20220626 SEEKING TRUE FREEDOM IN CHRIST THROUGH OBEDIENCE
26 June, 2022, Sunday, 13th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
1 Kings 19:16,19-21 © |
Elisha leaves the plough to follow Elijah
The Lord said to Elijah, ‘Go, you are to anoint Elisha son of Shaphat, of Abel Meholah, as prophet to succeed you.’
Leaving there, Elijah came on Elisha son of Shaphat as he was ploughing behind twelve yoke of oxen, he himself being with the twelfth. Elijah passed near to him and threw his cloak over him. Elisha left his oxen and ran after Elijah. ‘Let me kiss my father and mother, then I will follow you’ he said. Elijah answered, ‘Go, go back; for have I done anything to you?’ Elisha turned away, took the pair of oxen and slaughtered them. He used the plough for cooking the oxen, then gave to his men, who ate. He then rose, and followed Elijah and became his servant.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 15(16):1-2,5,7-11 © |
O Lord, it is you who are my portion.
Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you.
I say to the Lord: ‘You are my God.
O Lord, it is you who are my portion and cup;
it is you yourself who are my prize.’
O Lord, it is you who are my portion.
I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel,
who even at night directs my heart.
I keep the Lord ever in my sight:
since he is at my right hand, I shall stand firm.
O Lord, it is you who are my portion.
And so my heart rejoices, my soul is glad;
even my body shall rest in safety.
For you will not leave my soul among the dead,
nor let your beloved know decay.
O Lord, it is you who are my portion.
You will show me the path of life,
the fullness of joy in your presence,
at your right hand happiness for ever.
O Lord, it is you who are my portion.
Second reading |
Galatians 5:1,13-18 © |
When Christ freed us, he meant us to remain free
When Christ freed us, he meant us to remain free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. My brothers, you were called, as you know, to liberty; but be careful, or this liberty will provide an opening for self-indulgence. Serve one another, rather, in works of love, since the whole of the Law is summarised in a single command: Love your neighbour as yourself. If you go snapping at each other and tearing each other to pieces, you had better watch or you will destroy the whole community.
Let me put it like this: if you are guided by the Spirit you will be in no danger of yielding to self-indulgence, since self-indulgence is the opposite of the Spirit, the Spirit is totally against such a thing, and it is precisely because the two are so opposed that you do not always carry out your good intentions. If you are led by the Spirit, no law can touch you.
Gospel Acclamation | 1S3:9,Jn6:68 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Speak, Lord, your servant is listening:
you have the message of eternal life.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 9:51-62 © |
Jesus sets out for Jerusalem
As the time drew near for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely took the road for Jerusalem and sent messengers ahead of him. These set out, and they went into a Samaritan village to make preparations for him, but the people would not receive him because he was making for Jerusalem. Seeing this, the disciples James and John said, ‘Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to burn them up?’ But he turned and rebuked them, and they went off to another village.
As they travelled along they met a man on the road who said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus answered, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’
Another to whom he said, ‘Follow me’, replied, ‘Let me go and bury my father first.’ But he answered, ‘Leave the dead to bury their dead; your duty is to go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.’
Another said, ‘I will follow you, sir, but first let me go and say goodbye to my people at home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’
SEEKING TRUE FREEDOM IN CHRIST THROUGH OBEDIENCE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 KGS 19:16, 19-21; GAL 5:1, 13-18; LK 9:51-62]
Freedom is essential to every man. St Paul says, “my brothers, you were called, as you know, to liberty.” Since man is created in the image of God, man seeks to be free. Without freedom, man cannot find happiness.
This is where the confusion lies. Man wants freedom without God. He wants to cut himself off from God who gives him the freedom. He fails to realize that his freedom is dependent on the freedom of God. This was the nature of the temptation of Adam and Eve and therefore of every man. Today, man wants to usurp the place of God by claiming absolute freedom to do whatever he wants, so long as he is capable of doing it.
The irony is that when man seeks to be free from the very ground of his freedom, he makes himself a slave. He becomes his own idol and his own god. He lives in a mirage, thinking that everything must serve him. In giving in to his passions and desires, he is trapped by his attachments to all that is worldly, sensual and even sinful. Yes, St Paul warns us “be careful, or this liberty will provide an opening for self-indulgence.” This is because when freedom is abused, then licentiousness rules the person.
Yet as St Paul says, true freedom and love of self is manifested in the love of neighbour. Indeed, St Paul instructs us that true liberty springs from the commandment of mutual love. It is the fruit of a vital source, the Spirit of love, and it leads to life. For this reason, he urges us, “serve one another, rather, in works of love… If you go snapping at each other and tearing each other to pieces, you had better watch, or you will destroy the whole community.”
In other words, one is free when one loves the other as much as one loves oneself. We know that we are capable of love when we love others as much as we love ourselves. Consequently, true freedom is never freedom for oneself but freedom for others
Jesus’ freedom was founded in total submission and dedication to the Father’s will. Jesus could have given up His mission, or He could have taken the easy way of fulfilling His mission. For Jesus, true freedom was to be free for His Father, to be one with His Father in His will and plan. Jesus found true liberty by giving Himself totally to the Father’s divine plan for humanity, regardless how incomprehensible the ways of God were and how difficult the path that had to be taken.
This dedication of Jesus to the Father is concretely manifested in his obedience to his Father’s will. Before Pilate, he surrendered His freedom on the cross. Because Jesus had surrendered all powers to God on the cross, the Father raised Him from the dead. Obedience is therefore the key to freedom.
Consequently, if we want to find true freedom today, we need to found our freedom in Christ. This is what the gospel is telling us. Jesus makes it clear that His disciples must follow Him wholeheartedly.
For Jesus, discipleship calls for a total response. There is no turning back and the decision is immediate and decisive. This is because Christian discipleship means making Jesus as our only Lord and master. This explains why the call of Jesus to the three men who wanted to follow Him sounds rather harsh. Personal comforts, family responsibility and friendships are important but must be seen in the context of the kingdom. Everything must be subordinated to the mission and the kingdom. Jesus requires the same surrender as He made to the Father, for it is only when we surrender everything that we can be focused. In the words of Jesus, “Once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” Loyalty to Jesus demands sacrifice, especially the sacrifice of one’s own will for the will of God.
Obedience and surrender presuppose love. Without a deep love for the Lord and an experience of His love for us, we cannot give our lives in obedience. By grace we are loved unconditionally. Flowing from the love of Christ is the call to love others with the same love we have received. But as the responsorial psalm says, is He our portion and our inheritance? If the Lord is truly our joy, our portion, our cup and our life, then everything else becomes secondary. The love of the Lord is greater than anything else. When we love Jesus, we will do anything for Him. When we accept Jesus as Lord, we will do everything for Him. We would want to follow Him to Jerusalem. We will put aside everything that might keep us from doing His will. But the joy comes not primarily from doing things for Him but from the joy that we receive from Him.
Necessarily, obedience entails that we have received His Holy Spirit and allow ourselves to be guided by His Spirit. St Paul says, “If you are guided by the Spirit you will be in no danger of yielding to self-indulgence, since self-indulgence is the opposite of the Spirit, the Spirit is totally against such a thing, and it is precisely because the two are so opposed that you do not always carry out your good intentions. If you are led by the Spirit no law can touch you.”
Indeed, the Lord forbids us to use force and violence. Love remains an invitation and the freedom to respond is left to us. When the disciples attempted to use force on those who did not welcome them, Jesus resisted such temptation. Instead like God, He called for patience and love. When the Lord calls us to follow Him, He gives us the grace to surrender everything to Him.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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