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Gospel: Luke 9: 57-62
As Jesus and his disciples were proceeding
on their journey, someone said to him,
“I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus answered him,
“Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,
but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”
And to another he said, “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.”
But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead.
But you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.”
And another said, “I will follow you, Lord,
but first let me say farewell to my family at home.”
Jesus answered him, “No one who sets a hand to the plow
and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Someone once said to me, “Father, you may be the only bible a person ever reads.”
People often learn about Christianity through its followers – the way we speak, the way we live, and the way we treat others.
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Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, a man who lived his life by the bible he read.
Born into a wealthy Italian family in the 13th century, Francis left everything behind in order to follow Jesus.
Literally.
One sunny afternoon, in the middle of the public square, a teenage Francis stood before his bishop and declared his desire to spend his life in service of the Church. So, the bishop instructed Francis to renounce his father’s fortune and to promise obedience to him and the Church.
On the spot, Francis removed his clothing and placed all of his money on top.
Naked, he professed his faith – and lived it out for the rest of his life.
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On his deathbed, Saint Francis said to his followers, the first Franciscans, “My brothers, I have done what was mine to do. Now you must do what is yours to do.”
While that looks differently for each of us, the call is the same: live out your faith, not only in word, but above all by action.
You may be the only bible a person ever reads.
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Image credits: (1) Pinterest (2) Saint Francis, DeAgostini, Getty Images (3) Forget Him Knot