I will follow Jesus
The Gospel passage from Luke 9:51-62 marks the beginning of the journey of Jesus and His disciples to Jerusalem. Luke sets the tone of this journey by stating the firm determination of Christ to fulfill His mission in Jerusalem; i.e., His Passion, Death and Resurrection. There were four incidents in this Gospel narrative: the refusal of the Samaritans to welcome Jesus and His group of disciples and three incidents of would-be disciples. These four incidents contain lessons which are important to the life of a Christian.
Luke tells us that the reason why the Samaritans did not welcome Jesus and His group of disciples is because the destination of their journey was Jerusalem. Passover was nearing, and this teacher, who wished to stay in their town, was on His way to worship at the rival temple in Jerusalem, instead of Mount Gerizim. Here, Luke shows us that one big obstacle which prevents people from welcoming Jesus is their prejudice. Merely because we are at odds with some people, we shut the door to Christ Himself.
The following conversation between Jesus and His two disciples clearly shows that this prejudice is not one-sided. James and John wished to command fire from heaven to consume the village of the unwelcoming Samaritans. James and John were familiar with the story of Elijah in 2Kings 1:10-12, where Elijah commanded fire to consume fifty men, not once but twice. But Jesus rebuked them. John’s Gospel relates that when Jesus entered Jerusalem and encountered unbelief among the Jews, Jesus cried out and said: “If anyone hears my words and does not observe them, I do not condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world (John 12:47).” Christ came not to destroy men, but to bring them the means of salvation and eternal happiness; if they reject Christ, then their destruction is of their own doing.
Luke then tells us the incidents of the three would-be disciples. The first was someone who said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go (Luke 9:57).” Matthew 8:19 tells us that this man was a scribe. Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head (Matthew 8:20, Luke 9:58).” These words constitute a rebuke to someone who apparently has not thought out thoroughly what it entails to be a disciple of Christ.
The second incident was different because it was Jesus who said: “Follow me (Luke 9:59).” But the man replied, “Let me go first and bury my father (Matthew 8:21, Luke 9:59).” It is rather unlikely that Jesus is telling the man not to bury his dead father; the more probable scenario was that this man, who was called by Christ, tried to use the excuse of caring for an aging father because he did not want to follow Jesus at that time. Jesus’ response was quite revealing: “Let the dead bury their dead (Matthew 8:22, Luke 9:60).” In other words, the man was dead in spirit because he did not heed Jesus’ call; so, let those who would not follow Christ due to their concern with worldly affairs attend to worldly matters.
The third incident was someone who said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home (Luke 9:61).” To this, Jesus replied, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62).” Simply put, to be a disciple of Christ not only means detachment from things, but detachment from relationships as well.
These four incidents illustrate the four most common obstacles to becoming a disciple of Christ. The first one is prejudice, the second is inconsiderate impulse, the third is having conflicting priorities and the fourth is attachment to persons and things. As Christ was fully determined to fulfill His mission in Jerusalem, so also should a disciple be fully determined to follow Christ despite all odds.
In July this year, Fr. Lou Aldrich is offering 3 online spiritual seminars via ZOOM: (1) July 9, 2022 1:00-6:00pm (Eastern Time); Theme: Assessing or Overcoming Moral Problems. (2) 2022 July 16, 2022 1:00-6:00pm (Eastern Time); Theme: Happy Life. (3) July 23, 2022 1:00-3:00pm (Eastern Time); Theme: Chinese Traditional Beliefs and Christian Communities, the common, objective, ontological basis of their respective moral teachings. All 3 seminars require registration. For your convenience, the link to the online registration form is posted in our church website, as well as WeChat and LINE.
We thank the Catholic Foundation of North Georgia (CFNGA) for the 2022 Spring Parish Enrichment Grant Award of $1,000 for the purchase of a 5-gallon steel holy water tank with stand. It is located at the Sanctuary entrance. Holy Water is used as a sacramental which reminds the faithful of their baptism. Sacramentals prepare us to receive grace and dispose us to cooperate with it. Like the Sacraments, it draws its power from the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Parishioners may bring their own containers and take holy water for home use. Many of the faithful bless themselves with holy water when they enter or leave their homes, and sprinkle holy water on doors and beds.
The Holy Name of Jesus Chinese Catholic Mission is offering a 2022 summer course to improve English reading and writing skills for children grades 1 to 8. Classes are from 11:30 to 12:15 am on the following dates: Every Sunday from 6/26 to 8/28. Also, Vacation Bible School has been scheduled for July 16 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. We have a very special program this year. Please register with Mrs. Long-Che Chan.
Our church will be hosting the first Chinese Cursillo in Atlanta from July 28 to 31, 2022. The venue will be at the Carmel Retreat Center in Hoschton, which is only 40 minutes from the church.
Prayer List: Jiang Mama, Wang Dacheng, Carolyn Johnson, Pan Bohao, Long Guorui, Zhang Qiang, Xu Taicheng and Qiu Laihao.