THIRTEENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR
‘Once the hand is laid to the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God’
Anyone who has ever attended the National Ploughing Championships will understand the image used by Jesus in todays’ Gospel when He tells His disciples that once they put their hands to the plough they must not look back. No ploughman ever ploughed a straight furrow while looking back over his shoulder. He must not be distracted by what he has left behind. Jesus calls His followers to persevere in commitment. He doesn’t want lukewarm service. He invites them to a pilgrimage, not a parade; to a fight, not a frolic. He makes it clear that without commitment there is no depth in anything. In other words, we must not look back and say why, but rather look forward and say why not? Looking back brings you regrets; looking forward brings you opportunities. Your destiny will never be found in the rear view mirror! As President Lyndon B Johnson reminded the American people just one week after the assassination of John F Kennedy in November 1963: ‘Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose’. The Christian marches forward to shape the future with hope
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