Today’s Reflection
Gospel: Lk 9: 57-62
October  4, 2023 | Wednesday

Today’s Gospel

As they went on their way, a man said to him,b “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another, Jesus said, “Follow me!” But he answered, “Let me go back now, for, first, I want to bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their dead; as for you, leave them, and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

Another said to him, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say goodbye to my family.” And Jesus said to him, “Whoever has put his hand to the plow, and looks back, is not fit for the kingdom of God.”

Today’s Reflection:

Jesus laid down the demands for discipleship. First, the Lord said that discipleship is a life of poverty and itinerancy, a life detached from excessive love of possession. Second, Jesus demanded that the disciples would have to love Him more than their parents and family. This may be seen as a scandal for the disciples since The Decalogue commands that one must honor their parents. Only the love of God can be more than the love of parents. Jesus, in a way, revealed His divine identity to His disciples. A disciple’s life then is a life detached from the inordinate love of family. Lastly, Jesus demanded total commitment from His disciples. When one chooses to follow Jesus, one must leave his previous life and never turn back. Like Francis of Assisi, when we love God more than anything and anyone, only then do we become true disciples. /Vulnerasti, 2023.