"Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head."

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊  

1 Kings 19:16b, 19-21

And Elisha, son of Shaphat,

From Abel Meholah, you shall anoint as pro­phet in your place.   So Elijah left. He found Elisha, son of Shaphat, who was plowing a field of twelve acres and was at the end of the twelfth acre. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak over him.   Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah and said, “Let me say goodbye to my father and mother; then I will follow you.” Elijah said to him, “Return if you want, don’t worry about what I did.”  

However, Elisha turned back, took the yoke of oxen and slew them. He roasted their meat on the pieces of the yoke and gave it to his people who ate of it. After this, he followed Elijah and began ministering to him.

 

Ps 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11

You are my inheritance, O Lord,

 

  ＊＊＊ 2nd Reading ＊＊＊

Galatians 5:13-18

Christ freed us to make us really free. So remain firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.  You, brothers and sisters, were called to enjoy freedom; I am not speak­ing of that freedom which gives free rein to the desires of the flesh, but of that which makes you slaves of one another through love.  For the whole Law is summed up in this sentence: You shall love your neigh­bor as yourself.  But if you bite and tear each other to pieces, be careful lest you all perish.

 Therefore I say to you: walk according to the Spirit and do not give way to the desires of the flesh!   For the desires of the flesh war against the spirit, and the desires of the spirit are opposed to the flesh. Both are in conflict with each other, so that you cannot do everything you would like.   But when you are led by the Spirit you are not under the Law.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊     

Luke 9:51-62

 As the time drew near when Jesus would be taken up to heaven, he made up his mind to go to Jerusalem.   He had sent ahead of him some messengers who entered a Samaritan village to prepare a lodging for him.   But the people would not receive him because he was on his way to Jerusalem.  Seeing this, James and John, his disciples said, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to reduce them to ashes?”   Jesus turned and rebuked them,  and they went on to another village.

  As they went on their way, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”   Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

 To another Jesus said, “Follow me.” But he answered, “Let me go back now, for first I want to bury my father.”   And Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their dead; as for you, leave them and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

Another said to him, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say goodbye to my family.”   And Jesus said to him, “Whoever has put his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God.”

  Gospel Reflection：

Following Christ

Read:

Elisha leaves aside his yoke and oxen, and follows Elijah. Paul invites us to drop the yoke of hatred and walk in the freedom of the Spirit. Jesus rebukes the disciples for their spirit of vengefulness, and expresses urgency in calling people to follow him.

Reflect:

The “sons of thunder” truly lived up to their billing: for people’s inhospitality, they wanted to burn up the village! Some early versions of the gospel have an addition, telling us how Jesus rebuked: “You do not know what sort of spirit you are of. For the Son of man has not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them” (v. 55b-56a).

Jesus’ frustration is understandable: None of the disciples seemed “to get” his gospel. Mark 9 is full of events of Jesus’ mercy and compassion; but the disciples were busy fighting as to who was the greatest among them, and forbidding someone from healing in Jesus’ name simply because he wasn’t “authorized”.

Clearly they were ruled by a spirit of narcissism, jealousy, and vengeance. The Spirit of Jesus was all about self-gift, inclusiveness, and forgiveness. When will they-we-get the message?

Pray:

“Lord, give us your Spirit of self-donation, compassion, and inclusive love.’

Act:

Examine your heart as to what delays your total embrace of Christ’s Spirit.