Jesus says, "Follow Me."

Gospel Reflection for July 1, 2024

“When Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side. A scribe approached and said to him, ‘Teacher, 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.’ Another of [his] disciples said to him, ‘Lord, let me go first and bury my father.’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.’” (Matt. 8:18-22 NABRE)

This short Gospel passage today contains a profound lesson regarding how our priorities should be ordered in our lives. Oftentimes, we have the same intentions as the scribe in today’s Gospel, and like him, we say to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.” But then when something comes up, our priorities change, and like the disciple in today’s passage, we tell Jesus, “Lord, let me go first and (fill in the blank), and then I will follow you.”

We frequently allow the happenings of our lives to “call the shots,” so to speak. Whether we’re getting pulled in various directions, we’re feeling tired or not in the right frame of mind, whether we’ve sinned, or whatever it may be, we often allow various reasons to excuse us from following Jesus as closely as we should.

And that’s the thing—we may be saying our prayers and we might not be lacking in faith, and yet, we’re not truly deepening in our relationship with the Lord. Other things in our lives sometimes take priority, even if we don’t mean for that to happen! That is why today’s Gospel is a good reminder to always prioritize our relationship with God above all else. We must consciously and intentionally take the time to set our other cares and worries aside, remembering that God is our everything, and nothing of this world matters nearly as much as our relationship with Him.

Our Lord Jesus is telling us today that He has no place to rest His head. May we offer to Jesus our whole heart as a place for Him to dwell.

This is a beautiful and relevant message that Jesus said to St. Faustina:

“My daughter, faithfully live up to the words which I speak to you. Do not value any external thing too highly, even if it were to seem very precious to you. Let go of yourself, and abide with Me continually. Entrust everything to Me and do nothing on your own, and you will always have great freedom of spirit. No circumstances or events will ever be able to upset you. Set little store on what people say. Let everyone judge you as they like. Do not make excuses for yourself, it will do you no harm. Give away everything at the first sign of a demand, even if they were the most necessary things. Do not ask for anything without consulting Me. Allow them to take away even what is due you – respect, your good name – let your spirit rise above all that. And so, set free from everything, rest close to My Heart, not allowing your peace to be disturbed by anything. My pupil, consider the words which I have spoken to you.”¹

1. Maria Faustina Kowalska, Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul (Stockbridge, MA: Marian Press, 2019), 596.