Are you a disciple of Christ TODAY’S GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE LK 14:25-33 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 Luke brings out a very important part of what Jesus is looking for in a disciple. First and foremost understand that Jesus was in no way telling us that you had to hate your family and friends. In translation from Hebrew to Latin to English the only word that is found to match the impact that Jesus was creating is the word hate but not in the earthly way. Think about a man who steps forward to be a priest. He must give up everything, his earthly possessions and relationships to live a chaste life in complete service to Christ. But does this man hate anyone, of course not; he loves and cares for them each day. But, his main issue in life is the love for Jesus and to work for Jesus. What Jesus was telling the potential followers was that his task was so great, it was going to be a 24/7 journey to reach out across the lands, to heal the sick, to bring hope to the masses, that no one could do it part time, it was a fulfillment to the prophecy. Today, many read these passages and feel the call is too great to serve Christ and therefore abandon him. Nothing could be further from the truth. Christ needs all of us, some he needs to carry a greater share, but none the less, he needs the contributions of all us in doing his works, spreading his teachings and spreading his love to all. Does not a teacher on Sunday school give praise to The Lord in such a way as the Priest who oversees the parish? Of they do, and Christ spreads His Grace to both equally. Service to Christ can be as simple as spending time with a lonely child or taking an afternoon to volunteer in a food bank. So find some time in your life to include service to Christ in a way befitting what He is asking us to do.
Posted on: Sun, 08 Sep 2013 12:13:52 +0000
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