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Buenos Aires, Sunday, June 27, 2004

Father Oscar Pezzarini

There's always a “but”...

When in the Gospel Jesus talks about following Him He usually refers to the following we all Christians, as baptized people we are, must accomplish, and not only about some specific following through Consecrated Life. When faced with this calling many times we Christians have “many buts”. “There will always be a but” if we don't fully decide to surrender to following Jesus and his teachings, which many times will collide with what the remainder will take for customary, as a way to go, as the “normal” thing, and so we prefer to “wait” or to leave aside for the time being what our Christian commitment demands, so we don't crash into another situation.

When in the Gospel Jesus talks about following Him He usually refers to the following we all Christians, as baptized people we are, must accomplish, and not only about some specific following through Consecrated Life.

We all are called by Him to follow Him, to offer our lives through our vocation or our profession.

This Sunday's Gospel which is read in every Mass recalls this when some people approach Him and offer to follow Him, “but” before they do so they ask Him to allow them “to end up some issues”, like saying goodbye to the loved ones, accompaning their parents in their last moments, etc., and Jesus will talk about the “urgency” of following, of parting with many non necessarily harmful things, and about following Him at once, here and now, in the scene where we move, not delaying this commitment, which in the end is with Him.

When faced with this calling many times we Christians have “many buts”... Of course we want to follow Jesus, don't even mention it!!

• But first we need “to make sure” our economic situation, and the fact that “following Jesus” and His teachings will make us a little more “generous”...
• But first we have to “make sure” our political, economical, professional career, and many times being a practicing Christian doesn't help in doing so...
• But we are limited, God understands, we'll do it step by step, suddenly leaving behind everything which holds us back in this follwing makes no sense...
• But as long as God doen't ask me such and such thing,
• But..., everybody does..., we must match the current time, as if Faith, moral, etc. would change according to modern times...

In short, “there will always be a but” if we don't fully decide to surrender to following Jesus and his teachings, which many times will collide with what the remainder will take for customary, as a way to go, as the “normal” thing, and so we prefer to “wait” or to leave aside for the time being what our Christian commitment demands, so we don't crash into another situation.

If we call us Christians, followers of Jesus, this demands from us total, serious dedication without “buts”, without delaying, without “looking behind” once we have “put our hands on the plough”, as Jesus tells us in the Gospel.

Let's become aware of the many people who are expecting us to show a firmer and immediate commitment, there are people who cannot await “our” times, Jesus Himself asks us to follow His times, and let us dedicate our lives “right here and now”.

Father Oscar Pezzarini
General Commissioner of the Work of Don Orione in Argentina

Father Oscar Pezzarini makes us think with his reflections in "Diálogos de Buena Fe" the radio program of the Felices los Niños Foundation on Radio Belgrano, AM 950 kHz, Saturdays and Sundays from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m.
Little Cottolengo Don Orione 0800-333-6746 in Argentina or +54 (11) 4268-7722 from abroad.

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