THE SON OF MAN HAS NOWHERE TO REST HIS HEAD

Luke 9:51-62

It is not easy to be Christian. Sometimes our beliefs are not wanted by others; sometimes it might be easier to relax at home than to go to church. It might feel better to buy that more expensive home than to provide for the homeless. This is what comes out in the gospel today. Three people want to follow Jesus. To the first one Jesus gives a simple answer: think twice because the son of man has nowhere to rest his head. He has no social security if you want to follow him then decide if you are ready to leave everything.

To the other who says he will follow after attending to the burial of his father, Jesus says: “Let the dead bury their dead.” It is because this burial connotes a postponement of service to Jesus until such time that his old father dies. Obligation to parents is laudable and must be appreciated but this comes secondary to proclaiming the Kingdom of God. The third man asks Jesus to say good-bye first to His family, Jesus told him not to look back.

Reflecting on this passage I read somewhere that when St. Augustine was still a pagan, he used to pray: “Lord, make me a saint but not yet.” Or as a little boy he prayed: “Lord, make me a good boy but do not hurry; I am having a good enough time the way I am.” Well, in trying to convince ourselves to become a better one is a hard thing to do; and to follow the Lord in His footstep is a little harder.

Jesus tells us today that if you want to follow me, follow without reservation. I want your total commitment. I want your total sacrifice. Jesus speaks in hyperbolic tone to emphasize this hard way of discipleship which is a total dedication and commitment to the will of God. I see it more of an encouragement for us than a remark. He is making us aware of things that can prevent us to fully commit ourselves to him: social security, physical stability, financial issues, health … and he encourages us to totally commit ourselves to him.

We may rationalize that we are too young to be serious about Christian life. We may say: “I must take care first of my career, my job, my family and my dreams. When I will become old and have nothing worthwhile to do, then I will follow and serve Christ.” It does happen that we spend the best years of our life serving our own ambitions and only later, when we are old and feeble that we want to be of service to the Lord. What if we miss that chance to come back?

We are on the journey toward heaven. Each day we will encounter valid responsibilities with family work, with leisure and societal pleasures. But Jesus encourages us that God has provided for our needs; and this is if and only if we surrender to do his will. Let us focus on our eternal destination.