Following Jesus

(Today, I have a great video at the end of my blog by Bishop Robert Barron.  If you are among those who question legislating morality, you will definitely find his video, Our Catholic President and the Most Pressing Moral Issue of Our Time very interesting!)

Now on to my blog . . .

Imagine you are in a group of people following Jesus, and he turns to you as says, "Follow me."  What will your response be?

In the Gospel of Luke (Chapter 9:57) we read about "The Would-be Followers of Jesus."  They responded to him by saying, basically, "Wait a minute, Jesus.  Hold on.  I've got some things I need to do first."

Scripture tells us one of them wanted to first bury his father.  The other wanted to say goodbye to his family.  These things all seem natural to us.  Burying the dead was, indeed, a significant act in that culture.

But Jesus tells them, "Let the dead bury their dead."  What does he mean by that?  He's talking about the spiritually dead; those who are not following him.  They can stay back and do what they have always done.

And for further clarification, he tells them what they are supposed to do:  "You, go and proclaim the kingdom of God."

And further, "No one sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God."  Clearly, forward is the only way to go.

So again, I ask, how would you have responded?  How will you respond today when Jesus says, "Follow me"?  Are you going to put off following Jesus until some day in the future?

Boy, I'm afraid I might have been like the one that said, "Just a minute.  I need to finish this."  Jesus was trying to help them see that there is nothing more important than taking up their role as a disciple, and in their case, it was dramatic.

It might not be as dramatic for us, but following Jesus is no less important.  Today, we could look at our life and consider what needs to change to allow us to spend more time with our family.

Or, it might be making the effort to be less busy, so we have time to listen to God and sit with those around us.

Following Jesus might look like replacing the drive to satisfy our wants, with serving the needs of the poor.

It might look like talking to other people about your faith.

However it might look, we need to take the words of Jesus to heart.  Our mission is to "proclaim the kingdom of God."  We can do that with our words and with our life.

For the "would-be followers" of Jesus' time, and for us today, it means letting go of some things.  To reorient our life.  To change directions and, most importantly, to decide to follow him.

What needs to happen for you to do that today?  

While you do not need to walk away from your family (that would be reckless and negligent), you may need to re-examine your priorities so that "proclaiming the kingdom of God" is at the top of your list. 

What are you waiting for?

Janet Cassidy
#luke9
#biden
#morality

As promised . . . here is the link to Our Catholic President and the Most Pressing Moral Issue of Our Time. Click HERE.   

What does it mean for someone to impose something on someone?  Where does morality come from?  Does it come from Christian doctrine?  Be sure to check out this video!