The Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head

30 JUNE (Mt 8,18-22)

There is a latent temptation that must be unmasked right away. It spares no one. Satan does not tolerate the will of God in the exercise of his own vocation and mission. He wants everyone to introduce his own will and live according to it; to exercise the mission and carry his daily work out. Everyone wants to be a Christian, but in his own way, following his own personal ways. Everyone wants to be a priest, but according to his heart and his intelligence. Everyone wants to be a bishop, but giving to his ministry contents established by him. Everyone wants to be a cardinal and a pope, but fallowing the lines of time, lines of diplomacy, opportunity and convenience. Everyone wants to be with Christ, but walking behind himself.

This temptation is not for one time, for a day. It is for every moment, every day, every week, every month, every year, every century and every millennium. It never dies. It manifests itself with ever new ways. You overcome one because after many years you recognize it and you fall into a new one, also unrecognizable and also enduring through time. Satan is cunning. He knows that putting in one of his modes in the exercise of his mission and ministry, it is as if he made null all the pastoral and missionary work that is being done. We are asked every caution to avoid falling into this temptation. Everyone must be clothed with wisdom and intelligence of the Holy Spirit to understand and overcome this diabolical deceit.

Today, there is a person who is submitted to Christ to be of his sequel. This man is well intentioned. He wants to follow the Master in every place and in every time. He wishes to be one of his  faithful disciple. Jesus does not reject the request. He shows him instead what the needs of a sequel behind him are. If he wants to follow him he must forget himself, his body, his spirit and his soul. He must forget about sleep, food and water and every other vital necessity. He must put himself at the full disposal of the Father. Night and day, summer and winter he must be all of the Father. Never must he be of his body, his mind, his spirit, his soul and his desires. Never must he be from himself, instead he must always belong to the Father. His whole life is of the Father who might also direct it towards martyrdom. Following Christ is getting stripped of himself.

One is already his disciple. This asks Jesus for permission to go and bury his father, first. Then he would have followed him. Now there are some obligations and it is necessary they have to be fulfilled. There are primary and secondary things. The mission is secondary. The obligations toward the parents are primary. They must always be fulfilled. They cannot be overlooked. It would not be justice. Jesus changes the very nature of things. The obligation becomes no obligation, the non obligation becomes obligation. Before the mission of salvation every other obligation dies. Even love, piety towards parents must give way to the mission. The mission is everything for a disciple of Jesus. Who wants to follow Jesus must be considered dead to the world, the family, home, history, life and himself. He becomes a gift for his God, a sacred offering in the hands of his Lord. If he is dead, if he is a sacred offering, he is consumed with fire. He no longer exists. With death every obligation ends. This is the truth of a disciple of Christ the Lord.

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.”

Undressing oneself, dying to the self, thinking the self dead to the world, for all, this is the truth of following Christ. It is the first of the ways that the Lord asks those who want to follow him. The mission is not for the flesh, it is only for the spirit.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints make us true disciples of Jesus.