A Few Words On "The Word"

July 1, 2007
Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Luke 9:51-62

Nobody Said It Was Easy

Have you heard the saying, "The things you own, end up owning you?" Think about it for a minute. We depend on so many things as we go about our daily lives. It's hard to imagine life without cell phones, computers, TVs, or cars. When these things break down or are lost, we feel helpless and often become incapable of accomplishing our usual tasks. Instead of helping us, these things actually keep us from reaching our goals.

If this is really the case, why do we try so hard to make sure we have the latest gadgets? Do we really need all these things in order to live a successful life? The answer is no. Sometimes material goods can make life easier and, let's be honest, a lot more interesting, but in the long run we become enslaved to our consumer culture. We easily give in to the advertising that tells us we can't live without certain essential items.

In today's readings we see a couple examples of how serious God is when he calls us to follow him. In both the Old Testament reading and the Gospel, we see that God calls people to leave behind their comfortable lives and journey closer to Jesus and God's kingdom. In the gospel, Jesus even seems a little harsh in his command to, "Let the dead bury the dead."

Jesus' point isn't that we shouldn't respect the dead but that following him requires a huge commitment and means that God's kingdom must be our focus. When God calls us to follow Jesus he wants us to do so with our whole hearts. He doesn't want there to be anything that holds us back from living a life that is devoted to building his kingdom.

If we're being real, we have to realize that this requires us to change our priorities. We can no longer get by with thinking about only ourselves and our many wants and desires. We may even be required to give up some of the things we've come to take for granted, the things the world tells us we can't live without. Though we may not have to give up all of our possessions, we nonetheless cannot let the many objects in our lives get in the way of our goal. We must strive to overcome our own trivial desires and live a new life that joins with those around us in bringing peace to the world.

Reflection Question

What have you given up that keeps you from fully being the peacebuilder God calls you to be?

Join us in our Forum to discuss these questions!