Gospel: Luke 9:57-62

 

In today's Gospel the long and hard journey of Jesus continues from the periphery of Galilee toward the capital city. Leaving Galilee, Jesus enters in Samaria and continues toward Jerusalem. Here also, in Samaria there are three persons who present themselves or who are called. In the responses of Jesus there are the requirements in order to be able to be his disciples.

 

To the first person who wants to be his disciple, Jesus asks him to divest himself of everything: he has nowhere to lay his head; much less should he seek a false security where to lay the thoughts of his head.

 

To the second person called by Jesus to follow Him, he asks him to leave the dead bury the dead: leave aside the things of the past. Do not lose time and look ahead. After having discovered the new life in Jesus, the disciple should not lose time with what has happened.

 

To the third person called to be a disciple, Jesus asks to break the family bonds of union. Jesus is more demanding than the Prophet Elijah who allowed Elisha to greet and take leave from his parents.

 

In reality, nobody, even wishing it, can break neither the family bonds, nor break away from things lived in the past. What is asked is to know how to re-integrate everything (material goods, personal life and family life) in a new way around the new axis which is Jesus and the Good News of God which he has brought to us.