Commentary on the Gospel of
God First
While I was doing my studies in theology, we had a professor of the treatise on Grace who tried to drive home the primacy of God thus: “If you do not mention the phrase ‘primacy of God’ in the final examination, I will fail you.” It goes without saying that during the examination, I mentioned the phrase as many times as I could and passed with flying colors! The vocational narratives in today’s gospel underline this primacy and priority of God in life. You cannot respond to the call of God in piecemeal fashion. Once we choose to respond, it must be absolute and irrevocable, with all other commitments and relations coming a distant second. Once we embrace the call, we must burn the bridges behind. Once we put our hands on the plough, we must not look back or turn around – unless we have been ploughing in the opposite direction to God!
