The gospel for the memorial of St. Francis of Assisi is taken from Luke 9th, chapter 57, verse 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. Jesus on a journey that he knows is the final stage of his ministry. And it’s clear that this ministry has consumed him completely. He has no rest. But what he wants so much is to ignite a fire in his followers that they have that same passion.

So they say, I want to follow you. And then he says, well, then, come right now. Come. Don’t go back and say goodbye to people. Don’t go back and close up something else. No.

When you see what you are called to be in me, through me, you will do it instantly. And you won’t look back. You won’t see how it’s going. You’ll just know that the direction is correct. Closing Prayer Father Enthusiasm is a quality that we are filled with. God, filled with his desire to heal, to bring peace, to bring hope to people.

Awaken this in us as fully as possible so that we can feel the importance of this message that we are asked to not just talk about, but to live it. To live in a world where we truly love those who are around us and truly want what’s best for them. And we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.