Wednesday,
November 06, 2019
31st Week in
Ordinary Time
1st Reading:
Rom 13:8-10
Gospel: Lk 14:25-33
One day, when large crowds were walking along with Jesus, he turned and said to them, “If you come to me, without being ready to give up your love for your father and mother, your spouse and children, your brothers and sisters, and indeed yourself, you cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not follow me carrying his own cross cannot be my disciple.
“Do you build a house without first sitting down to count the cost to see whether you have enough to complete it? Otherwise, if you have laid the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone will make fun of you: This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’
“And when a king wages war against another king, does he go to fight without first sitting down to consider whether his ten thousand can stand against the twenty thousand of his opponent? And if not, while the other is still a long way off he sends messengers for peace talks. In the same way, none of you may become my disciple if he doesn’t give up everything he has.”
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
Because the Lord wants total commitment he requires from his followers full awareness of the implications of their decision to follow him. The obvious implication is a serious assessment of one’s capacity to love, since love is Jesus’ marching order to all followers. Many have been misled because love has various adulterated forms. Among these are erotic love, the so-called interested love, the calculative love and the clannish love. These are not legitimate expressions of the greatest commandment. The Lord requires no less than the pristine form of love called ‘agape’. The cost can be life itself because love in its pristine form is “laying down one’s life for one’s friends”.
The implications are shocking. Have you heard of any punishment for hardened criminals worse than crucifixion? Be ready to be crucified if you want to follow Jesus. In fact the day you follow Jesus’ footsteps you already embrace the possibility of crucifixion by carrying a cross on your shoulder. Is there any society that does not hold family as great treasure? Be ready to give up even your families if you want to follow Christ. You cannot even look back to your loved ones the day you begin following Jesus.
Jesus laid down these frightening requisites as early as recruitment stage because he does not want halfhearted followers. The Book of Revelations gives us the measure of God’s dislike for half-baked disciples: “Because you are neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you.” (Rev. 3:15). – (Atty.) Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., J.D., D.M., M.M.Ex.M., M.A.P.M.
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