Just Follow
Monday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Read this Gospel passage aloud to the family
Matthew 8: 18-22 - When Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other shore. 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.”
(Parent) Reread this part a few times aloud
“Follow me...”
(Parent) Read this meditation aloud to the family
At first it seems like Jesus is being sharp, or even mean, in the Gospel today. Two things should be noted. The first thing we should do is clarify something: when this disciple asks Jesus if he can first bury his father before following Him, there’s a good chance that he does not mean that his father has already died and awaits funeral and burial, but that his father is old, maybe dying, and that he will be more free to follow Christ after his father dies. The second thing we should do is to emphasize something: Jesus is dead serious about the demands it takes to follow Him.
He doesn’t shy away from stating that following Him demands everything. It must take precedence even over our home and our family ties. Even if He never asks us to give up our home, we must be willing to do so if He asks. Christ’s followers lead radical lives of detachment. We can’t hide from this fact; Jesus makes it so clear. Are we too comfortable with life, or too attached to things?
As a family, pray a portion of the Rosary together (very short if children are young) reflecting on the Scripture passage above. (Optional: allow a brief time for discussion or questions from children concerning their thoughts and prayer.)
Reminder for Parents: Pier is just meant to be a jumping off point. The real goal is that you pray & eventually use the fruits of your personal prayer as the content of your family’s prayer. Duc in altum.
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