Thirteenth Sunday Ordinary Time Cycle C
06/21/2016
June 26, 2016
Video Reflection on the Gospel
In the second reading St. Paul gives good advice to those Christians who are living in the midst of paganism. He reminds them that they do not have to listen to or follow the thoughts and ideas of the pagans. He reminds them that they were set free when they were baptized.
The same is true for us today. When we were baptized, we too were set free from the non-Christian thoughts and ways of our world today.
But how easy it is to give in to the ideas of today. The world around us teaches us that power, money, possessions etc. are the most important things and the way to true happiness.
But of course, that is not true.
If we come to believe these are not the way to eternal life then the world considers us fools.
But. like Elijah and Elisha, in the first reading, we have been called by God to make him present in the world today.
Elijah has been instructed by God to select Elisha to take his place as prophet and to make God present for others in the world at that time.
The Scripture tells us that Elisha hesitated, but then does agree to take Elijah's place as prophet and announce the word of God to others.
Today you and I have been called by God to make Him present in the world.
The Gospel verifies that we are called to follow the Lord in making Him present in the world.
In all of the situations that we will meet today, the Lord is calling us to follow Him, to make Him present in the world by acts of our patience, our mercy, our compassion, our willingness to listen, etc.
How will you respond when the Lord ask you to follow Him in that new event, encounter, or situation you will meet today?
So often we can be like the person in the gospel who says that I will follow you, Lord, but first I have to.....
It can be so difficult to, drop what we are doing, or drop our plans, when we are called to have mercy, compassion, understanding, a listening ear, putting up with someone who is difficult, etc.
In those moments we are like Elisha in the first reading or like the person in the Gospel making excuses.
Let us pray that when the Lord calls us, in whatever situation we find ourselves, to make Him present, for others, that we have the grace to do that and not to make excuses.
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