Today's Good News Reflection

In our Gospel reading today, we see a scribe who's very excited about Jesus. Do you know the feeling? We get charged up while hearing a parish mission priest or a conference speaker or a stirring homily. But how long does that feeling last?

If you're still experiencing the thrill of growing spiritually, and if it's still producing good fruits, congratulate yourself. God is very pleased with you. He's admiring you, appreciating the work you're doing for his kingdom, and pointing you out to the angels and saints in heaven, saying, "Look at what my beloved child is doing!"

But --. Ahhh yes, the but. We sit on our buts far too often. Jesus is continually inviting us to produce more good fruits. Too many Christians do way too little for the kingdom of God, allowing evil to grow more of its own bitter fruits. But we have lots of buts, lots of excuses for why we're not doing more for the Lord and his Church.

Was Jesus complaining when he said he had no place to rest his head? I think not. He was no whiner. Listen closely: "The birds have nests, the foxes have lairs, Peter has a house where his mother-in-law cooks his favorite foods, and you have a spacious home in the suburbs, and I'm not always welcome there."

"But Jesus, when did you come to me and I did not feed you or shelter you or clothe you or give you a drink?"

One of his disciples said, "I want to go wherever you go, Lord, and do whatever you ask of me, but first let me bury my father." The reply Jesus gave him seems to be unsympathetic about the man's sorrow and loss. Was he really telling him to ignore his family and skip the grieving process? I think not. Jesus knows we can do important ministry in the family gatherings of funerals. He also knows when we're making excuses to avoid being sincere and whole-hearted about a life of holiness.

Following Jesus is never convenient. What's on your list of tasks that you're hoping God will not ask you to do? What are your buts? When you hear about a need that's going unmet and you could do something about it (with God's help, of course), do you say, "Sure, I'd do that if only -- but first -- later when --"?

You've heard the question: "If God is real, why is there so much evil in the world?" The answer is: It's not God's fault. There are still too few of us producing enough of the good fruits that defeat those evils.

"Let the dead bury their dead" is God's way of letting go of those who are not willing to join him in his work. He surrenders us to our deadness, but if we surrender to him, we become truly and excitedly alive as he works through us in mighty and amazing ways!