\u00c2\u00a0 July 1, 2007<\/p>\n
13th Sunday of Ordinary Time<\/p>\n
1 Kgs 19: 16b, 19-21; Gal 5: 1, 13-18; Luke 9: 51-62<\/p>\n
Dc. Larry Brockman<\/p>\n
“Follow Me”.\u00c2\u00a0 Twice in today’s readings we heard that command.\u00c2\u00a0 If each of you are honest with yourselves, then you will have to admit that you have heard that same command during your lives.\u00c2\u00a0 Deep down, you have heard a call, an urge to follow the Lord.\u00c2\u00a0 And, as both examples show, that entails giving something up.\u00c2\u00a0 At first glance, it seems that “following me” means giving up your freedom.\u00c2\u00a0 Elisha gives up his profession and his relationship with his family, to follow Elijah.\u00c2\u00a0 The people that talked to Jesus were told the same thing.\u00c2\u00a0 They were even told that to follow Jesus, they must give up their homes, and not look back.\u00c2\u00a0 Is it really that hard to follow Jesus?\u00c2\u00a0 Giving up your livelihood?\u00c2\u00a0 Giving up your family?\u00c2\u00a0 Well, scripture scholars tell us that many times the stories in the Bible are presented as extremes.\u00c2\u00a0 This is done to make a point.\u00c2\u00a0 The two stories make this point very clearly- yes, to follow the Lord you will have to give something up.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
What the scriptures are really telling us is that to follow the Lord we need to do three things.\u00c2\u00a0 First, we need to look forward, not back.\u00c2\u00a0 Looking back saps your strength; makes you a slave to your old burdens; and diverts you from your new course.\u00c2\u00a0 Rather, you should concentrate on what’s ahead whatever you feel you were called to do or to be.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s not that you forget the past; because the past has defined you; has served as your time in the crucible to learn and to experience life.\u00c2\u00a0 But rather, that you should not let the past consume you.\u00c2\u00a0 The future is the only place where “it’s at”.\u00c2\u00a0 Recently I saw the old film “Sunset Boulevard”\u00c2\u00a0 It was all about a woman who couldn’t, wouldn’t, and didn’t get out of the past.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Second, you need to trust.\u00c2\u00a0 In both of the scripture stories we heard it was clear that neither Elisha nor Jesus knew the details of what was ahead.\u00c2\u00a0 They just trusted that God would prevail and would provide.\u00c2\u00a0 Funny, because that’s another process of letting go, isn’t it.\u00c2\u00a0 Year’s ago, my wife and I went to Ireland for a vacation.\u00c2\u00a0 I always plan my trips- down to the very last detail.\u00c2\u00a0 But, I had been told that Bed and Breakfasts were the way to go.\u00c2\u00a0 I was told not to book ahead, but just drive down the road, and stop at a B&B when the day was done.\u00c2\u00a0 How difficult that was for me.\u00c2\u00a0 But, it was wonderful.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s that kind of trust I am talking about.\u00c2\u00a0 Trust that God will provide when the need arises.\u00c2\u00a0 You have to be aware of your needs as you go along; but don’t let them consume you either.\u00c2\u00a0 Trust that God will be there, but in His way, not yours.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Third, you do have to give up what seems like your freedom and when you give it up, it is then that you are truly set free.\u00c2\u00a0 That’s what Paul’s message to the Galatians was all about.\u00c2\u00a0 To some of the Galatians, freedom from the law meant just that- freedom to do anything that the flesh desired.\u00c2\u00a0 Paul defined this type of freedom as “the yoke of slavery”.\u00c2\u00a0 Indeed, this type of self-consuming freedom is really a burden.\u00c2\u00a0 When you only think of yourself, and that is what consumes you, then you are a slave to yourself, and not truly free.\u00c2\u00a0 So, the Galatians were looking for the law- what was the line which they must not step over.\u00c2\u00a0 Paul was telling them that as Christians, they were free from the law.\u00c2\u00a0 Rather than the law, love must be their guide.\u00c2\u00a0 Love is the greatest commandment of all.\u00c2\u00a0 Love sets us all free. \u00c2\u00a0Love does not define a black and white line.\u00c2\u00a0 That would be too easy.\u00c2\u00a0 If you resolve to follow the Lord, the Spirit will inspire you to Love as you go along.\u00c2\u00a0 The rest is up to you when you trust that God will be there for you.\u00c2\u00a0 Then just always show your love wherever and whenever you are put to the test because it is then that you are following Him and He is right there with you.\u00c2\u00a0 Always.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00c2\u00a0 July 1, 2007 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time 1 Kgs 19: 16b, 19-21; Gal 5: 1, 13-18; Luke 9: 51-62 Dc. Larry Brockman “Follow Me”.\u00c2\u00a0 Twice in today’s readings we heard that command.\u00c2\u00a0 If each of you are honest with yourselves, then you will have to admit that you have heard that same command […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}