Memorial of Saint Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Reading 1: Job 9:1-12, 14-16
Job answered his friends and said:
I know well that it is so;
but how can a man be justified before God?
Should one wish to contend with him,
he could not answer him once in a thousand times.
God is wise in heart and mighty in strength;
who has withstood him and remained unscathed?
He removes the mountains before they know it;
he overturns them in his anger.
He shakes the earth out of its place,
and the pillars beneath it tremble.
He commands the sun, and it rises not;
he seals up the stars.
He alone stretches out the heavens
and treads upon the crests of the sea.
He made the Bear and Orion,
the Pleiades and the constellations of the south;
He does great things past finding out,
marvelous things beyond reckoning.
Should he come near me, I see him not;
should he pass by, I am not aware of him;
Should he seize me forcibly, who can say him nay?
Who can say to him, « What are you doing? »
How much less shall I give him any answer,
or choose out arguments against him!
Even though I were right, I could not answer him,
but should rather beg for what was due me.
If I appealed to him and he answered my call,
I could not believe that he would hearken to my words.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 88:10bc-11, 12-13, 14-15
R. (3) Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
Daily I call upon you, O LORD;
to you I stretch out my hands.
Will you work wonders for the dead?
Will the shades arise to give you thanks?
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
Do they declare your mercy in the grave,
your faithfulness among those who have perished?
Are your wonders made known in the darkness,
or your justice in the land of oblivion?
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
But I, O LORD, cry out to you;
with my morning prayer I wait upon you.
Why, O LORD, do you reject me;
why hide from me your face?
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
Alleluia: Philippians 3:8-9
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I consider all things so much rubbish
that I may gain Christ and be found in him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: Luke 9:57-62
As Jesus and his disciples were proceeding
on their journey, someone said to him,
« I will follow you wherever you go. »
Jesus answered him,
« Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,
but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head. »
And to another he said, « Follow me. »
But he replied, « Lord, let me go first and bury my father. »
But he answered him, « Let the dead bury their dead.
But you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God. »
And another said, « I will follow you, Lord,
but first let me say farewell to my family at home. »
Jesus answered him, « No one who sets a hand to the plow
and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God. »
Meditation
Brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ, let us give thanks to God for the gift of a new day.
In today’s Gospel passage, three people each express, in their own way, their desire to follow Jesus. The first wants to follow Him wherever He goes, but Jesus reveals to him that this means accepting a life that offers neither comfort nor security. The second is directly called by Jesus, but he first asks to fulfil a family obligation. The third also wants to follow Him, but he first asks to return home to say goodbye.
Through these three situations, Jesus shows us that the priority of the Kingdom of God is absolute and must not compete with any other concern in our lives. A disciple cannot always postpone God’s call on the pretext that there is still something else to take care of.
The word “first,” repeated twice in the text, deserves particular attention. We often use this word to organise our day: “I must do this first, and then that.” We often have our own order of priorities: work, studies, money, family, projects, personal concerns… and then God, if we still have time. Today’s Gospel reverses this order and invites us to be able to say: “Lord, You come first.” First, to pray; first, to listen to Your Word; first, to seek Your will; first, to do what You ask of us; first, to love and to serve.
Therefore, a fundamental question arises: What is truly a priority in our lives? The call of Christ, to which we responded through our baptism, does not simply ask us to add the pursuit of the Kingdom of Heaven to our list of priorities. It asks that this pursuit become the priority from which all other things are evaluated. This does not mean irresponsibly abandoning our duties. It simply means that we must no longer allow our occupations, even legitimate ones, to take the place of God.
We may say that God is our priority, but our daily choices often reveal a different hierarchy. For example, in the morning, what comes first? When a difficulty arises, whom do we turn to first? When we have to make a decision, do we first seek our own interests or God’s will? When we have free time, what is our first concern?
Let us pray
Lord Jesus, You call us to follow You. Often, we want to respond, but we still find a thousand things to do first. Give us the grace to put You first in everything and to trust You enough to respond to Your call now, without postponing our “yes” until tomorrow.
Amen.
Intercession
Let us pray for all those who are seeking their vocation, for those discerning a call to the priesthood, consecrated life, marriage, or a particular mission in the Church. May the Spirit of God free them from fear and give them the confidence they need to respond generously.
Virgin Mary, intercede for them and for us!
Spiritual Exercise
Today, and throughout the rest of the week, whenever we are about to use the word “first” in our thoughts or words, let us make an effort to ensure that it is followed by an activity that brings us closer to Christ and to the Kingdom of Heaven.
BEBISSI Stéphanie
Community of the Disciples of the Living Christ
