FATHER RICH'S GOSPEL REFLECTION

Third Sunday of Ordinary Time

A - January 27, 2008

From Abraham to Peter, Andrew, James and John - the Scriptures are filled with God's call to men and women to further Divine Revelation.  They were called to leave their families and their land to go to another place and to another work.  They need to let go so that God could free them for mission.

There is an axiom that reads, "When we open one door, we close another."  Human wisdom has come to know that we cannot have it all.  To believe that one need not abandon some goals or objectives when a fundamental choice is taken, is to live in a world of fantasy.  The marriage formula in some religious traditions, for example, has the phrase, "forsaking all others."  The choice of this spouse precludes everyone else!

So it is when God calls us to accept Gospel values - to accept freely and with eyes wide open, the Lordship of Jesus.  There is a necessary tension between loyalty to family and to extended families and faithfulness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  At times (rarely?) the choice is stark and crystal clear.  More often, the choice is ambiguous.  Bishops' statements on all sides of wars and conflicts for the past 150 years, for example, have been contradictory one to the other!  Faithfulness to the absolute value of each and every human being is a non-negotiable Gospel teaching.  How was it possible, many Christians ask, that there are those individuals today who justify abortion or capital punishment or the collateral damage of modern day wars?  Following Christ's call is indeed costly!  Cheap discipleship is as impossible as cheap grace.

The positive response to Christ's invitation, "Come follow me," opens the door to life eternal in God's reign and participation in the Divine work of the new creation.  "Forsaking all others" is as fundamental here as it is in the marriage covenant.