Elisha left him and, taking the yoke of oxen, slaughtered them; he used the plowing equipment for fuel to boil their flesh, and gave it to the people to eat. Then he left and followed Elijah as his attendant. – 1 Kings 19:21

       When I gave my life to the Lord as a young teenager, one of the life-changing things I did was to burn my diaries and love letters that I had carefully filed and kept even after the infatuation faded. It was hard for me to toss my precious memories into the fire but it was my way of telling the Lord that I was done with my old life. That set me free to pursue Him with nothing to hold me back.

       Throughout my walk with the Lord, I’d have informal rites of passage where I’d surrender to Him something precious to me in exchange for something precious to Him. Through all these exercises, I’ve learned that my best never comes close to God’s best for me. He never fails to outdo my offering.

       When Elijah anointed Elisha as his successor, the latter’s response was all out. He was a farmer but he not only burnt his plowing equipment but even roasted his oxen over them! It was the prophet’s life or bust for Elijah. There was no turning back to his old life. And his unconditional surrender made him a wonderworking prophet like no other. Rissa Singson Kawpeng (justbreatherissa@gmail.com)

Reflection: Don’t be afraid to burn your bridges. What you leave behind pales in comparison to what lies ahead of you.

Jesus, I give You my all. And I’m excited to see what You’ll do with it!

Elijah anoints Elisha and turns over his ministry by placing a cloak over him as a sign of blessing. Elisha slaughters the oxen as a sign of his total commitment to his new way of life as a prophet. Are we as committed as Elisha to embrace God’s call to us?

1 Kings 19:16, 19-21

16 The Lord said to Elijah: “You shall anoint Elisha, son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah, as prophet to succeed you. 19 Elijah set out, and came upon Elisha, son of Shaphat, as he was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen; he was following the twelfth. Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak over him. 20 Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, “Please, let me kiss my father and mother good-bye, and I will follow you.” Elijah answered, “Go back! Have I done anything to you?” 21 Elisha left him and, taking the yoke of oxen, slaughtered them; he used the plowing equipment for fuel to boil their flesh, and gave it to his people to eat. Then Elisha left and followed Elijah as his attendant.

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

R: You are my inheritance, O Lord.

1 Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge; 2 I say to the Lord, “My Lord are you. 5 O Lord, my allotted portion and my cup, you it is who hold fast my lot.” (R) 7 I bless the Lord who counsels me; even in the night my heart exhorts me. 8 I set the Lord ever before me; with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. (R) 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices, my body, too, abides in confidence; 10because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld, nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption. (R) 11 You will show me the path to life, fullness of joys in your presence, the delights at your right hand forever. (R)

We must use our freedom to love one another and to do whatever love demands of us. It is not easy to love because it is always focused on the needs of others and not on our own. How often have you put others first?

Galatians 5:1, 13-18

1 Brothers and sisters: For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. 13 For you were called for freedom, brothers and sisters. But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love. 14 For2 the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, namely, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 15 But if you go on biting and devouring one another, beware that you are not consumed by one another. 16 I say, then: live by the Spirit and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh has desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you may not do what you want. 18 But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

This is the turning point in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus sets His mind on what lies ahead of Him in Jerusalem. He knows that He will suffer there. How do you respond to the knowledge of inevitable suffering? Jesus embraces the fullness of the reality of suffering as He turns to Jerusalem. Let us have this steadfastness of Jesus in the face of our own difficulties.

Speak, Lord, your servant is listening; you have the words of everlasting life.

51 When the days for Jesus’ being taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, 52 and he sent messengers ahead of him. On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, 53 but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” 55 Jesus turned and rebuked them, 56and they journeyed to another village. 57 As they were proceeding on their journey someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” 59 And to another he said, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” 60 But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 And another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home.” 62 To him Jesus said, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.”

think: Let us pray to have the steadfastness of Jesus in the face of our own difficulties.

Thank You Lord for: __________________

RESOLUTELY DETERMINED

As we journey through the liturgical year, we arrive at a crucial crossroads. We are told in today’s Gospel that Jesus is “resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem.” Practically the entire Gospel of Luke is depicted, even structured, as a journey towards the Holy City of His destiny. And here now is the decisive turning point.

       For one thing, we see Jesus’ resoluteness. It’s as though nothing can stop Him in His determination — not even the unhospitable Samaritans who would not let Him pass through their town. No passage? No problem,  Jesus would say. He need not and will not waste His time with such matters, unlike what James and John would rather do.

       Now, of course, the courage and radicality of Jesus did attract some followers who were willing to take up the challenge. But wait, Jesus first lays down His terms, lest they be deluded or entertain illusions. For Him, it is better to be clear about the cost of discipleship right from the start. It’s an all-or-nothing or a make-or-break decision.

    Such was Elisha’s stance when he readily burnt all his farming implements, as our First Reading illustrated, as his sacrifice to follow after Elijah. That’s also why, in the nothingness of our giving up everything, we proclaim the truth in the Responsorial Psalm: “You are my inheritance, O Lord.”

       So, to those disciple-wannabes of Jesus, better heed the warning. But it isn’t only for wannabes. Every follower or disciple of our Lord Jesus — every Christian, for that matter — ought to continually renew his or her commitment to the sequela Christi (Latin for following of Christ). It is a discipleship carried out with no pretensions or illusions, with a no-nonsense commitment, with eyes wide open, “resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem.” Fr. Martin Macasaet, SDB

REFLECTION QUESTION: How serious are you in following our Lord Jesus Christ?

Strengthen me in my resolve to follow You, O Lord. Amen.