Homily —13^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

—Fr. Timothy W. Castor

The theme of today’s readings couldn’t be clearer: it is the theme of following Christ; of being his disciples. The first reading, from the Old Testament, introduces this theme as it relates the story of how the Lord sends the prophet Elijah to anoint Elisha to be his disciple and successor. What happens between the prophet and his protégé is echoed in the Gospel with one significant difference: once they are rebuffed by the Lord, his would-be disciples make no further attempt to follow Jesus. It would seem they didn’t know their Bible very well because, unlike Elisha (whose example they should have followed), they just plain give up. At the beginning they were eager, but when they heard what was really involved in being a disciple of Jesus—apparently, they decide it’s more than they can handle and they turn away.

You and I, on the other hand, we’re different. We’ve heard the call of Jesus and we’re ready to follow. We’re not like those would-be disciples who turn and run when things seem a little difficult, and we’re certainly not like the Samaritans in today’s Gospel who won’t even receive Jesus into their lives.

Or … are we? Maybe those folks knew something we don’t. Maybe we should examine our hearts and see where we really stand on this issue of being Christ’s disciples.

You see, lots of people are eager to follow Jesus. They’re eager to receive his blessings and consolations; they’re ready to join him in the joy of his resurrection and reign with him in heaven. In fact, in the first verse of today’s Gospel, "When the days for Jesus’ being taken up were fulfilled," the Greek word translated "taken up"—analepsis—was used by St Luke in the Book of Acts to refer to the Ascension. Well, that’s a journey we all want to take with Jesus—straight up to heaven! But it’s easy to forget that, on the way to glory, our blessed Lord had to make a most necessary stop … a stop each of his followers is required to make as well. What does the rest of that first verse say? "When the days for Jesus’ being taken up were fulfilled, He resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem." And what happened in Jerusalem? [point to the crucifix] That’s right: the Cross.

The bottom line is this: There’s no getting to heaven without first embracing the Cross. Many of you have seen the film, The Passion of the Christ. There is a beautiful scene where Jesus receives his Cross after being condemned to death. He falls to his knees and throws his arms around the Cross. One of the criminals who will be crucified with Jesus is standing nearby watching Our Lord with a look of contempt on his face. To him, it probably appears as if Jesus is merely trying to support his weak and wounded body; and yet, in derision, he calls out to Jesus, "You fool! Why do you embrace your cross?" Our Lord’s only response is to cling to the Cross with even greater love and devotion. You see, our Divine Savior did not just endure the Cross, he embraced the Cross; and not merely with resignation, but with joy. Oh yes, in his sacred Humanity there was anxiety, perhaps even fear (we see that clearly in Garden of Gethsemane). But that in itself should be a source of encouragement for us, because it was our human nature he shared. He went before us, and gives us the grace to follow in his steps.

Now, some of your might be saying, "Yes, Father, I know what you mean: I have many crosses to bear." And you’re thinking of the illnesses and ailments you suffer, your difficulties at work or school, the financial hardships you might be experiencing. These are the kinds of things we tend to think of when we talk about "our crosses" and certainly they are a sharing in the Cross of Jesus. But I would invite you to go deeper and to consider that the Cross is something far more basic, far more all-encompassing than the various trials and tribulations that come our way.

What did the Cross mean to Jesus? Was it just a painful experience he had to get through? A momentary trial he had to endure? No. The Cross is the whole purpose of Christ’s existence. The reason he came to earth was to suffer and die on the Cross for our salvation, then to rise again, opening heaven for his faithful followers. That’s why he embraced the Cross—because when he was given his own instrument of execution, he knew that he had attained the very fulfillment of his existence as a man.

So for us, the Cross must be everything, the essence of our Christian life, that which motivates and directs us. It is embodied in the very real—and sometimes painful—demands of the Gospel. Demands like the one we heard in today’s second reading: "Serve one another through love … You shall love your neighbor as yourself." What could be more basic to our Christian calling than this? And yet, what could be more difficult when we seek to live it.

Love is what motivated our Lord in his journey to Jerusalem; love is what held him bound to the Cross. This is the kind of love to which you and I are called: a sacrificial, self-giving love; a love which thinks nothing of oneself but only of others. It is not just a pleasant, get-along-with-others kind of love. Notice St Paul doesn’t say, "Be nice to one another." No. He says, "serve one another through love." Give of yourselves as Christ gave himself.

My dear brothers and sisters, this is the Cross we are called to embrace as we follow the Lord. Although it may seem painful at first, it will become the very source of our joy. And if we faithfully carry this Cross on the journey to our heavenly homeland, we will be able to say with David, in the words of the responsorial Psalm:

You are my inheritance, O Lord.
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.

© 2004, The Rev. Timothy W. Castor

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