SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS FOR
 05 SEPTEMBER 2010, SUNDAY, 23RD ORDINARY WEEK, CYCLE 2
BY REV FR WILLIAM GOH, SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR, CATHOLIC SPIRITUALITY CENTRE (CSC)
COPYRIGHTS RESERVED.

CHOOSE GOD ABOVE ALL ELSE TO FIND TRUE PEACE, JOY AND FREEDOM

SCRIPTURE READINGS: WIS 9:13-18; PHMN 9-10, 12-17; LK 14: 25-33
http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/090510.shtml

How many of us are serious about being disciples of Jesus?  Have we counted the cost of being His disciples?  Are we just among those in the crowd, or are we those that can be counted on as followers of Christ?

Indeed, today’s scripture readings are directed at those who are mediocre disciples of the Lord.  Why are we Christians?  Why did we convert?  Is it simply for cultural reasons, for the sake of convenience, or simply following what everyone else is doing?  Or are we His disciples because we truly believe that living the life of Christ will bring us true joy and happiness?

The price of joy and happiness in Christ is heavy. Have we counted the cost?  The parable of today’s gospel warns us that if we fail to consider the cost, we might find ourselves unable to live up to what we have decided. In the face of difficulty, we might backtrack and find ourselves unable to finish what we set out to do. 

What then is the price?  This question must be asked before we take on Christian discipleship. To follow Jesus means that there is no room for compromise or concession!  With God, we either give our lives to Him completely, or we keep them for ourselves.   Jesus, as the Son of God, demands from us total obedience and complete surrender of ourselves.  To choose anyone or anything else before Him would be to make that person or thing our god.

Hence, within this context, we are called to hate our relatives, people who are closest to us.  He said, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters … cannot be my disciple.”   Why did Jesus say that we must 'hate' our families? Such strong language used by Jesus underscores that nothing should take precedence in our lives over God.  Yes, we must detach ourselves from our loved ones, lest they become obstacles to our following Jesus. To put our loved ones before fulfilling our duties before God is to give them a higher priority and devotion than God, who alone deserves all our devotion and love.

Secondly, we are called to hate ourselves.  Jesus said, “If anyone comes to me without hating his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”   Again to hate ourselves means that we must always put ourselves last in our relationship with God and with others.  We must be servants of God and then servants of men.  We are called to love and to serve wholeheartedly, subordinating our interests for the good and service of others. Only in giving ourselves to others and to God, do we find ourselves.  Necessarily too, we must practice mortifications and penance so that we can be rich in virtues and goodness.  We must discipline ourselves, lest we fall into the temptations of the evil one.  Without penance imposed on ourselves, we can easily become attached to the world.

Thirdly, we are called to renounce all our possessions: “Anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”  Not only must we not allow persons to distract us from fulfilling our duty to God, we must make sure that material things, wealth, pleasure, convenience and comfort do not lead us away from God.  We must remember that things are transient, compared to the eternity of God.  Realizing that these things are passing, we do not hold on to them, but use them for the good of humanity and for our growth in virtue.

Fourthly, the first reading reminds us that to be a disciple, we must measure all decisions in the light of God's commandments.  We are called to walk the right path. The author of wisdom tells us, “And scarce do we guess the things on earth, and what is within our grasp we find with difficulty; but when things are in heaven, who can search them out? Or who ever knew your counsel, except you had given wisdom and sent your holy spirit from on high? And thus were the paths of those on earth made straight. “

Fifthly, the straight path required of discipleship is also the narrow path.  It is the path of suffering, the way of the cross.  Hence, in the gospel, Jesus said, “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”   Indeed, we must carry our own cross first, before we even think of carrying the cross for Jesus. 

What are our own crosses?  These are our attachments to persons and things.  These are the crosses that come about because we refuse to let go and put God first in our lives.  Sometimes, these crosses are the consequences of our foolishness in following the world, such as living a life of sin, dishonesty, greed, gossiping and backbiting. Most of all, the crosses come when our will crosses the will of God.  Instead of assenting to His divine will, we insist on our own will.   So before we can even think of carrying the cross for Jesus, we must first carry our own crosses patiently, cheerfully and courageously.  That is why He did not ask all to carry His cross but our own!

However with special grace from God, the way of the cross would involve the sacrifice of laying down our lives each and every day for Jesus’ sake.  It means speaking the truth in and out of season, working for justice, doing good, serving the poor and marginalized, proclaiming the truth about Christ and His gospel, even when persecuted. This is the ultimate cross and is only given to those who have been chosen. 

Being a Christian of course is not just about carrying the cross.  We carry the cross in view of the joy that lies ahead of us.  Let us see everything in perspective and in the light of eternal life.  Let us, as the author of Wisdom invites us, seek the counsel of God since we lack wisdom and understanding.  Reading the Word of God daily, spending time in prayer, will help us focus and to live wisely.

Already in this life, those who follow Jesus will find true freedom and joy.  We have the example of St Paul who could detach himself from Onesimus, who was like a child of his, and who had been of great service to him whilst he was under house arrest.  Paul could have kept him for himself, but he knew that Onesimus should rightly return to his master.  Paul was free to let him go.  More than this, Paul accepted the cross for Christ.  As the reading tells us, he was suffering patiently in prison for the love of Christ Jesus.  Although suffering, he was really a free person because he suffered in Christ.  With Christ in him, his heart remained free for love and service, even though he was physically under house arrest.  Of course, we know that Paul was motivated by Christ’s love for him, for he said, "We are not our own.  We were bought with a price" (1 Cor 6:19b, 20).   That price is the precious blood of Jesus Christ shed for us upon the cross to redeem us from slavery to sin and death.

That is why we are thankful to Jesus for being the true model of obedience to the Father’s will.  Jesus knew that the way of the cross was the Father's way to glory and victory over sin and death. He counted the cost and said 'yes' to His Father's will.  He did not succumb to evil and to temptation.  The way to glory is through humble service.  In His death, He showed to man where true freedom lies, namely, in obedience.  We, too, following them, must "count the cost" and be ready to follow Jesus in the way of the cross if we want to share in His glory and victory.   To place any relationship or any possession above God is a form of idolatry.  We must surrender ourselves totally to Jesus in all that we do.  Only then, we can be assured of true and interior happiness.

Finally, we must pray to the Holy Spirit as the first reading tells us, since He is the Wisdom of God.  In the Holy Spirit too we will experience the love of God that has been poured into our hearts. (Rom 5:5).  When we experience His love the way Paul experienced the merciful love of Christ for him, we too will be ready to suffer and die for Jesus since, as Paul said, “he loved me and gave his life for me.”  (Gal 2:10)  Indeed, the love of God compels us to choose Christ as the most important person in our lives.  In the final analysis, let us be clear that without His special grace, we will not be able to surrender our lives completely to Him.  Only one who is so loved by God and experienced that love so deeply will find the strength to give up everything for Him.

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