Following Christ With Total Commitment
Introduction
St. Augustine said: “Love and do what you want,” not to declare that in the name of love anything goes, but that if we truly love, then, we are ready to give our all to God and our neighbour. We will know what is right. And when love is no longer authentic, we will know too, and do what is to be done to remain faithful. This genuine love must be ready to follow Jesus without reservations.
Jesus stresses that Christians must follow him radically and consistently. They must know what they are doing. They may not stop halfway, but must look ahead. They must take their Christianity seriously.
1 Reading: Romans 13:8-10
Brothers and sisters: Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, You shall not commit adultery; you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not covet, and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this saying, namely, You shall love your neighbour as yourself. Love does no evil to the neighbour; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 112:1b-2, 4-5, 9
R. (5a) Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
or: R. Alleluia.
Blessed the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commands.
His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;
the upright generation shall be blessed. R.
He dawns through the darkness, a light for the upright;
he is gracious and merciful and just.
Well for the man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice. R.
Lavishly he gives to the poor;
his generosity shall endure forever;
his horn shall be exalted in glory. R.
Alleluia: 1 Peter 4:14
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you,
for the Spirit of God rests upon you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: Luke 14:25-33
Great crowds were traveling with Jesus, and he turned and addressed them, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion? Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him and say, ‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’ Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops? But if not, while he is still far away, he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms. In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”
Commentary
When Jesus speaks of “hating” family members and one’s own life, he is using a typical form of exaggeration in the interests of emphasis. We know well that any form of hatred of others is excluded in Christ’s ethic. What is true is that the pain of separation will be part of the disciple’s adherence to Jesus. It is as inescapable as is cross bearing. In discipleship one must persevere and stay the course. Therefore, it pays to weigh the likely consequences before undertaking the task. It is much the same as constructing a tower or waging a war. Without preliminary planning, one may easily find oneself unequal to the task of successful completion. Religious men and women say profess willingness and readiness to radical following of Christ. Priests do the same. We all do at the Sacraments beginning with Baptism. But often than not, our attitudes portray us as being neither ready nor willing.
Paul can readily say that love is the fulfillment of the law. Christ himself has placed love as the foremost of the commandments. The commandments of the Decalogue—against, for example, adultery, murder, or theft—are all rooted in love of neighbour. In short, if one places the love of neighbour at the center of one’s life, other elements of true Christian living will follow.
It is unfortunate that we attach gravity to many sins but brush violations of charity off as being insignificant. There is no virtue that the scriptures treat that even approximates the importance of love. When we think of the harm that is done and the pain inflicted by unkind speech and action, we realize that such actions carry considerable weight. In building our tower or waging our war, an ongoing and patient assessment is always necessary. Are we always ready and willing to follow Christ radically?
Blessing
We don’t love crosses and trials and we do not have to. But we love Jesus and he loves us. He says: if you love me, follow me, also when the road is rough, when our integrity as Christians demands sacrifices. May Almighty God bless you, the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!