Follow Him

Wednesday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time C-2

Entrance Antiphon Dn 3: 31, 29, 30, 43, 42 All that you have done to us, O Lord, you have done with true judgment, for we have sinned against you and not obeyed your commandments. But give glory to your name and deal with us according to the bounty of your mercy.

Collect O God, who manifest your almighty power above all by pardoning and showing mercy, bestow, we pray, your grace abundantly upon us and make those hastening to attain your promises heirs to the treasures of heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Scripture today: Nehemiah 2:1-8; Psalm 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6; Luke 9:57-62

As they were walking along the road, a man said to Jesus, I will follow you wherever you go. Jesus replied, Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. He said to another man, Follow me. But the man replied, Lord, first let me go and bury my father. Jesus said to him, Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God. Still another said, I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good‑bye to my family. Jesus replied, No‑one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:57-62)

Follow Him One of the very good advances in tertiary education of recent times is in the study of religion. In, say, the middle of the twentieth century, it was not easy in Australia (for instance) to study religion at an advanced university level. I suspect that this was because it was assumed that religion could not be regarded as an objective study in the way that philosophy could be. It was largely a matter of personal persuasion. Be that as it may, all this has changed, and one can now make a career of the study and teaching of (the phenomenon of) religion in Secondary School or University. The study of Buddhism has proliferated, for instance. But notice this – in studying Buddhism the overwhelming emphasis is on Buddhist teachings, practices and ethos. There is some study of the life and person of the Buddha (Gautama) himself, but that study can almost be seen as a little irrelevant. The main thing is Buddhism and it is this which is contemplated and researched. Mahomet is revered highly by Islam. He is deemed to be the Prophet of Allah – but again, far above in importance is the teaching of Mahomet (as contained in the Koran), for it is considered to be divinely revealed. It is this which is contemplated and studied, not the person of Mahomet as such – except as one who is the prime example of living it. Buddha did not say to his disciples, follow me wherever I go – and give up all to follow me, even to crucifixion if necessary. Learn from me and from my qualities of heart – and so forth. No, he said, contemplate and learn my teaching and it will set you on the path to life and happiness. But the case is quite different with Jesus Christ. His personal claims far transcended others who gained great followings. Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte had great numbers in their train and who engaged in their adventures, but these were in large measure corralled and put to service. Pity help them if they opted out, even though these masterful individuals did have extraordinary leadership qualities. But the point being made here is that Jesus Christ asks explicitly for a personal following of him. He himself is the burden and object of his teaching. He is not simply a great prophet who claims to have a revelation from God, a teaching which must be followed and if followed leads to life everlasting. His teaching is about himself. He must be loved and followed above all else and above all others. Christianity means loving and following him.

|This is what we are led to think of by our Gospel passage today (Luke 9: 57-62). He said to another man, Follow me. But the man replied, Lord, first let me go and bury my father. Jesus said to him, Let the dead bury their own dead. Napoleon Bonaparte, in a conversation when living out his final years on the remote island of St Helena, said that the distinctive thing about Jesus Christ was the total hold on hearts which he gained in countless cases century after century, beginning from his public ministry. There has been nothing like it in all of history, he thought, and it was beyond the power of a mere man. It was a convincing proof of his divinity. What a comment like this highlights is that the essence of Christianity is the contemplation and love and following of the person of Jesus Christ – not just his “teaching”. You will not understand Christianity if you are not very interested in the person of Jesus Christ, whereas you can understand Buddhism even if you are not interested in Gautama. You can be absolutely fascinated all your life in Aristotle’s teaching, while never having much interest in Aristotle. All this brings us to the next very important point, that the disciple of Christ (and every member of the Church should strive to be a true disciple of Christ) must daily contemplate the person of Jesus Christ. Our heart must be centered on him. Our lives must be characterized and driven by a full love for him. When Christ was asked what was the principal commandment of the divine law he said that it was to love God with all one’s mind, heart, soul and strength. This is what he expects for himself from us, and the reason is quite plain. He is no mere man – though he is man. He is God, just as much God as is the Father for he is the Father’s divine Son. But now, how are we to grow in this love for Jesus Christ, which is the essence of the Christian life? First of all, it is the work of divine grace because we are asking how we are to grow in the love of God. So we must have constant access to the grace of God, which is made available to us especially in the Sacraments. So, having received the Sacrament of Baptism (and Confirmation) we should frequent the Sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist. But then there must be an assiduous life of prayer going on – and by this I mean a daily intercourse with the person of Christ. We must not become tired of prayer, even though the nature of our prayer will change as time goes on. We must strive to live constantly in the presence of Jesus Christ as our Saviour and our God.

(E. J. Tyler)

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