lee
- In Memoriam (+): Bayani Mendiola Castillo
… 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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