Ongoing mission: Following the will of God

Listening to the Spirit

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.
(Ps.16)

Listening to the Word

Luke 9:51-62

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But he turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village.

As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Reflection

“He resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem.”

The readings of today invite us to reflect on how we put our commitment to following the Will of God. The mission of God to save the people and deliver them from the bondage of sins is not an easy mission. It is an ongoing mission. Being an ongoing mission means need to be continued. The mission of God involves the people to whom the mission is intended for. The calling of Elisha to continue the work of the prophet Elijah and the calling of the disciples of Jesus is showing to us the continuation of the mission.

It is not an easy mission. In order to achieve the mission of God, a determination is needed. Jesus challenges his followers to think first before they decide to follow Him in his journey. They have to fulfill the requirement first in order to follow Him. The good example we can learn is from the first reading on how Elisha put up his mind to follow the call; ”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.”(1 King 19).

What God is calling us for? Many times we just want to answer the call of God but don’t know exactly how to do it. The second reading helps us to understand the calling of God and the way to answer it; “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.”

May the Holy Spirit help us to listen to the call of God and to answer it.