Resolute in our Faith Convictions

HOMILY: Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Luke 9:51-62

26 June 2022

Fr. Ricky Cañet Montañez, AA

Just this week, a member of San Roque’s SOCOM Ministry, passed the Board Exam for Architects. He may have taken the exam last weekend, but he had been preparing for it since last year. He was set to take it in January but the Examiners decided to divide the group into 2 batches. He was included in the 2nd batch scheduled in June, he did not stop preparing for the test. By the grace of God and his hard work, we now have a new architect in our parish! 

His story tells us that when we have a clear goal in mind, no obstacles, no challenges nor conflicts can deter us from successfully achieving it. That is being resolute. He and other recent board passers  in the parish embody the resoluteness of Jesus in today’s gospel passage. This Sunday’s gospel reading from Luke introduces Jesus’ purposeful journey to Jerusalem, which will result in His Passion, Death and Resurrection. Luke suggests that Jesus sensed His destiny but He was not discouraged. The evangelist writes: “When the days for His being taken up were fulfilled, He resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem and He sent messengers ahead of him” (Luke 9:51). Resolute. This means acting out with purpose. (Pagkilos na merong adhikain.) The word also means determined in character, action or ideas. Sa Pilipino, maituturing na may determinasyon at hindi natitinag ang taong resolute. 

Alam ni Hesus kung ano ang naghihintay sa kanya sa Herusalem. Alam niya ang mga paghihirap na pagdadaanan Nya pati ang Kanyang kamatayan. Pero hindi Siya nagpatinag. Sa halip ay buo ang kanyang loob na harapin ang mga ito. Even if He encounters obstacles on the way to Jerusalem, He is not deterred. Jesus experiences the hostility of the Samaritans as He passes through Samaritan territory. Luke writes, “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.” (Luke 9:52-53) That the Samaritans reject Him is only a foretaste of the much greater rejection that the leaders in Jerusalem will perpetrate in the months to come. Through it all, Jesus remained steadfast and trusting in the Father in fulfilling His mission. He didn’t waste any time on those like the Samaritan villagers who are closed to His presence. He didn’t even sugarcoat the demands of discipleship to those who wanted to follow Him. He was focused on His mission of bringing about salvation for God’s people.  

As Christians, we are also called to have the same determination if we choose to follow the Lord. We will surely face opposition and conflict in our desire to be faithful to Him. Setbacks should not dampen our spirits but rather strengthen our conviction and increase our courage in pursuit of our goal. We are  asked to have the same steadfastness and singlemindedness with the will of God the Father. In the gospel, there are people who express their desire to follow Jesus but Jesus seems to discourage them as if to say… “Are you sure? There is much uncertainty about my lifestyle. I dont know where my next meal will come from or where I will be sleeping for the night.” Jesus is being truthful about the urgency of His mission. He is constantly on the move. He wants to reach as many people as He can, given His short time on earth. We,  however,  love to dwell in our comfort zones and sometimes can not be bothered to go out of our way for others or for the church — tinatamad na. Mas pipiliin pang maglaro ng games, manood ng Netflix, magpakababad sa kuwartong naka aircon…. So many little creature comforts that focus on ourselves and keep us cocooned in our little world. In the gospel, one person says he will bury his father, the other needs to say goodbye to his family but Jesus does not seem to believe they will return to follow Him. Malamang, di naman isang araw na palugit lang yun. Baka isang linggo, na hahaba pa sa dami ng aasikasuhin. By then, Jesus would’ve moved on.  Jesus doesnt say these are bad things to do. However, we must not make excuses to keep us from following Him. Kung gusto, may paraan, kung ayaw, may dahilan. Hindi ba?  Jesus asks us to dare to leave our comfort zones to follow Him as He goes to places where He is not welcome, to places unfamiliar to Him, places difficult to access, places where He has no friends — because those are the places where He is needed the most. If we must be the Lord’s hands and feet, we too must go where people are in need of God’s love and mercy. Tayo ang magdadala kay Kristo sa kanila. 

Let us not oversimplify this choice, either. The work is not easy and it is not attractive to many. Throughout history, we are given the example of many Christians who are persecuted all over the world because of their faith conviction. Ang mga martir ng simbahan umabot sa pagbubuwis ng kanilang buhay sa ngalan ng kanilang pananampalataya!  Humugot sila ng inspirasyon at lakas sa halimbawa ni Hesus. We are mistaken if we believe that persecution is just a thing of the past. It is very REAL for us today. It is a growing danger. Think of those who recently died in the bombing of St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Nigeria on Pentecost Sunday. So many catholic children were martyred that day! There was a report on religious freedom in the world released last year by the Aid to the Church in Need, saying two thirds of the world’s population live in countries where religious freedom is not respected. Sadly, these numbers are on the rise. Of these people persecuted for their faith, 75% are Christians. This indicates that up until now, Christianity is the most persecuted religion in the world. They estimate that about 646 million Christians live in countries where religious freedom is not respected. Again, this clearly shows that the life of a disciple of Jesus is not easy. Mga Saksi. The English word, “martyr” is from the Greek word (martus) meaning a “witness”. We are all called to be witnesses. Katulad ni Hesus, ang mga martir para sa pananampalataya ay hindi nagpapatinag sa mga nagpapahirap sa kanila bagkus nagiging matatag pa ang kanilang paninindigan na ipagtanggol ang kanilang pananampalataya. We are assured that their efforts do not go unnoticed by the Church, not just on earth — the Church Militant,  but by our members in Heaven who have succeeded — the Church Triumphant, and even those who have yet to be purified — the Church Suffering. Hindi kasi tayo nag-iisa, sama-sama tayo sa Simbahan ni Kristong ating Hari. 

Brothers and sisters, may we have the courage to be true to our Christian faith no matter what and regardless of what we will have to face and endure.  May we be assured as we remain faithful to our faith that we are never alone on our journey as Jesus’ followers. Let us resolutely live out our faith with compelling conviction and endeavour to share the love of Christ with others.