Jesus seems unreasonable in today’s Gospel.  Those things the men wanted to do weren’t bad.  However, the point is this:  our relationship with Jesus needs to be the most fundamental thing in our life.  To hear Jesus, say “Come, follow me” and to respond to that means that He will always be the core of our lives.  We cannot allow other things to replace that.  Yes, we have all the events of life to deal with: family, relationships, challenges, schedules, etc.  But, once we start following Jesus, we cannot allow all the things of life to distract us.  Focusing on him alone, there is nothing that will conquer us, not even death itself.

     This maybe the greatest challenge to our time.  Frankly, we have too many distractions and opportunities to not follow Jesus.  Look at your calendars:  is there any place for prayer?  Yes, I believe that we pray all day, but is there a dedicated time for Jesus?  Jesus asks that we focus on him so he can show us through the dark times of life and be the beacon of hope in our times of darkness.  He calls us to look to him always so that our decisions will be Christ centered and made with the Gospel values in mind.    To commit ourselves to Jesus is to see that practice of the faith is not about what I get from it and the Church, but what do I bring to Jesus and how can I serve the world around me in His name.

     As school ends and happen, I would encourage each of you to not take a vacation from God and the Church.  I believe the summer is a time to slow down and enjoy the beauty of this part of the country and to enjoy what God gives us.  If we are running around trying to get from place to place, then physically we can get sick and spiritually we will dry up like the earth when we don’t have enough rain.  If Sunday is the only day to shop, mow the lawn, etc., then I would encourage to look at your calendar and ask yourselves: what would Jesus say to me in light of today’s Gospel? 

    One way each of us can help people to know Jesus is to print out today’s Gospel and maybe include this homily and just pass it on  ,,,,, no discussion or yelling or guilt trips.  Give a quiet witness to who you are: someone totally committed to Jesus and walking with him to the Kingdom of God.