A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew 8:18-22
When Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other shore. A scribe approached and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” Another of his disciples said to him, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” But Jesus answered him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.”
REFLECTION: ..."the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”......“Follow me."
Jesus invites us to follow Him, but to understand that to truly follow Him we are to be aware of the personal sacrifices asked of us. When we give our hearts to Jesus, we need to realize that we have to detach from the world and its possessions that might stand in the way of Jesus, our teacher and master.
We are not all called to be missionaries in the St Junipero Serra way, but we are all called to spread the love and friendship of Jesus. St Ignatius Loyola said that those willing to sacrifice will receive 100 times as much and will inherit eternal life. And the Holy Spirit will give us the gifts needed to accomplish this.
Miguel Jose Serra was born in 1713 in Spain. He became a Franciscan at the age of 24 and was given the religious name of Junipero. He originally landed in Veracruz, Mexico and from there walked to Mexico City with no money or guide. They trusted in Divine Providence and the hospitality of local people.
He ministered to the North American Indians in California founding missions from San Diego to San Francisco. He died at the age of 70 from tuberculosis. July 1, 2019 is his feast day.
We are all asked to be missionaries. Most of us are missionaries in our own towns, schools and communities. Some lay people and priests dedicate their lives to missionary endeavors outside the comforts of the modern world. We pray that they have the patience, perseverance and the humility to sow the seeds of God in all people they encounter.
