"Lord, first let me go and bury my father. Then I will follow you.”

On life's journey more than once we find ourselves, and will find ourselves, at a fork in the road where we must decide to either maintain ourselves firm in our Christian convictions, or do that which is personally, socially, culturally or politically correct. In this sense, to follow Christ can cause us great distress, since it is not easy (and sometimes even seems unfair) to put, on the one side of the balance, such important human values as the family, responsibilities towards associates, even including our own personal safety, and on the other side put our commitment to Christ.

However, this issue is often misunderstood. For it doesn't have to do with abandoning the entire world and embarking on a fanatical religious life. After all, who is closer to God? One who locks themselves up in the church in order to pray day and night, and participates in nearly all the ministries, but is not capable of taking an interest in other people? Or one who, despite the daily job, takes the time to be a volunteer in a retirement home or an orphanage, taking these people, in addition to hope, a sincere smile?

Who is more Christian? One who learns the Bible by heart forwards and backwards, in order to point out other people's errors and judge them? Or one who, without ever having read it "loves his neighbor as himself"?

Who more closely follows Christ? Is it the one who feeds the hungry, gives drink to the thirsty, clothes the naked, helps the sick and visits the prisoners because that's what the church says to do? But when their mother or father, their children, their lover, their brother or sister, are hungry, thirsty, naked, sick or imprisoned, they abandon them to their fates?

I remember a certain time when my mother was very sick. She is diabetic and her sugar level rose so much that she had to spend several weeks in bed, with circulatory problems which threatened to cause gangrene in one of her toes, possibly requiring that it be amputated. Then I had to confront a dilemma the day of church service. Should I stay at home or go to church? Should I fulfill my family obligations or my obligations to God? Where could I be more Christian, sitting by my mother's bedside or kneeling in front of the altar? Choosing which fork in the road to take was agonizing. So I went to the Bible in search of help, and read and reread Mathew 8:18-23: “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Then I picked up my backpack and went to church.

At first the people close to me severely criticized my actions, even accusing me of being insensitive, a bad son. However, although my mother was very sick, I couldn't do anything that could offer her healing beyond physical, emotional and spiritual attention. Only time and the medicine could do that. Furthermore, she was not the only person in need. So, knowing this, I went to see if there were others who could be helped by my presence, my words, my actions. In the Bible spiritual infidelity is referenced and denounced several times. There are many definitions of infidelity, but I believe the most appropriate is "to not be there when most needed."

Who needs you most at this moment? If that place is with someone in your family, go ahead, be a good Christian. If that place is with someone who is not your family, go ahead, be a good Christian. Know that being a good Christian only manifests itself through love and compassion. And be careful to not be motivated by "what will they say", or other people's expectations. God doesn't want you to be where people say you ought to be nor to do exactly what people say you should do. Instead, the divine wish is for you to be in the place where God wants you to be, doing what God wants you to do.

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Matthew 8:18-23 [New International Version]
When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake.

Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him.

Source:
Soul Food Ministry ~ soulfoodministry.org

Marco Rubio 2006
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