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Gospel: Luke 14: 25-43
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,
anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions
cannot be my disciple.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Every parent can attest to the challenge of raising a child. Looking back, I’m sure you could all tell heroic stories of all-nighters, unexpected bills, endless chauffeuring, calming fears, and the heartbreak that comes when your child’s heart breaks.
If parents knew ahead of time the pain and sacrifice that parenting requires without also seeing the immeasurable joy it brings, then this world might be childless.
But any parent who’s sat at a graduation, walked your son or daughter down the aisle, or held your newborn grandchild in your arms can say, “It was worth it.”
All of the pain of parenting disappears when you see the bigger picture and watch your child succeed.
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You might say the same thing about renewing a parish.
Witnessing the growth we’ve experienced as a community, seeing people discover or return to their faith, and the authentic joy of those participating in our faith formation program – both catechists and children alike – makes all of the hard work worth it.
The same dynamic is true with putting God first in our lives. Yes, it’s a hard decision. Yes, it requires sacrifice.
But when God comes first, everything else comes together – marriages are strengthened, children have a lasting foundation, our hearts become filled with wisdom, joy, and peace. We’re even assured of life to come.
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In today’s Gospel, Luke says, “great crowds are traveling with Jesus.”
Luke gives the impression that there are many different types of people following the Lord – as is still the case today – those fully committed, those interested, and those that are just curious to see what all of the hype is about.
While on the journey to Jerusalem, Jesus stops, turns, and delivers a wake-up call, as if he’s breaking up the party to determine who’s really serious about following him versus who is not.
He might as well hold up a big sign with bold red letters: “Hard decisions ahead. Not for the faint of heart.”
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Everyone in the crowd wants to be associated with Jesus, certainly while he’s teaching, healing, and forgiving. But he warns them that the time will come when they have to choose between him and other people or priorities in their lives.
As he says in today’s Gospel, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother… even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”
Let’s not allow the meaning of this command to get lost in modern translation. Jesus never commands us to hate; rather, this verb means, “to choose one thing over another.”
It’s an action, not an emotion.
There comes a time when we have to choose Christ over other people or things. Often, more than once.
It’s then – those moments of decision – when discipleship either becomes a deeper-rooted commitment, or a priority that gets wedged out by other good, albeit less important, things in life.
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Today we celebrate Catechetical Sunday, inaugurating another year of faith formation.
All of us are here today because, to some extent, we’ve already started doing what Christ has asked of us.
We’ve chosen to be here at Mass, as opposed to being at home, at work, on the sports field, at the grocery store, or wherever else life may have taken us. It’s not always an easy decision, but it’s one that we’ll be invited to make again.
Yet I can say this with certainty from my own experience – the more we put God first in our lives, the happier and more fulfilled we become.
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Perhaps these are the questions that Jesus is posing to us today:
As families, are you ready to continue your journey with Christ? As catechists, are you willing to prioritize your ministry over other opportunities? As a parish, are we willing to support these children spiritually and financially as they grow in their faith?
I’m convinced of this: there is nothing more important in the Church today than handing on our faith to the next generation.
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It’s time to count the cost. It takes a village to raise a child in the faith.
Much like a man who builds a tower or a king who goes into battle, we must be willing to see our commitment through, lest we lose the battle or end up with a half-constructed faith life.
May God bless our efforts – and the year ahead – as we continue our journey together.
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Image credits: (1) Christianity.com (2) Crosswalk.com (3) Indian Currents