June 30, 2013

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Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 
Lectionary: 99

Reading 11 KGS 19:16B, 19-21

The LORD said to Elijah:

“You shall anoint Elisha, son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah,

as prophet to succeed you.”

Elijah set out and came upon Elisha, son of Shaphat,

as he was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen;

he was following the twelfth.

Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak over him.

Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said,

“Please, let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,

and I will follow you.”

Elijah answered, “Go back!

Have I done anything to you?”

Elisha left him, and taking the yoke of oxen, slaughtered them;

he used the plowing equipment for fuel to boil their flesh,

and gave it to his people to eat.

Then Elisha left and followed Elijah as his attendant.

When we read this passage, it takes us, perhaps, one minute to read.  So, unless we think about it, we don't realize that this passage encapsulates a very large amount of time.

Have you ever started a camp fire?  Have you ever chopped wood?  If you have, you know that it would take hours to chop the plowing equipment into manageable pieces  to start a fire.  

Have you ever cooked over a camp fire?  if you have, you know that it takes a great deal of time to get the fire hot enough to cook.  Have you ever slaughtered an animal?  If you have, you know that it takes hours to prepare even a small animal for cooking.  Not to mention an entire team of oxen which were being used to plow a field.  And after all is said and done, how long does it take to make raw meat kosher (remove all its blood) and then to cook raw meat until it is edible?  We haven't even addressed the pots and pans yet.  How big would they need to be in order to cook this much meat?  And how long would they take to consume?  The reading gives the impression that Elisha just up and followed Elijah.  But in my opinion, this could not have taken less than one week to accomplish. 

Responsorial PsalmPS 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11

R. (cf. 5a) You are my inheritance, O Lord.
Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;
I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you.
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.”
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
I bless the LORD who counsels me;
even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence
because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.

We frequently speak of the gift of God.  We rarely stop to think that the gift of God to us is Himself.  God gives us Himself.  That is His gift.  He gives Himself entirely to us.

Reading 2GAL 5:1, 13-18

Brothers and sisters:
For freedom Christ set us free;
so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.

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.
For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement,
namely, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
But if you go on biting and devouring one another,
beware that you are not consumed by one another.

I say, then: live by the Spirit
and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh. 
For the flesh has desires against the Spirit,
and the Spirit against the flesh;
these are opposed to each other,
so that you may not do what you want.
But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

This is an excellent example of the doctrine of free will.  St. Paul is exhorting us to exercise our free will and obey God.  God has saved us for Himself.  Therefore, we should obey His Spirit. 

GospelLK 9:51-62

When the days for Jesus’ being taken up were fulfilled,

he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem,

and he sent messengers ahead of him.

On the way they entered a Samaritan village

to prepare for his reception there,

but they would not welcome him

because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.

This speaks volumes about sinful and prideful human nature.  The Samaritans rejected the Christ of God whom they acknowledged (John 4:42) because His destination was Jerusalem.  It makes no sense.

When the disciples James and John saw this they asked,

“Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven

to consume them?”

Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village.

The sons of Thunder were not happy that the Samaritans rejected their Saviour.  But Jesus rebuked them for their attitude.

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.”

Soneone wanted to follow Jesus and Jesus gave him fair warning, that following Him is not for the weak of heart.

And to another he said, “Follow me.”

But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.”

In my opinion, his father is not dead, but alive.  He is asking permission to take care of his father until he dies and then he will join Jesus.

But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead.

But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

But Jesus told him that God comes first and not to worry about his father.  I think this correlates to the verse which says:

Matthew 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 

And another said, “I will follow you, Lord,

but first let me say farewell to my family at home.”

To him Jesus said, “No one who sets a hand to the plow

and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.”

This is a spiritual teaching.  Many times when we turn to God we begin to miss those things which we loved before but which we left behind.  But this is when we fall away.  Therefore, Jesus is saying that once we turn to God, we must not look back but continue on the path of righteousness.