13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Gospel according to Luke 9: 51-62 unfolds two types of responses on the actions of Jesus in two different situations.

On the first situation, Jesus sent messengers ahead of Him in their journey to Jerusalem. As they entered a Samaritan village, people there would not welcome Him. Here we could find the first action of Jesus i.e., to go to Jerusalem. We could also find two responses i.e., one which is welcoming and two which is non-welcoming. In this situation, we are reminded that there are always two kinds of people that we are going to face in the ministry. There are always and there will always be people who are unwelcoming as there are those who welcome us. Nevertheless, we must not give much attention whether people welcome us or not. What is most important is that we fulfill our mission regardless of the reactions of the people. Just like what Jesus did, He journeyed with His disciples to another village, so must we. Now, as Jesus continued His journey to Jerusalem, surprisingly there was one who wanted to follow Him wherever He would go. This reminds us that even among those who are unwelcoming, time will come that some of them realize to welcome whom they have not welcomed. In short, Jesus was right in not condemning those unwelcoming people as there  are chances that some would change their mind to do the right thing.

On the second situation, Jesus made an invitation saying, "Follow me." Here we could find the action of Jesus i.e., He invited someone to follow Him. We could also find two responses i.e., a response from one who does not expressly accept the invitation of Jesus and from the other who declares his intention to accept the invitation of Jesus. But for both, Jesus wanted their categorical response. Jesus wanted from anyone He called to follow Him his unconditional willingness to obey Him without mental reservation. This reminds us that in serving God in the Church, we make our ministry our priority. We may have some excuses or alibis to delay or postpone our service to God, but for Jesus it must be in all ways for God and always for God. We too are called to do the same. Amen.