"When Jesus saw a crowd around Him, He gave orders to cross to the other shore. 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.' - Matthew 8:18-22
In the game of poker, somebody who goes "all in" puts all of their remaining chips into the pot in hopes of winning the pot. In laymen's terms, going "all in" means giving everything they have for their hand. Why am I saying this? Because we see in today's Gospel a scribe and another disciple of Jesus telling the Lord of their desire to follow Him. But when the scribe tells Jesus that he will follow Him wherever He goes, Jesus responds by saying "Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head." Why does He respond this way? It's almost as if Jesus is trying to persuade the scribe NOT to follow Him. And when the other disciple says "Lord, let me go first and bury my father", the Lord responds saying "Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead." Why does Jesus say these things? It's because Jesus wants disciples who are "all in" for Him. Jesus wants disciples who are totally invested. Disciples who don't let hardships, family commitments, distractions, or what have you, get in the way of us following Him, disciples who are totally invested in Courageously Living the Gospel.
Am I "all in" for the Lord?
Blessed Mother, pray that I may totally invest my heart in following the Lord.
Reflection by:
Benjamin Harris
Did you know...
Benjamin Harris is a seminarian for the Diocese of St. Petersburg and in his first St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami, Florida. His home parish is St. Theresa in Spring Hill, Florida. He is an avid fan of Tampa Bay sports, however, he is a die-hard Indianapolis Colts fan. He enjoys cooking, playing sports, fishing, the outdoors, and talking about cars.
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