—Gospel of Matthew 8 : 22
People like to procrastinate. They like to put things off before committing themselves to doing something important. It is said that one who hesitates is lost because in hesitating, one can let a precious opportunity slip by.
In the gospel of Matthew, chapter 8, a disciple offers an excuse that would prevent him from following Jesus. He wants to go back home first and bury his father. Nothing is wrong with that, in itself, since burying the dead, especially a parent, is one of the corporal works of mercy that defines a true Christian. The Lord, obviously, is not objecting to burying the dead nor is he advocating the impossible that “the dead bury their dead.” He is speaking paradoxically; that is, he is expressing himself in a way that seems to be contradictory in order to convey a valuable lesson. And, the lesson is that His disciples should not make excuses, any excuses whatsoever in order to avoid following Him. He wants His followers to overcome all objections so that they can be with Him fully.
The Lord does not want us to be halfhearted followers. “Anyone who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is not worthy to be my disciple,” He says. He wants us to be single hearted. He wants us to be sincere and uncompromising in our commitment to follow Him.
Life, they say, is an obstacle course. It consists of all kinds of impediments that we need to overcome if we are to succeed in life. The game of golf is an obstacle course and a good golfer must overcome the many pitfalls of the game: sand bunkers, lakes, woods and sudden shifts of the wind in order to be a successful golfer.
It is the same with our spiritual lives. The Lord wants us to overcome the barriers of fear, complacency or lack of understanding that can limit our expectations and prevent us from drawing closer to Him. He wants us to avoid the slippery slope of procrastination which can suffocate the spirit. Even in times of greatest difficulty, however, His love can find a way to set us free.
Today’s message shines a light on the danger of procrastination. Every true Christian needs to avoid this big obstacle to grace if he or she wishes follow Jesus.
—Fr. Hugh Duffy.
2 Comments
cecile Erlsten
Thank you as always Fr. Duffy your message is spot on, Putting things off and having procrastination as a way/style of life is a definite fear based problem of not wanting to commit to anything…let the dead bury the dead is a great metaphor for not committing to follow God in whatever He asks of us…When we are blessed to be called by God, we go and trust, as our Father, that He only has what
is best for us and all we need to do is to salute smartly and keep on marching..
Not say well I will think about it, or there is always tomorrow…because we never know the day-hour and circumstance that we will not be here tomorrow! Thank you and God bless
Hugh Duffy
You’re so right, Cecile. Could not agree with you more. Always good to hear from you.