THIRTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR C.
26th June 2022
1 Kings 19:16,19-21; Galatians 5:1,13-18; Luke 9:51-62.
Today the church invites us to journey with Jesus on the road to Jerusalem. This journey is necessary because of its connection with our redemption. Jesus experienced his passion, death, resurrection and ascension in Jerusalem. In today’s gospel he was turned down by the Samaritans who did not share his views about Jerusalem. As he travelled along, people made excuses and delays in joining him on his journey. The excuses and delays ranged from wanting to ‘first bury the dead’ to ‘saying goodbye to relatives and friends’. Are we going to make excuses or do we need more clarifications on this journey?
The journey to Jerusalem is a journey of liberation. Jesus described his situation thus; ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’ Jesus is telling us of the need to clear our minds of prejudices and detach ourselves from unnecessary attachment in order to benefit from this transforming journey. The significance of Jerusalem is that of a place where sorrow is transformed to joy, death is transformed to life; pain is transformed to enjoyment.
This journey is not making a new demand of us. It is living the ordinary life in an extra ordinary way. Extra ordinary life means journeying with Jesus. This is the only way to recapture the freedom that St. Paul emphasised to the Galatians in the second reading. According to Paul: When Christ freed us, he meant us to remain free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. We will be free if only we journey with Jesus through life. Contrary to popular opinion that it is an extra burden, being with Jesus always is the best from of freedom. Jesus said: shoulder my yoke and learn from me. My yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Fr Anthony Ekpunobi, CM.
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR C
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