Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Luke (9: 51-56) in which Jesus, knowing his time to be taken up to heaven draws near, resolutely takes the road to Jerusalem.

Fr Paul notes that, as we begin the later half of Luke’s Gospel and as Jesus heads to Jerusalem, we will hear Jesus teaching about the difficulties and challenges of being a disciple.  Right at the start of this Gospel, Jesus teaches that a disciple must not be surprised by, nor take revenge for, simply being rejected.

As we hear, the Samaritan town refuses to offer Jesus and the disciples hospitality, which is, basically, a statement of hostility.  So, the placing of this teaching right at the start of the instructions to the disciples acts as a warning to them.

For our reflection today, Fr Paul asks us to consider, ‘How do I respond when I am rejected in some way, shape or form? Is there something from this Gospel, and Jesus’ teaching that I can learn from and take to heart?’

At the conclusion, Fr Paul says a big thank you to the anonymous donor who sent him two new t-shirts – he wears one today and, stay tuned, the other will be featured later in the week!