Luke 9:57-62

Luke 9:57-62

As Jesus and his disciples were proceeding

on their journey, someone said to him,

“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.”

And to another he said, “Follow me.”

But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.”

But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead.

But you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.”

And another said, “I will follow you, Lord,

but first let me say farewell to my family at home.”

Jesus answered him, “No one who sets a hand to the plow

and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I choose this day to follow your Son wherever he leads me. Give me the courage to leave behind whatever keeps me from him and the perseverance to remain faithful to my vocation. Through the intercession of Saint Jerome, deepen my love for your Word, that I may encounter Christ in Sacred Scripture and proclaim him by my life.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Following Jesus on the Way: In the Gospel, Jesus has begun his final journey to Jerusalem, where he will accomplish his new exodus. Along the way, he encounters three people and teaches three lessons about discipleship. “The individuals’ final responses are not given, leaving the dialogues open-ended. The effect is to invite readers – other (potential) followers – to apply the sayings to their lives” (Gadenz, The Gospel of Luke, 196). The first encounter teaches that following Jesus involves sacrifice and hardship. The second teaches that we cannot delay our response to God’s call: “Even family obligations have to be put in proper perspective and at times set aside” (Gadenz, The Gospel of Luke, 197). The third teaches that our commitment to Jesus must take precedence over every other commitment. “Those who follow him must do so unconditionally” (Gadenz, The Gospel of Luke, 198). Like the farmer who must give his full attention to plowing, the disciple must give his full attention to entering God’s reign (see Martin, Bringing the Gospel of Luke to Life, 282). Saint Jerome provides a remarkable example of this radical commitment. Pope Francis recalls that Jerome “placed the Bible at the center of his life” and desired to know Christ through Scripture. His vocation required sacrifice: he left his homeland, traveled widely, embraced an ascetical life, and eventually settled in Bethlehem. He was willing to leave behind many things to pursue what he regarded as the one thing necessary: Christ. Every Christian is called to this wholehearted response. We cannot follow Jesus while continually looking backward at what we have refused to surrender. Discipleship requires an ordered freedom: letting go of whatever competes with Christ so that we can give ourselves more completely to him.

2. “Ignorance of Scripture Is Ignorance of Christ”: For Saint Jerome, following Christ necessarily meant listening to his Word. Pope Francis begins his apostolic letter, Scripturae Sacrae Affectus, with Jerome’s striking statement: “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” This conviction shaped Jerome’s entire life. He studied Hebrew and Greek, examined manuscripts, consulted Jewish teachers, compared textual traditions, and worked tirelessly to provide the Latin-speaking Church with an accurate translation of Scripture. His scholarship was not an end in itself. He wanted Christians to encounter Christ through God’s revealed Word. Pope Francis emphasizes that Jerome’s love for Scripture was inseparable from his love for Christ: “He loved the sacred texts because he loved Christ.” For Jerome, the Bible is not merely a collection of ancient writings. It is the Word of God that leads us into communion with the Word made flesh. The Scriptures reveal Christ, prepare us to recognize him, and teach us how to follow him. Jerome’s example challenges us to examine how we approach Scripture. We can possess Bibles without opening them, hear the Gospel without reflecting upon it, or study Scripture without allowing it to change us. We should read not simply to acquire information but to encounter a Person. We read prayerfully, asking what God is saying to us and how his Word calls us to conversion. We read the whole of Scripture as the one story of God’s saving work, fulfilled in Jesus Christ, and we read within the Church, whose faith provides the context for understanding it rightly. The disciple who puts his hand to the plow must keep his eyes fixed on Christ. Sacred Scripture helps us do precisely that. It keeps Christ before our eyes and continually calls us back to him.

3. A Life Placed at the Service of the Word: Jerome’s love for Scripture became a service to the entire Church. His work was demanding and sometimes controversial, yet he persevered because he understood that the Word he had received was not his possession. It was a gift entrusted to him for the benefit of others. Pope Francis highlights this missionary dimension of Jerome’s vocation. His study, translation, commentary, and teaching were directed toward helping others encounter God’s Word. His scholarship became an act of charity. By making Scripture more accessible and intelligible, Jerome helped generations of Christians hear the Word of God and come to know Christ. This gives us an important lesson about Christian vocation. God does not give us gifts merely for our own benefit. Whatever abilities, education, experience, or opportunities we possess can become instruments for serving others. A parent can form children in the faith; a teacher can help students discover truth; a business leader can use knowledge and resources to help others flourish; a priest can proclaim God’s Word with clarity and conviction. Every Christian can become, in some way, a servant of the Word. Jerome also reminds us that fidelity requires perseverance. He continued studying, translating, writing, and correcting his work over many years. The disciple who places his hand to the plow cannot allow discouragement or criticism to make him abandon his task. Christ calls us to follow him without looking back. Jerome responded by placing his entire life at the service of Christ and his Word. His life teaches us that authentic discipleship involves both hearing the Word and allowing it to shape our lives. As Pope Francis writes, “Let us make the Bible the guiding light of our lives.” When we do so, we discover that the Word we seek in Scripture is ultimately the Word who calls us to follow him: Jesus Christ.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you call me to follow you without looking back. Through the example and intercession of Saint Jerome, give me a deeper love for Sacred Scripture. Help me encounter you whenever I read your Word, allow it to transform my life, and generously share its truth with others. Keep my eyes fixed on you.

Living the Word of God: What am I holding onto that makes it difficult for me to follow Christ more completely? What would it mean to place that attachment in his hands? How much time and attention do I actually give to Sacred Scripture? Could I establish a more consistent practice of prayerful reading of the Bible? How can I use my gifts, knowledge, or experience to help someone else encounter Christ and his Word?