Dear Friends,
Thanks for all your prayers during my recent trip to Great Britain with my niece and nephew. We had a wonderful trip with good transportation, great weather and plenty to see and do. I am sure your prayers helped to make the whole experience a blessing. One of the things that always strikes me in my travels is that most of the time the human community functions well. London is a city of nine million people. While not a perfect place, we were able to travel around the city without fear. We were greeted warmly and treated kindly. While the Queen was too tired from her 70th Anniversary celebration to spend any time with us, the rest of London was willing to “fill in the gap”. Perhaps, we humans too often focus on what is wrong with the human community and don’t often stand in awe of the fact that we truly live harmonious, amazing lives.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus says that those who put their hand to the plow and keep looking back are not fit for the kingdom. I don’t know if you have ever done this while mowing the lawn, but if you keep looking back as you go, you’ll discover that you have mowed in a crooked line. When I was in college, I spent a summer working for a landscaping company in Columbus and had to drive a tractor. I was often tempted to look back to see how I was doing but every time I did so, I would go off course. If you are plowing, you’ve made a crooked furrow and that means that you will have to keep making crooked furrows to match. In other words, you will make a total mess of the field. A person who plows has to keep his eyes straight ahead or he’ll botch the job.
Jesus’ words to those who wish to follow him may seem a bit harsh but he is trying to get would-be followers to understand that discipleship involves a commitment – one where the results may not be seen for a long time and one where you cannot keep looking back to the life you once had.
Here’s the thing. We 21st century American Christians are for the most part products of a low expectation school of discipleship. We see ourselves as members of a group but not key workers in the group. We give an hour on Sunday, drop a bit in the collection, and volunteer on occasion. Any Nebraska or Iowa farmer worth his or her salt could tell you that you won’t get much of a crop from that kind of investment.
Jesus invites us to examine our commitment. Has following Jesus transformed me? Am I living differently because I am follower of his? Can people see the love of Jesus in me while I am at work, out shopping, driving on the freeway, or sharing time with my family? Has the frustration of plowing for Jesus been so tough that I keep looking back to an easier past?
Jesus knows our human nature. He knows how hard it is for us to commit and sacrifice for something we can see, much less something with so many unknowns. He knows we like certainty and control. Jesus also knows our tendency to take our eyes off of the prize, to look back, to falter, and even to fail. Wonderfully, because Jesus knows us, he gives us the Spirit and the grace necessary to keep us plowing–no matter how crooked the furrow.
Yes, we should think things out carefully, and we should not make rash decisions that we might regret later. However, as soon as we have decided to join Jesus in the Kingdom, we have put our hand on the plow. Do not second-guess yourself into paralysis. If you look back, you’ll just mess the whole thing up.
Peace,
Fr. Damian