his “all” call
“Come away and proclaim the kingdom of God.” —Luke 9:60
Job says of God that we could not respond to His majesty even once in a thousand encounters (Jb 9:3, 15). God is so mighty that we would be amazed that He would even listen to our prayer (Jb 9:16). If the omnipotent Creator of the Universe would even ask one thing of us, we should jump for joy to do whatever He asked.
In today’s Gospel, two people responded to the call of Jesus by saying “Maybe, but not now” (see Lk 9:59, 61). The two potential disciples had good excuses. However, the first disciples Jesus called answered Him by immediately dropping everything to follow Him (see Mk 1:17-20; Mt 1:18-24; 9:9; Lk 5:10-11, 27-28; Jn 1:35ff). The first disciples were just as busy as the people who gave excuses in today’s Gospel passage. Yet they put their hands to the plow and did not look back to their former life (Lk 9:62).
Jesus demands all our attention, all our life in response to His call. This seems excessive, but consider the calling from God’s viewpoint. God gave us everything when He gave us His Son, Jesus. God’s calling is urgent and His timing is always best. We always are busy with urgent tasks that compete for our attention (see Mt 22:5; Lk 14:18-20). We also have an enemy constantly distracting us from God’s priorities. To say “Yes” to God, there is always something else to which we must say “No.”
How will you respond to Jesus’ call in your life?
Prayer: Father, I give You permission to re-order everything in my life so that You always take first place.
Promise: “Whoever puts his hand to the plow but keeps looking back is unfit for the reign of God.” —Lk 9:62
Praise: St. Wenceslaus came from a diverse family. He had both Catholic and pagan relatives. He was blessed to be raised by his pious grandmother, St. Ludmilla.
Reference: (This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)
Rescript: "In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the time period from August 1, 2022 through September 30, 2022. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 31, 2022"
The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.