Wherever You Go
“You shall anoint Elisha,
son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah, as a prophet to succeed you.” 1
Kings 19:16
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. Galatians 5:13
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.” Luke
9:57-58
Piety
“Prayer for Charity and a
Preferential Option for the Poor” by Mary Lou Kownacki, OSB
Poor Ones,
Please take the bread. It is
yours.
The house with running water
belongs to you.
A plot of land, a dignified job
– all yours.
Forgive me for offering it.
Charity is no substitute for
justice but your children are hungry now.
Spirit of Justice, break open
our hearts.
Break them wide open
Let anger pour through like
strong winds cleaning us of complacency,
Let courage pour through like
spring storms flooding out fear.
Let zeal pour through like
blazing summer sun, filling us with passion.
Force of Justice, grant me
anger at what is, courage to do what must be done, passion to break down the
walls of injustice and build a land flowing with milk and honey for God’s
beloved, God’s special love, God’s Poor Ones.
Spirit of Justice, break open
our hearts.
Study
Piety has its most robust definition in how we follow the Lord. God has
a plan for all of us that we must come to know through our Tripod. Some think that poverty, chastity, and
obedience are the makeup of perfect surrender to the Lord. That may be true, but we may not be among
those called to such strict disciplines. Whether or not we are vowed members of
a religious community or laypersons, we are called to be freely obedient to
God.
Although God created us and calls us, he does not enslave us to his law
or to any of the gifts that he has given to us. His gift to us is
freedom…including the freedom to choose to be obedient or not. Today we find
the conflict between the gift of freedom and the call for obedience at its
height.
First is the command, the very expectation for total and immediate
obedience, and its rewards. We might consider the perfection of that in modern
times reserved for priests and nuns and those espoused to religious life in
faith communities of women and men. But, the call for obedience extends to the
laity as well (like it or not).
The example of Elisha leaving his family, destroying his earthly
possessions and distributing those goods among his people is just one more
example of perfect obedience that we learn through sacred readings.
All this prepares us for the severity and unconditional nature of
Christian discipleship. Just as God’s love for us has no bounds, our love for
God also should not face any limits. Just as resolutely as Jesus sets out for
Jerusalem in today’s reading, we should set out for a New Jerusalem. Our journey
to the New Jerusalem is a journey of hope. As Henri Nouwen reminds us: “Hope
prevents us from clinging to what we have and frees us to move away from the
safe place and enter the unknown and fearful territory.”
Action
Just as Elisha freed himself from
the twelve oxen, from what comfort zone do you have to free yourself to enter
the unknown and fearful territory of hope?
As he sets out for Jerusalem,
Jesus knows very well what lies ahead on the journey. Maybe that is why Jesus
sounds so strident today. Jesus wants us to look forward, not behind. Looking forward, Jesus sets his sights set on
what he wants each one of us to be and to do. He doesn’t care about the others
who don’t take him seriously or who reject him. He is addressing those of us
who call ourselves Christian.
Christ’s road to Jerusalem
invites all of us. We too must go up to
Jerusalem to die with Christ even as the Apostles eventually did. That is what Jesus did, and that is what he
expects us to do if we are to truly madly and deeply love Him, honor Him and
obey Him from this day forward.
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