Daily Gospel Reflections for Sep 30, 2026

SPEAKER_1 (0:26)

Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God. September 30th, 2026, Memorial of St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church. A reading from the Holy Gospel, according to Luke.

SPEAKER_2 (0:56)

As they went on the way, a certain man said to him, I want to follow you wherever you go, Lord. Jesus said to him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky have nests. But the son of man has no place to lay his head. He said to another, Follow me.

But he said, Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus said to him, Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But you go and announce God's kingdom.

Another also said, I want to follow you, Lord, but first allow me to say goodbye to those who are at my house. But Jesus said to him, No one, having put his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for God's kingdom.

SPEAKER_1 (1:51)

The Gospel of the Lord 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.

The man who approaches Jesus sounds sincere, I will follow you wherever you go. It is a strong statement, the kind of promise we might expect Jesus to welcome immediately. Yet, Jesus does not praise him or assure him that everything will work out. Instead, he gives an answer that sounds almost discouraging. Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the son of man has nowhere to rest his head.

Jesus wants this man to understand what he is offering before he makes the promise. Following him is not simply agreeing that his teachings are good. It is not joining him only while the journey feels meaningful, rewarding or secure. Jesus has no permanent place to call his own. His mission requires him to keep moving, and anyone who chooses to follow him must be prepared for a life that cannot always be arranged according to personal comfort. We can easily make the same promise as the man in this Gospel. We tell Jesus that we want to follow him. We pray for his guidance and ask him to lead our lives. But often, hidden inside that prayer is a picture of how we hope he will lead us. We want faith, but we also want stability. We want to trust God, but we would prefer to know what happens next.

We want to surrender our plans, as long as what God asks does not disturb too much of what we have already built. Jesus does not condemn our desire for security. A home, steady work, financial stability, family, familiar routines and plans for the future are not wrong.

The problem begins when our need to protect these things becomes greater than our willingness to follow. Him. We may start saying, Lord, I will follow. You, but not there. I will forgive, but not that person. I will serve, but only when it fits my schedule. I will trust. You, but first, show me how everything will turn out. That is when faith becomes conditional. Jesus' own life shows something different. He goes where the Father sends. Him. He meets people others avoid. He accepts rejection. He continues. His mission even when people misunderstand. Him. Eventually, that road leads to Jerusalem and the cross. There is nothing comfortable about such a path, yet Jesus never turns away from the Father's will.

Most of us will not be asked to abandon everything overnight. The cost of following Christ often appears in ordinary decisions. We may need to give someone our time when we would rather be left alone. We may have to admit that we were wrong. We may need to walk away from something that is pulling us away from God. Sometimes, we may have to wait when we desperately want an answer. At other times, God may lead us into a season we never planned for. In such moments, the question becomes very simple. Do we still follow?

The man said, I will follow you wherever you go. Jesus asks him to understand what wherever really means. It includes roads we would not choose for ourselves. It includes uncertainty. It includes sacrifice. It includes days when following Christ brings no immediate reward, and when we cannot see where. He is taking us.

Yet, we do not walk these roads alone. Our security is not found in knowing every turn ahead. It is found in knowing whom we are following. Jesus does not promise. His disciples an easy journey. He gives them something greater. He gives them. Himself.