Christ’s words and teachings are often counter-cultural and counter-intuitive. He often goes against the grain and defies what is accepted as conventional wisdom. He tells His disciples to be last if they want to be first, to be forgive those who hate them, to lose their lives if they want to keep it.
Christ also used a lot of ordinary things and conventional wisdom in proclaiming His message of love and forgiveness. His parables are about ordinary things in life: a sower going out to plant seeds, the Good Samaritan chancing upon a victim of robbery, a Father doting on his son. He uses examples from everyday life: the lilies of the field, the birds in the air, tress and branches, wines and wine skins, salt and light.
In today’s Gospel reading, He speaks of something becoming more and more real in my life these days: growing old. How growing old will mean someone dressing me up and leading me to where I want to go or even where I don’t want to go. I used to be involved in grandiose projects and today, my greatest project is tending my small garden. I used to lead and manage hundreds of people. Today, it is a good day if I can convince Jonathan and Jane to join me for a walk. I used to work long hours. Today, I get really tired after our morning walk. I dread the day when someone will have to hold my hand when I go for a walk.
Still in all I am happy. And I still greet every morning with excitement, even though I know it will be another ordinary day. I have memories and moments stored to make me smile even through the most boring or the most difficult days ahead. I just pray that the Lord accompanies me through the rest of my journey as He always had. He knows what life is all about and has a simple advice to anyone who would want to come to the fullness of life: “Follow me.”
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.
“Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger,
you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted;
but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands,
and someone else will dress you
and lead you where you do not want to go.”
He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.
And when he had said this, he said to him (Peter), “Follow me.”
John 21, 18-19