Praised be Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!
“Jesus resolutely determined to
journey to Jerusalem” – one of the themes that characterized the gospel
according to St. Luke is the theme of the journey. He spoke of the life of our
Lord as one big journey to Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the favorite destination of
the Jewish pilgrimage because of the temple of the Lord built on it. Every
year, Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover and they
brought Jesus with them. But this time, the Lord resolutely went to Jerusalem
not simply to celebrate the feast. He went to Jerusalem for his own Passover:
the Son of Man was to suffer and die in Jerusalem in order to enter into his
glory. It was for this that he came down from heaven. He came to suffer and die
in order to redeem us from sins.
He was so determined to fulfill
his mission in Jerusalem that he left his own home at Nazareth. That is why he
said to the one who expressed his desire to follow him: “Foxes have dens and
the birds of the sky have nests but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
The Lord was so determined to accomplish his task in Jerusalem that when the
time for it has come, he bid his own mother goodbye. That is why to the one who
would follow him only after the death of his father, the Lord said: “Let the
dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.” And to the
one who wished to bid first his family farewell, the Lord said: “No one who
takes a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the
kingdom of God.” In other words, the Lord demands that those who wish to follow
him must give up mother, father, wife, children, and home…without counting the
cost. The Lord is not a home wrecker. Family and home are valuable to him. But
even such should not come between a disciple and his mission to proclaim the
Kingdom of God. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and
everything else will be given unto you.” The price of following the Lord is
indeed very high and the Lord made this clear to all who wish to follow him:
total detachment from everything that the world holds dear: material comforts,
possessions, and family ties.
And as the Lord resolutely
determined to journey to Jerusalem, so also those who wish to follow him must
share in this resolute determination. Hold on to the plow and do not look to
what was left behind. Do not regret what you gave up for him. Just as it is not
right to take back a gift that has already been given, so do not take back what
you have given up for the Lord. Only look forward and set your eyes upon Jesus
who waits for you at the end of the journey. Using St. Paul’s words in
yesterday’s feast: “Compete well, run the race, keep the faith.” Keep your eyes
on the prize. We do not run for a crown of leaves that wither and die. We run
for the crown of everlasting life which is definitely worth more than
everything we have given up in order to run this race. Christian life is one
Amazing Race. Let us run so as to win!
Jesus, I trust in you! O Mary
conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!
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