Leaving everything behind for Christ
Introduction
The task of the disciple is double, says St Paul: Let God do his work in you, and bear witness to the world. If they can do that, the work of Paul among them will not have been in vain.
Jesus stresses that Christians must follow Him radically, 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 Philippians 2:12-18
My beloved, obedient as you have always been,
not only when I am present but all the more now when I am absent,
work out your salvation with fear and trembling.
For God is the one who, for his good purpose,
works in you both to desire and to work.
Do everything without grumbling or questioning,
that you may be blameless and innocent,
children of God without blemish
in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,
among whom you shine like lights in the world,
as you hold on to the word of life,
so that my boast for the day of Christ may be
that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.
But, even if I am poured out as a libation
upon the sacrificial service of your faith,
I rejoice and share my joy with all of you.
In the same way you also should rejoice and share your joy with me.
Responsorial Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14
R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation
One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
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
The invitation to the Kingdom is free. However, our response demands some sacrifice. Jesus cautions us that unless we are willing to give the highest priority to him, we cannot be his disciple. No other preference—parents, children, siblings, job, even our own life—can stand in the way of Jesus’s absolute primacy. If the invited guests (in yesterday’s gospel passage) were found wanting, it was because they gave first preference to their wedding, land, and oxen. For this reason, they were summarily rejected once and for all.
Paul advises us to love one another, and one who loves one’s neighbor fulfills the Law. However, even this neighbourly love must be subordinated to the love of Christ. Our love of the other must be routed through and rooted in our love of Christ. Without the centrality of Christ, our love may degenerate into possessiveness and idol worship. Let Christ alone be our first love and our last love, our alpha and our omega.
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!