Summary: Jesus called people to follow him without delay. He warned that his path involved hardship and required full commitment, leaving behind all attachments, even family duties or past ties.
Gospel Acclamation: I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life. (John 8:12)
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.” He said, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.”