Readings: Wisdom 9:13-18; Philemon 9-10,12-17; Lk 14:25-33.
The Demands of Christianity
1. As Christians, we must carefully consider and deeply think about our faith before saying ‘yes’ to it. All are called, but only a few can live it out as demanded by the master. Christ showed, through his life and teaching, the danger of discipleship. “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” (Matt. 8:20). To his disciples, he said: “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Lk. 9:23). We are called, not to do what we want (our will), but to do God’s will and follow Christ, even to the Cross.
2. Paul reminds us to “Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a Cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8) Peter invites us to be like Christ in this exhortation: “Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. He bore our sins in his body upon the Cross, so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness.” (1 Peter 2:21-22, 24). And John reiterates: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (Jn. 15:13). Christ encouraged us to stay strong because whatever we endure now, he went through it first: “If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.” (Jn. 15:18).
3. Today’s gospel warns: “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.” (Lk. 14:26-27). This means Christ must come first in all our deliberations, relationships, and decision-making. No loyalty to any person on earth should be stronger than our loyalty to Christ. For all that we are, and all that we do must be done through Christ and for Christ. My life in the church, society, and workplace must be directed by my love for Christ. It is not about me! It should not be about me; it should be about God because my life belongs to God. I belong to Christ in life and in death. And that is what we pray at every Mass: “Jesus, I love you, all that I am is yours, yours I am, yours I want to be, do with me what you will.” To be a disciple means to choose Christ always. Christians must adopt a standard of living that is different from that of the world.
4. In the second reading, Paul asked Philemon to forgive Onesimus, his slave. Onesimus defrauded his master and ran away but was caught and sent to prison, where he met and assisted Paul. Through this encounter, Onesimus was converted to the faith. Paul urged Philemon to take Onesimus back, not as a slave, but as a brother in Christ. “So, if you regard me as a partner, welcome him as you would me.” Loving and forgiving, as Paul asked Philemon to do, is difficult. We cannot do it on our own. Our humanity will get in the way. Our self-righteousness will influence our judgment. Our sense of entitlement will darken our vision, and our ego will raise its ugly head like a sore tooth. And so, we must cry out to God for help. Hence, the first reading urges us to seek divine wisdom. “Who can know God’s counsel or conceive what the Lord intends? 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.” (Wisdom 9:13-18). Without wisdom and guidance from above, we cannot please God or do His will.
5. These readings demonstrate that it costs not less than everything to be a disciple of Jesus. So, we must ask ourselves these questions: Do I have what it takes to be a Christian? What am I prepared to give up? What Cross must I carry to follow Christ? Have I chosen Christ above and beyond all else? Do I love myself less and Jesus more? Who do I find difficult to forgive? Who do I hold in my heart and refuse to let go? Am I bearing a grudge to the point that it negatively affects my relationship with Jesus and others? Jesus is asking me to surrender myself to him. He wants me to unquestionably accept God’s will. Is this too hard for me to do? Many have done it and are still doing it. They sacrificed everything for the sake of the gospel. They gave up parents, families, brothers, sisters, and even their lives. Yes, whoever wants to be my disciple must hate his very self, or the person is not worthy of me. The disciple must be a good follower and a lover of people. He should know that it is all about Christ and not the self. This is total self-giving! It is saying, ‘Yes’ totally and completely to God, like our Mother Mary did, “Let it be done to me according to your word.”
6. Dear friends, this is the cost that must be calculated and the resources that must be expended. Being a true disciple is tough! It is hard work that must be carefully planned and assiduously executed. On our own, it will be a task impossible to undertake. But with God, all things are possible. And so, we must seek the wisdom of God. We must listen and allow God to speak to us more when we pray and not tell God how good we are. God knows who we are! We must be committed to our sacramental life. We must examine our consciences honestly and go to confession regularly. We must consider the needs of others and seek ways to help them. We must not be too hasty in talking about the faults of others. We all have our own share of shortcomings and limitations. Let us listen to our brother James “My dear brothers and sisters: everyone should be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, for the wrath of a man does not accomplish the righteousness of God.” (James 1:19) Advising one another is good but let it not be hastily done. Let us be patient, ask the right questions and hear from both sides. Let the advice be given out of love and for the common good. If we genuinely desire to follow Jesus, these are the steps we must take. This is the planning we must undertake, the mansion we must build, and the war we must fight. May God help us with his wisdom to do what is right and good before him. Amen.
Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP
No comments:
Post a Comment