Original photo from last August

 

june 17th 2006

1 Kgs 19:19-21 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 goodbye, and I will follow you.” Elijah answered, “Go back! 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.

Psalm 16:1b-2a and 5, 7-8, 9-10
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord. Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge; I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you.” O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup, you it is who hold fast my lot.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord. I bless the LORD who counsels me; even in the night my heart exhorts me. I set the LORD ever before me;with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord. Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices, my body, too, abides in confidence; Because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world, nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.

Rom 8:14-17 Brothers and sisters: For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,but you received a Spirit of adoption,
through whom we cry, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs,
heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him
so that we may also be glorified with him

Mt 5:33-37 Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow. But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’
Anything more is from the Evil One.”

To say what I mean and only that is to be with God in my ways. There is no reason to be any other way. To stray from the truth is to stray from God. All the oaths in the world mean nothing if simple honesty is not within all acts, intents and ways. Jesus says in the Gospel "Make good to the Lord all that you vow." This means to me to remember all my promises to God and vows to God and live them.

The first reading of Elisha being called by Elijah is echoed by a similar story in the New Testament of a man being called from the field and plowing to follow Jesus. I think that Elisha by slaughtering the oxen and cooking them and feeding them to the people showed that he was totally willing to leave behind his way of life with the oxen and share everything for the call of God.

Sometimes I ask myself what am I holding on to that I should let go of in order to totally follow God in my daily life. God is my inheritance all else is passing and not a lasting inheritance.