Distractions

First Reading: First Kings 19:16-21

Then you shall anoint Jehu, son of Nimshi, as king of Israel, and Elisha, son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah, as prophet to succeed you. If anyone escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill him. If he escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill him. Yet I will leave seven thousand men in Israel--all those who have not knelt to Baal or kissed him." Elijah set out, and came upon Elisha, son of Shaphat, as he was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen; he was following the twelfth. Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak over him. Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, "Please, let me kiss my father and mother good-bye, and I will follow you." "Go back!" Elijah answered. "Have I done anything to you?" Elisha left him and, taking the yoke of oxen, slaughtered them; he used the plowing equipment for fuel to boil their flesh, and gave it to his people to eat. Then he left and followed Elijah as his attendant.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11

Second Reading: Galatians 5:1, 13-18

For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.n For you were called for freedom, brothers. But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love. For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." But if you go on biting and devouring one another, beware that you are not consumed by one another. I say, then: live by the Spirit and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh. For the flesh has desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you may not do what you want. But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Gospel: Luke 9:51-62

When the days for his being taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, and he sent messengers ahead of him. On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?" Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village.

As they were proceeding on their journey someone said to him, "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." And to another he said, "Follow me." But he replied, "(Lord,) let me go first and bury my father. But he answered him, "Let the dead bury their dead.  But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." And another said, "I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home." (To him) Jesus said, "No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God."

Reflection

By Fidji Rivera-Sarmiento

For this last Sunday, lets lighten up a little bit. The whole month of June with St. Luke the evangelist has been really serious :)

Growing up and reading and hearing this Gospel made me cringe a lot. I mean, how can the Lord Jesus be so harsh? The guy just wanted to bid goodbye to his family, and the other one merely wanted to bury the dead (which is actually part of the seven Corporal Works of Mercy, by the way; so I was confused). Then maturity dawned, and I realized Jesus was talking about all the distractions that derail us along the road to heaven. Let me itemize mine; these are the trivial ones:

a. The laundry. Let me tell you. With or without helpers, I do our laundry. I want our clothes real clean and smelling good. (Who doesn’t?) I hate the smell of “lumlom” and that puts me in such a bad mood. I use two different brands of fabric conditioner, one for rainy days, the other for sunny weather. And since I have three kiddies, the youngest on toilet training, you can assume that yes, I have a Mt. Apo over the weekends. So I try my best to divide them into three days over the week, but still there will be laundry on a Sunday. That sometimes becomes my excuse to stay at home the whooooole day and not go to Mass. Yes I feel sorry as I type this, and sure I have done this not once, not twice, but quite a few times. I’d convince myself that the Lord will understand since doing the laundry is for my family anyway. But truth is, I am guilty of just being lazy and being such a control freak, when I know I can delegate the job. Or maybe I could’ve managed my time more appropriately. See, instead of blocking off my Sundays for the Holy Mass and other family gatherings, I’d rather do the laundry. What a distraction. What a stumbling block.

b. Senseless anxiety. I tend to worry a lot. I predict endings a lot. I can brag that I am 80-90% correct anyway because I think this is a gift. Plus my degree in psychology has taught me ways to predict a person’s next behavior especially if it follows a pattern. But to my detriment, I am quick to jump to conclusions. I prevent situations from unfolding naturally. This has halted me many times to trust God fully. I turn into a brat, whining and complaining to God why such and such had to happen, or why does it have to be me. I have read that worrying is like sitting on a rocking chair, or cycling on a stationary bike. It wears you down, but it takes you nowhere. And yes, that is the exact feeling I get when I am anxious – a long walk in empty road taking me nowhere. Another distraction instead of looking up to my big God who’s got a big hand with complete trust.

c. My digital gadgets and social media. I don’t have a lot like some would have. We have already given up the iPad as part of our kids’ digital diet. So I am left with the iPhone, the laptop, and alright, the TV qualifies. I am active in the social media too. There’s Facebook of course, then there’s Instagram, then Twitter. I also blog my nanay adventures and then chat with friends online. I also shop online. And yes let me tell you how it eats up your “free time.” You’ll think it’s free time till your child screams at your face or pulls your arm towards dislocation. It’s not free time when your prayer hour has been consumed as well. It is never free time because simply you’re a mom, and free time is not included in the package. I am sure you’ve felt drained after an hour of mindless surfing. You may have seen a dress and now you want it. You’ve read a status and you know who it is about. You may have also been building a following over your Instagram and then you become upset because no one likes a photo. These and a lot more are merely disruptions to what your day should have been. Productivity is slowed down, the essentials forgotten. Excessive digital distraction is not only physically unhealthy, but a way to escape.

I have some more really personal ones, but these are the top 3 distractions I have. These are what the Lord was referring to when He said, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." I am not ashamed to admit these things, because I know Jesus is with me and I ask Him to curb my senseless preoccupations. So get some quality check-up. What’s on your list? What has been derailing you towards holiness? What stops you from being the person the Lord wills you to become?

Prayer

Lord, I have been distracted many times over. Help me to always focus on the prize. That when the time comes that You will judge my earthly life, You’d say, “My daughter, you’ve truly followed Me and carried your cross.” Teach me to persevere more, to be patient in pruning my hedonistic ways. Always pull me back into the path to holiness each time I stumble, so I too, may inspire others to keep their focus on You. Thank you. You never fail to wake me up from worldly daydreaming. Amen.