No Excuses Allowed

~~~Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time~~~

 

~~1 King of Kings 19:16b, 19-21~~Psalm 16 ~~Galatians 5:1, 13-18~~Luke 9:51-62~~

 

Why was it easier for uneducated fishermen to leave their nets behind to 'follow' Jesus?

Today we find the invitation to 'follow him' so challenging.

We, like the two people in the gospel, can find so many excuses.

 

What excuses have you given yourself for not 'following' Jesus faithfully?

 

The gospel also presents us with procrastination

 as a reason to not 'following' Jesus.

While God is certainly patient with us, when he calls

we should answer as quickly as possible.

 

What are you waiting for? What if the invitation only comes once?

Jesus is not static; he moves on.

 

I have often wondered why his apostles 'followed' him so promptly...

was it his voice, his demeanor, his eyes, the expression on his face?

 

They certainly did not 'follow him' for any of his earthly possessions...

for he did not even have a place to lay his head.

 

 

Following Jesus…

If you are following Jesus, you cannot stay in the garden praying.

You cannot retreat to the desert alone.

You cannot lock yourself away in the upper room.

You cannot become stuck in fear. You cannot live paralyzed unable to walk.

If you are following Jesus you must go all the way to the foot of the cross.

You must accept ownership of your contribution in his crucifixion.

You must take up your cross and carry it to the foot of his cross.

You must let the salvific drops of his blood splash on you.

If you are following Jesus you must get close enough

to experience his glory and his pain.

Following Jesus is not sitting at home in your comfy arm chair.

 Following Jesus means walking the dusty roads.

 Following Jesus means knowing when to kick off the dust…

...knowing when to move forward….knowing when to leave.

Following Jesus means allowing him to mold you and use you as he wills;

not as you may desire. Following Jesus means you are

 strong and convicted in your faith.

Every day you follow Jesus you open yourself up

to possibilities beyond your wildest imagination.

Following Jesus is not for wimps; it requires stamina and perseverance.

Every day you follow Jesus he showers you

with sufficient grace to make it through one more day.

Every day you follow Jesus you are abundantly blessed.

He is the way, the truth, and the life.

He leads us to green pastures.

He is the light for the path. He always shows us the way to love.

 

When you commit to 'following Jesus' your cup will be overflowing with Blessings.

What is Urgent in Your Life?

Jonah 3:1-5,10..."...Nineveh shall be destroyed..."

Psalm 25..."...Your ways, O Lord, make known to me..."

1 Cor. 7: 29-31..."...time is running out...the world in its present form is passing away."

Mark 1: 14-20... "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand.

Repent and believe in the gospel."

As I read these few words from today's readings I feel anxiety bubbling up inside. These words all seem to be laden with doom and gloom. It is only in the Psalm where I can find some comfort; asking for guidance from the wisdom of God.

The people of Nineveh were going about their normal tasks of living. They were oblivious to the impending destruction. The people of Paul's audience in Corinth were also no aware of how their world had deteriorated. In other words stop taking things for granted here in Corinth.

Jesus is baptized, driven into the desert to be tempted, John the Baptist is arrested. Jesus comes to Galilee proclaiming "...The kingdom of God is at hand...".

The timeline of our salvation was set into motion with urgency...'this is the time'...

If I don't take some kind of urgent action soon I am going to loose everything on my computer. Without boring you with the exact details I have literally used up all available space on my drive. I am in the process of making backup copies of all my files and especially my music, but it is unnerving to think if I save just one more file it could be laptop doomsday. I do feel a sense of urgency!

My favorite solution is to just buy a new computer with lots more memory...urgency dissolved. The people of Nineveh decided to fast and don sackcloth. The fishermen of Galilee left their boats and answered the call to follow Jesus.

Sometimes urgency is self inflicted by procrastinating. We have at times waited until the last minute to file our income taxes or meet some other approaching deadline. You may delay in taking care of your health until there is an urgent situation; like a heart attack or Type 2 diabetes.

No matter what our good intentions may be we are occasionally faced with something that is urgent.

"Now who is going to harm you if you are enthusiastic for what is good?" 1 Peter 3:13

These words I am afraid would not have brought comfort to the prophet Jonah. The people of Nineveh only had 40 days to get their act together and be spared from destruction. If you knew that you only had 40 days to prevent imminent disaster what would you do?

Will there always be a tomorrow?

Original photo: gold fabric, cross, crown of thorns, and candle.

I chose this photo because urgent situations come with crosses to bear as well as light for the future.

Pay attention to what might be becoming urgent in your life.