1
13thSunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C)Deacon Mark
June 26, 2016
1 Kings19:6b,19-21
Galatians5:1, 13-18
Luke9:51-62
As a member of the present day culture, in particular the North American or US culture, today’s scripture passages can certainly stir up a strong mix of emotions in me.
Consider Elisha in the first reading. Back in his time, anybody with 12 yoke of oxen definitely possessed financial and social prominence. If today we would hear of an encounter like the one between prominent Elisha and pauper Elijah, we would shake our heads in disbelief asking how can anybody in their right mind turn their back and walk away from such comfort and security. Certainly he had to have been conned.
And the responses of Jesus to the three would be disciple scenarios in our gospel, when looked at in the light of the lives and life-styles most of us lead, theycan easily spawn an attitude of “get real”. There is absolutely no way; I don’t have the time to be a full-time disciple; I have responsibilities, job, family, home. I can’t fit it all in now as it is.
Having said all of that, there is one very obvious fact and it is that the vocation of disciple is most assuredly counter-cultural not only in this day and age but as our readings indicate, even back in the time of Christ.
Notice that I said, the vocation of disciple. The term vocation usually connotes the idea of cleric or religious, married or single. But vocation is a calling to a way of life, a life-style. And if we think about it, there are many other and differentlife-style callings like doctor, social worker, artist, or teacher. But as we can glean for our readings, discipleship like all other vocations requires a radical type of response.
Often it needs to be immediate or else it becomes like a good intention that is not acted upon. It just never happens. Elisha did not hesitate, nor did others when called like Peter, James and John who immediately left their nets. There are a couple of old adages that speak to this and may help us in our response to our call to discipleship: “He who hesitates is lost” or “Strike while the iron is hot”.
Sometimesour response to the call of discipleship requires drastic change like turning our back and walking away from career and beginning a new one. Elisha went from farmer to prophet, Francis of Assisi from aristocrat to servant. The list of those who embraced a radical life-style change to be a disciple continually grows and may even include a family member or friend.
There is one more element about the radical response to the vocation of disciple and that is there is no such thing as partial or part-time. As is the case with other vocations like cleric, spouse, or parent, there is no such thing as part-time. It is truly all in and not only when I feel like it or when I have time.Discipleship is a 24/7 commitment to strive to follow in the ways of Christ being the image of His mercy, His compassion, His forgiveness and most of all His love. This is not to say we cannot live the vocation of disciple simultaneously with another vocation. In fact, the vocation of disciple is fulfilled in living out another vocation, for it there that we make visible the mercy, the compassion, the forgiveness and the love of Christ to in world.
This is the vocation, the call of discipleship that our readings today are calling each of us to. And it is this discipleship that we are free to accept or walk away from. The question each of us must answer is: “What will myresponse be?”