The Gospel according to 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.”
REFLECTION: I don’t know about you, but at first site, Jesus’ words, in today’s Gospel passage, can shock one’s heart to the core. Hate your family — Carry your cross — Renounce all your possessions.
In a self-examination, on these stringent requirements that Jesus gives, how do you fit in?
In hate of family, Jesus points out that many, including family, will hate His followers because of their association with Him. But in following Him, and His commandments, we should turn that hate into love.
As I mentioned at the beginning, today is the Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola, a great contributor to help us reach our salvation. In one of his quotes, it says: “Man is created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by this means to save his soul. And the other things on the face of the earth are created for man and that they may help him in prosecuting the end for which he is created.”
This quote from St. Ignatius may help clarify, or put in a better perception, Jesus’ stringent requirement to follow Him. God needs to be above all and everything in our lives. We are to worship Him always! Give Him homage/reverence! And serve Him in everything we do!
I have been blessed to have participated in a 10 Week Ignatius Spiritual Exercises back in 2010 with my wife, and then in 2012, during the first 6 months of my first year in the diaconate formation. In both instances, I must admit, that although the commitment was difficult at times, the rewards at the end, we very enriching to my relationship with God.
As a contemporary follower of Jesus Christ, one must wrestle with the reality of following a radical, counter-cultural, Jesus Christ. His message and actions will not always be easy to follow or to transfer easily into our current time context. But we cannot let today’s cultural heavy anchor drag us down with it, and instead, get strength by recalling the words from Jesus in the Gospel of John, 14:6; “I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord; no one comes to the Father except through me.”
ACTION FOR THE DAY: Saint Ignatius of Loyola is one of the most inspirational figures in the history of the Church. As we honor Saint Ignatius, research about his life and conversion, and ponder on his initial conversion, that led to so much good fruit.
Then, ponder God’s will for your life today. As you do, learn from Saint Ignatius, and seek that path which leads to great joy, and ongoing spiritual peace and consolation.
AUDIO REFLECTION:
