Monday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time, July 1, 2024

Gospel

Mt 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

Overall I had trouble understanding the meaning of this Gospel but upon reflection I landed on the following idea of what it means to follow Jesus. There were themes throughout this short passage of following Jesus. In the beginning He was surrounded by a crowd that had undoubtedly been following Him and probably were intrigued by His teachings and miracles. There was also a scribe who approached Jesus to boldly declare that he would follow Him and at the very end of the Gospel one of the disciples says "Lord, let me go first and bury my father” to which Jesus responds "Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead”. At first I thought this was quite harsh but then I considered what it means to really follow Jesus. He had just said to the scribe prior, almost warning him, of what following Him would entail…”Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head”. There is often no place for Jesus and the people who follow Him. They are considered outcasts and mistreated wherever they go. Following Jesus is not for the faint of heart and is filled with difficult challenges, trials, and unforeseen tribulations. It requires one to have faith, trust, and love for Jesus that in many circumstances will be severely tested. It makes you wonder, why then do we follow Him, and do we understand all that it entails, being a follower of Jesus Christ? Do we follow Him because we were raised to, because we think we will be rewarded, because we think it is right, because we think our lives will be better? What is your reason for following Jesus?