Posted by The WORD in other words by Fr Samuel Agcaracar SVD – Divine Word Seminary Tagaytay
Saturday 7th Week of Easter
Today’s Gospel brings me to the fundamentals of discipleship that “to love Jesus and be loved by him is to ‘follow‘ him.” And in following him, we ought to avoid worrying about what others are doing or thinking or saying.
This attitude is reflected in Jesus’ answer to Peter on his question about John, which says, “What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours?”
Reflecting on the above answer of Jesus to Peter, the following questions are worth asking: When have I allowed myself to be pulled away from following him? Do I put much weight on the opinion of others? Or, do I quickly get irritated and disappointed by what others say of me? Furthermore, am I easily distracted by the success and failures of others?
The above questions also bring me to a line from the “Desiderata,” a poem attributed to American writer Max Ehrmann. The line says: “If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.”
Indeed, allowing our decision to follow the Lord to rest on others’ reactions, opinions, and success does not do us right. Today, I make a firm resolve to say: “Lord, when I keep my focus on you, I cannot go astray. You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life!”
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