Peter began to say to Jesus, “We have given up everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come. But many that are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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“Master, we have given up everything and followed you.”
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On the surface, Peter’s right.
Unlike the rich young man, who walks away from Jesus “sad, for he had many possessions,” Peter and the others have left their boats, their homes, even their families, in order to follow Jesus.
That’s a huge sacrifice.
But the Christian journey – yours and mine – comes at more than just a physical cost; we also must part with things we carry in our hearts.
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For example, Peter and the others are still carrying their pride.
Just a few verses prior, Jesus catches them arguing over who is the greatest. At this point, they’re still interested in titles and seats of honor, not in suffering or persecution.
Although they’ve left everything behind physically, the disciples are still works in progress, spiritually.
In that sense, discipleship is total commitment of mind, body, heart, and soul.
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Who or what have I parted with in order to follow the Lord?
Like Peter, are there parts of myself that I’m still carrying, which I need to leave behind? Think in terms of pride, fear, the desire for control, or our ego?
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As we journey along the path of surrender, may Peter’s words one day become ours in the fullest sense:
“Master, we have given up everything and followed you.”
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Image credits: (1) Old Boat at Dawn, Olga Beliaeva (2) The Pain PT (3) Adobe Stock
As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother.” He replied and said to him, “Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” At that statement, his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the Kingdom of God!” The disciples were amazed at his words. So Jesus again said to them in reply, “Children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.” They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For men it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Corporal Jason Lee Dunham was serving with the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines Regiment, during the Iraq War.
On April 14, 2004, his convoy was responding to an attack that happened in a nearby town. Other Marines responded first, detaining several vehicles and suspects. When one of the suspects tried escaping, Corporal Dunham engaged the man in hand-to-hand combat.
During the fight, the suspect pulled the pin out of a grenade and launched it at a group of Marines. Dunham threw his helmet and his body on top of the grenade, shielding his fellow soldiers from the explosion.
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Eight days later, Corporal Dunham died from injuries sustained … at the tender age of 22.
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Today we honor all the men and women who, like Corporal Dunham, never returned home from combat. They offered themselves for the life of our nation: for our families, our children, our freedom, and our future.
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Stories like Corporal Dunham get to the essence of what Christianity is. As Jesus himself says, “There is no greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
Jesus did it. Dunham did it. We should do it.
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While we cannot offer ourselves for the life of the world as Christ did, nor may we be drawn into combat as Corporal Dunham was, we are all called to offer ourselves for the good of others, often in ordinary ways.
How do I give myself away for the good of others?
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May Corporal Dunham and all who sacrificed themselves for us find rest in Christ, who first loved us and gave himself for us.
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Image credits: (1) Congressional Medal of Honor Society (2) VA News, VA.gov (3) ECWA USA
The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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A few years ago, there was a 70-year-old woman from northern Italy whose name was Marinella Baretta.
Marinella’s neighbors called the police after trees from her unkept garden started creeping over her fence into their yard.
So, the police went and knocked on her door. But, after no answer, they entered and found Marinella sitting at her kitchen table.
She had been dead for more than two years.
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Such a sad story reeks of injustice.
The loneliness that Marinella must have experienced. The absence of her neighbors. The neglect of society at large captured by a phone call to police – not about the wellbeing of an elderly neighbor, but about a few branches creeping into their yard.
Such behavior begs the question – in fact, the first question human beings ask God in the bible: “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
It’s a question that we as Christians must still answer: “Are weour neighbor’s keeper?”
Are we in any way responsible for those like Marinella – the abandoned, the forgotten, the elderly, the lonely who need a phone call or a visit?
Not by police, but by a fellow neighbor concerned about that person’s wellbeing.
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Perhaps this story hits home because of the fear and loneliness that some of us have felt, albeit to a smaller degree.
It’s that hollow feeling you get after scrolling through social media for hours on end; the disappointment you feel when no one likes your profile or post on Facebook.
The eerie sound of silence in an empty nest; the lack of a phone call; even the absence of God’s voice in prayer.
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So, what’s the one thing really missing from Marinella’s story?
Love.
By our very nature, we are relational beings. We need other people. We need to feel affirmed, appreciated, understood, as if we are “number one” to somebody.
It’s why the first pillar of our parish mission is, “Building Community.” We believe that life is precious; that every soul matters; that every person belongs here.
Above all, that we are made in the image and likeness of God, who is a relational being.
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Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Trinity, the truth that God is One in three Persons.
This belief is what makes Christianity utterly unique. No other world religion claims that God is both one and three.
While the Trinity is ultimately a mystery – who really can understand the inner life of God? – it also makes logical sense when considered through the lens of love.
As Saint John writes, “God IS love.” Not that God is capable of love. Not that God might love you. But, “God IS love.”
And if God is love, then God must be One in Three, because there is the Lover, the Beloved, and the unbreakable Bond they share.
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Think about this in the context of marriage.
A marriage requires three different components: there is the husband, the wife, and the love that binds them. But if you asked a happily wedded couple, “How many are you?”
They would say, “We are one! One in mind. One in body. One in heart.” That marriage mirrors the Trinity.
Having a best friend is similar.
In order to have a best friend, there must be two friends, and the friendship that binds them. But, again, if you asked them, “How many are you?”
They would say, “Nothing can separate us. We are one!”
They, too, reflect the inner life of God.
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This is why the story of that older, Italian woman, Marinella, is so painful.
At the end of her life, she appeared to be an island; a solitary soul disconnected from humanity; a relational being made in the image and likeness of her God, yet lacking any tangible sign of love.
It’s why initiatives like our Outreach Ministry matter so much.
We care for the hungry, the homebound, and the homeless, because we recognize that we are a trinitarian people, fashioned in the likeness of God who is One in Three.
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On this Holy Trinity Sunday, we’re invited to do three things:
Affirm those who love you; give thanks for that bond.
Connect with the disconnected.
And spend time with the Lord, who longs for your heart.
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As Saint Augustine reminds us, “Our hearts are restless, O LORD, until they rest in you.”
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Image credits: (1) Wikimedia Commons (2) Avelino Calvar Martinez, Fine Art America (3) Unsplash
