Summer time and the livin’ is easy, according to the song. We might be tempted to think that applies to the spiritual life as well. After the discipline of Lent, the triumph of Easter, the intensity of Pentecost you might think that we’re due a break, a time for a little less drama. Can’t we just take our feet of the pedals and coast a bit as we move into ordinary time? Well, the scripture readings for this Sunday suggest otherwise. In fact, the gospel for today launches us into Jesus’ great quest. St. Luke creates the theme that will dominate his telling of the Jesus story: the journey to Jerusalem where he would confront his destiny and live into his suffering and death and resurrection. “When the days for Jesus’ being taken up were fulfilled he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem.” For the past several months or years Jesus had been moving from town to town, preaching and healing, bringing good news into the lives around him. But now was time to take it to the next level. So he “resolutely determined” (I personally like the image the Greek used “he set his face like flint” instead of “resolutely determined.” You get a better picture of a man on a mission) to fulfill the vocation given him by God and go face the forces arrayed against him.
The idea of a quest is one that we are very familiar with. The oldest stories we have written down — which go back four thousand years — right up to present day tell of a hero who goes on a quest. Think of Frodo on his quest with the ring of power, of Indiana Jones seeking the Holy Grain, Moana sailing to find the heart of the sea, Dorothy looking for her way back home. St. Luke picks up a similar theme as a way of discovering what Jesus was all about. We know from the many tellings of the hero’s quest that that there are certain characteristics that happen on the journey. We will see how they play out in the story of Jesus. Then we apply those lessons to our own journey of faith – for while we may not be heroes, we are following in Jesus’ footsteps.
Obviously, every journey, every quest, has a beginning: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,” according to the Chinese proverb. Taking that initial step the hero might be be as reluctant as Frodo, as enthusiastic as Indiana Jones, as determined as Moana, as compelled as Dorothy. But they all set out. For Jesus, that initial step came because it was time – the days of fulfillment, St. Luke calls it. Our journey of faith might also have come to the point where we must set out in a new direction. It is so easy to caught up in the same old, same old. We’re doing pretty good, keeping the commandments, saying our prayers. We’re decent people. Remember another old proverb: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. For Jesus, doing pretty good was not enough. He set out on his quest to do more, to have a greater impact in bringing good news into a hurting world. Our desire to follow Jesus more closely comes with a similar motivation – not to remain content with being good but becoming better – more generous, more kind, more compassionate, more forgiving, more loving.
Inevitably the hero’s quest faces difficulty and opposition. Frodo must deal with the orcs, Indiana Jones with the Nazis, Moana with the elements, Dorothy with the wicked witch. Jesus had opposition just as he was setting out from the Samaritans but we know that the chief priests, scribes and Pharisees were the ones who pressed him every step of the way. The biggest lesson the hero draws from opposition is not to get discouraged or lose one’s focus on the goal. Keep your eye on the prize. In our own journey of faith the difficulty or opposition is not so much directed to us as individuals as it is the cultural atmosphere in which we breathe. (I wonder if we can look upon social media as modern day orcs!) In the news lately there have been stories about regulating guns, about doing away with abortion, about crime in the streets. Our journey of faith demands that we approach these issues not from the standpoint of whatever political tribe we happen to inhabit. Rather, we get our values from the gospel where every human being is precious, a child of God, made in God’s image and likeness and needs to be nurtured and cared for and kept safe every moment of their entire lives from beginning to end.
The other thing heroes on a quest have in common is that they acquire companions along the way. Frodo had Sam, Indiana had Senior, Moana had Maui, oh and Hei Hei the Rooster, Dorothy had the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion. Jesus had, of course, his chosen twelve companions including the would-be fire-throwing brothers James and John. But as the gospel text makes clear, not everyone could be a companion on the quest. Some were too used to comfort, some felt burdened by family obligations, some wanted to keep their options open. Following Jesus was going to demand something of them they were unwilling to pay. In our journey of faith we accompany Jesus in his mission to bring God’s love into the world. It will cost us as well, taking us out of our comfort zone. But we have a great advantage – one another. Because we as Church are on the journey as a community we can to lean on one another and together we will make it.
This talk of quests brings to my mind that most endearing of heroes, Don Quixote. In the play, The Man of LaMancha, he sings about the quest. “This is my quest, To follow that star No matter how hopeless, No matter how far… And I know if I’ll only be true To this glorious quest That my heart will lie peaceful and calm When I’m laid to my rest.” Following Jesus is not an impossible dream but the way to live passionately in this world. Our quest is a heart full of love.
