God is a God of freedom.

To assure believers of the rightness of choosing Jesus as their Lord. When I decided to study theology to become a priest, much to my surprise, my mother wasn’t scared. In tentatively announcing her decision, she accepted it in the silence of the living room, and so vaguely, looking into the unknown, she said: “Don’t you want to wait yet? Won’t you try another college and then…?” I confess, I expected all sorts of things, but not this. My mother’s questions weren’t about discouragement but her concern for me. That question probably meant: “Is this what you want? Do you know what it will require of you? Are you ready? Will you be happy? And do you realize the demands of such a life?” Why do I mention this? Because that is precisely what Jesus’ words sounded like: “The foxes have their hiding places, and the birds of the air have their nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head… Let the dead bury their dead” (Mt 8:20-22).

Jesus is going pedagogical here, cautiously but above all truthfully. He does not hide from anyone the difficulty of the apostolic life, nor does he force anyone to accept such a life as his own. It is truly an invitation that one can both accept and reject. But let’s look a little deeper at Jesus’ statements. The first is addressed to the scribe who stands in the crowd of those whom Jesus has amazed with many and many miracles. To this one, he advises thinking carefully about his radical following of Jesus. He advises him to look at both sides of the life that would await him. As a scribe, he had a certain status among the people. But who will accept him when they see him as a disciple, this Nazarene? Wouldn’t the scribe then look back, backward, as his Israelite ancestors had once done in the wilderness, when, though free, they longed for the greasy pots of slavery?

Jesus’ second statement is already addressed to his disciple. To him no longer belongs the offer to change his mind. But to him, he very clearly implies what the Scripture says elsewhere: “He who once put his hands to the plow, let him not look back.” In other words: If once a man has chosen the way of Christ, let him not look for the tower of Babel. God’s way may be harder, requiring more effort, patience, and acceptance of challenging conditions, but it is undoubtedly more certain.

Who am I? A lawyer or a disciple of the gospel? Which words of Christ belong to my ears? I believe we are mostly “disciples.” We have been walking the roads with Jesus, meeting him, and following him for so long. But one fundamental question: are you not looking back? Have you buried your desires that you know wouldn’t lead you to true happiness? Or do you still go back to them? Do you want to be their slave again? Leave them alone! Don’t look at them all the time, but look at your God, who wants your happiness like no one else. For God is love, and in Christ, he has proved it to us so that no power in him would wish you the least ill.

You must have heard something about the parish priest of Ares. This saint – St. John Vianney, made his forgotten parish a place of pilgrimage. And that’s only because he took his role as a priest very seriously. His penitents often state that he, too, had his priestly desires – to retreat into solitude and there repent for his sins and beg for the salvation of his soul. But the bishop, though John Vianney asked him so much, never answered his call, for his charism to change the lives of believers and unbelievers alike was not to be thrown away lightly. And people always left happy from their encounter with this “prisoner of the confessional.” John Vianney is not the only role model in accepting God’s will. Even today, many good Christians follow Christ, even though the path is not the most comfortable. But it is undoubtedly the surest. Therefore, let us strive to follow Christ confidently, for we have already prepared a dwelling place with him.

Letting ourselves be known by the storm. To point out the necessity of God’s presence.

When someone invites us to go somewhere, such as to his house or to go with him, we are to consider the matter, lest we get into trouble or offend him… Jesus also invites us; his invitation is relevant, positive, and necessary. He says: “Follow me…” (Mt 8:22). Matthew describes an event when a crowd of people crowds around Jesus. God will never leave us. We must strive to reach out to him, using all available means, and always confidently say to Jesus as our Teacher, whom we want to follow wholeheartedly, “Lord, do not abandon me!” Together with him, we will be able to face trials because they will lose their bitter taste, and we will overcome them more efficiently, and even intense storms will not be able to intimidate us. Many are experiencing different batteries and different difficulties even at this very moment. If we want to be apostles amid the world, we must consider that some people – sometimes even our spouse, parents, or grandparents – will not understand us. In that case, we will work with calmness and decisiveness, and we must not be intimidated or turned away from our life course, for only Jesus knows what is best for us. He wants us to learn and never stop thinking of Him. At the same time, when difficulties arise, God’s grace will be made more abundantly evident. More of God’s grace will come from heaven when more problems arise. And in a way, it is also good that difficulties occur because along with them, we receive more of God’s help. Let us take this opportunity to purify our intentions, be more attentive to our Teacher, and be strengthened in faith. God always protects us and will not leave us in the devil’s power, who wants to win us for himself. God directs our life. He allows difficulties and trials, but at the same time, He watches over us. We are sometimes completely unaware of it, as the two tourists camping on the lake shore were utterly unaware of it.

In the evening, the hikers decided to swim to the other shore for a drink. They stayed there until late at night and managed to empty a few bottles to the last drop. When they left the bar, their feet were tangled, but they hit the boat for the return trip. They started rowing with gusto. Panting and sweating, they fought for about two hours, “Don’t you think,” said one, “that we should have been on the other shore long ago?” “Of course,” said the other. “I guess we didn’t row hard enough.” They redoubled their efforts and rowed, rowed for another hour. When it grew a little lighter, they were astonished to see they were still in the same place. They had forgotten to untie the thick rope that tied the boat to the pier. The tourists were lucky. Who knows how it would have ended if it hadn’t been for the string. They could have ended badly.

We need to be in the company of Jesus, and we will feel safe. We need his hand to watch over us. The Lord knows full well what is happening to us. He is still here in the Eucharist that we will soon receive. He will not abandon us. Neither will Our Lady leave us.