I WILL FOLLOW WHERE YOU LEAD

There was a great song by Carole King back in the 70’s or 80’s with those words as part of the refrain. It was a love/relationship song, not a religious one; but it can easily be applied to our lives as disciples of Jesus. The question for us: are we willing to follow where HE leads?

Where You Lead isn’t the title of this year’s Lenten Mission, but I think it captures the spirit of what Br. Casey Cole, OFM, plans to share with us during this weekend’s masses and in his talks on Sunday and Monday nights. His topic is discipleship with a focus on the question: What does it look like to follow Christ today?

The world in which Carole King wrote her song was defined by a “do your own thing” mantra. Sadly, it seems to me, that attitude defines our own time in spades and makes those previous decades seem mild by comparison. For far too many people in this generation, truth is defined by whatever I consider to be true; morality is determined by whatever makes me happy, often with little consideration for how my behavior impinges on the happiness or freedom of others; seeing how many people are “following” me on Twitter is way more important than following the One who is the way, the truth and the life.

But for those of us who believe in Jesus, the most important truths aren’t debatable and morality isn’t defined by our personal happiness. Jesus is the one who leads us in the way of truth, justice, compassion and forgiveness. Jesus is the one whose Gospel shapes the moral world in which we live, even when the rest of the world seems to be heading in the opposite direction. Jesus is the one in whom we place our faith, trusting that he is always leading us where we need to be. We desperately need to anchor ourselves firmly in Him, especially when we are surrounded by a “do your own thing” secular culture and when our Church is challenging us to embrace a spirit of renewal so that the Gospel can be proclaimed more effectively in and beyond each of our parish communities.

What does it look like to follow Christ today? Hear what Br. Casey has to say at mass today. Come back here to church Sunday night and Monday night at 7:00p.m. to find out if the answers he offers to that question can help YOU follow where Jesus leads. He needs faithful disciples today just as he did when he began his ministry on this earth so long ago. He needs each of us to say “yes, I will follow where you lead.”

Fr. Bob

P.S. If you haven’t done it already, check out Br. Casey Cole’s YouTube videos under the title Breaking in the Habit. If you do, you’ll definitely want to see him in person!