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Saint Jerome, Priest, Doctor

September 30th, 2010

“As they were going along the road, someone said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.’
Lk 9;57-58

Was this remark on the part of Jesus a refusal of the man’s offer, or a warning of what to expect? In the same passage of Luke’s gospel we read of two other persons offering to follow Jesus, but again he appears to make them think twice about giving themselves. The offer from the first would-be follower either had not been thought out as to the consequences, while the other two obviously had other priorities which came first—then they would follow Jesus. What was it that attracted these people to Jesus, especially since they were not offering themselves freely; there were obstacles which had to be overcome.

In my own life, following Jesus and his teaching faithfully, has to take priority. There can be no excuse for putting anything else in the way for then I am saying that Jesus comes second in my life.

Prayer


Prayer : Lord, I would like to follow you wherever you will lead me for I know that your love is greater than anything. Help me to realise this as I look back on my life and see how you have led me.

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Just a Thought

How the Holy Family prayer: A Reflection by Pope Benedict XVI

“I would like to invite you to reflect on the place of prayer in the life of the Holy Family of Nazareth. The home of Nazareth, in fact, is a school of prayer where we learn to listen, to ponder and to penetrate the profound meaning of the manifestation of the Son of God, drawing our example from Mary, Joseph and Jesus.

Pope Paul VI during his visit to Nazareth said “we come to understand the need for a spiritual discipline, if we wish to follow the teaching of the Gospel and become disciples of Christ.” And he added: “First, it teaches us silence. Oh! That there would be reborn in us the esteem for silence, that wonderful and indispensable atmosphere of the spirit: while we are deafened by so many noises, sounds and clamorous voices in the frantic and tumultuous times of modern life. Oh! Silence of Nazareth, teach us to be resolute in good thoughts, intent upon the interior life, ready to listen well to the secret inspirations of God and the exhortations of the true masters.”

We can glean several insights on the Holy Family’s prayer and relationship with God from the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ childhood. We may begin with the Presentation of Jesus in the temple. St. Luke tells us that Mary and Joseph, “when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, brought the child up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord”(2:22). Like every observant Jewish family, Jesus’ parents go up to the temple to consecrate the firstborn son to God and to offer sacrifice. Moved by fidelity to the law’s prescriptions, they set off from Bethlehem and go up to Jerusalem with Jesus, who is now forty days old. Instead of a one-year-old lamb, they present the offering of simple families; that is two young pigeons. The Holy Family’s pilgrimage is one of faith, of the offering of gifts, a symbol of prayer, and of encounter with the Lord, whom Mary and Joseph already see in the son Jesus.”

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