13th Week in the Ordinary Time
1st Reading: Am 2:6-10, 13-16
Thus says the LORD: For three crimes of Israel, and for four, I will not revoke my word; Because they sell the just man for silver, and the poor man for a pair of sandals. They trample the heads of the weak into the dust of the earth, and force the lowly out of the way. Son and father go to the same prostitute, profaning my holy name. Upon garments taken in pledge they recline beside any altar; And the wine of those who have been fined they drink in the house of their god. Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorites before them, who were as tall as the cedars, and as strong as the oak trees. I destroyed their fruit above, and their roots beneath. It was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt, and who led you through the desert for forty years, to occupy the land of the Amorites. Beware, I will crush you into the ground as a wagon crushes when laden with sheaves. Flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong man shall not retain his strength; The warrior shall not save his life, nor the bowman stand his ground; The swift of foot shall not escape, nor the horseman save his life. And the most stouthearted of warriors shall flee naked on that day, says the LORD.
Gospel: Mt 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.”
DISCIPLESHIP: In the famous TV serial, Jesus of Nazareth, we see a scene where one evening Jesus and his disciples are settling down under some trees for the night. Jesus is seated leaning against a fence, lost in a spirit of contemplation. Against the dimly light of the night, a person comes and introduces himself as scholar who translates documents and would wish to serve Jesus. Jesus replies, “A tree is known by its fruit. Come. Stay with us.” That was Judas Iscariot. No one is really indispensable in the service of Christ, yet he calls us to be part of his community. There are two aspects brought out regarding discipleship in the gospel text of today: (1) the vocation is God-given; (2) following Christ has to be a total surrender and unconditional. Anything short of that is not discipleship.
Prayer. Lord, help me commit myself to you as my number one in my life.
DAILY GOSPEL 