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Let’s cut to the chase: discipleship will cost.  However, the promised outcome is the fulfilment of our deepest aspirations. That is what Jesus is insisting in today’s Gospel (Lk 9:51-62). By way of comparison and contrast, Luke depicts Jesus after the style of Old Testament prophet Elijah from whom our First Reading is taken.  Today’s Gospel opens with reference to the time being near for Jesus “to be taken up to heaven”, for his showdown in Jerusalem.  This recalls Elijah being taken up to heaven.  However, as Elijah had called down divine punishment on those who rejected God (2 Kings 1:10-12), Jesus does not accede to the disciples’ proposal of destruction of the inhospitable Samaritan village (Lk 9:51-56).  “Violence is not his way to deal with inhospitality.  Later he will have to confront far more murderous inhospitality in Jerusalem.  But again, he will reject responding violently to violence (cf. 22:35-38, 49-51).  What he would bring to Jerusalem is peace (19:41-44)” (Brendan Byrne).  On the other hand, Elijah does accede to Elisha’s request in our First Reading to bid his parents farewell before following him.  “Not so Jesus in the Gospel! He gives three demanding responses to three people in turn who would be his companions on the journey . . . The Kingdom is about rescuing human beings for life in a world that is fast sliding into destruction.  In the face of such urgency even the most sacred family obligations must give way . . . Jesus is on the march now to a conflict with demonic forces that seek to dehumanise and destroy the world.  Those who would seek to rescue it for life and love must share both his passion and the hardships it entails” (ibid). In our Second Reading Paul calls the faithful of Galatia to let the Spirit move in them and so give expression to their freedom in Christ.   Last Tuesday and Wednesday night children celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation were encouraged to draw on the gifts of the Holy Spirit so as to produce the fruits of the same, spelt out by Paul a little beyond where our Second Reading ends, namely, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control” (gal 5:22).  As Morgan Freeman said in the movie ‘The Shawshank Redemption’: “Get busy living or get busy dying”.

Fr John