THIRTEEN SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR C SCRIPTURE:1 Kings 19: 16, 19-21; Galatians 5: 1, 13-18; Luke 9: 51-62 REFLECTION: God’s Calling. Fr. Benoit Mukamba, CSSp.
Elisha received God’s calling to a prophetic mission through Prophet Elijah. He left his parents and occupations immediately. By this act Elisha shows that the prophetic call he receives is a call that requires him to distance himself from the situation and circumstances he was in before. He says goodbye to the parents to show that although he remains a family member, he realizes that his prophetic calling removes him in some way from his family so that he can care for all the families of the sons and daughters of God. He also slaughters his bull as a symbol of self-determination in his work and self-interest in order to serve the interests of all to whom he is sent as a prophet. The second lesson (Gal. 5:1; 13:18) is from the apostle Paul's epistle to the Galatians. Paul in this passage speaks of the freedom given to the sons and daughters of God. He says Christ has redeemed us so that we may be free. Paul is speaking to the Gentiles who converted to Christianity. People who were not Jews, and often in the context of that time were forced to keep the Jewish laws and traditions first in order to become full-fledged Christians. Paul was on the contrary, emphasizing that Christ had saved us from the bondage of the law and Jewish traditions; he brought us into the freedom of the children of God. Too often Paul has shown that the Torah was to prepare people to receive Christ, and again we are redeemed through Christ and not through the law. However, Paul then insists that this freedom in Christ is never an excuse for a person to do what he wants, to live as he pleases without a shred of morality. This is the freedom to live with love in Christ and the freedom that holds a Christian to walk according to the will of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Scriptures in this 13th year C of the Church invite us to reflect on our calling. Through baptism we are all called to put on Christ, to follow Him and to bear witness to Him in our lives with words but more so through our good and noble deeds. This call is not a one-time thing and it is no longer a one-day act so that once you have received it then it is complete. This call is a sustained act. Every day and every step of life we take is an invitation to renew our response to God’s calling: to gain new experiences about the Christian faith, to enter into a deeper and personal relationship with God. In this context, the calling of the Prophet Elisha and of the three young men in the Gospel helps us know the enduring demands of the call and its challenges according to the circumstances and lives we are in. The call changes lives toward Christ, the call is an invitation to distance oneself from the world and to focus on Christ without turning away. The call has its sacrifices and difficulties that require strength and courage to face them with the power of the one who calls, Jesus Christ. The call is an invitation to respond without delay. For Saint Paul, this call is also an invitation to be the best people in society: better in morality and with dignity. The Call of God to us is an invitation to became a better person, to take an action with resolve to be more and more like Christ. May God, who began this good work in us, bring it to completion in Christ Jesus Our Lord.