In today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus challenging us to give up our possessions and desires and dedicate ourselves to the work of the Gospel. “Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple”– Luke 14:27.
The call for us to take up the cross and follow Jesus is not something easily understood especially so when we do not recognise the “possessions” that we have amassed in our lives.
Notice how we wrestle with difficulties to overcome obstacles trying to give up these possessions to follow Jesus as his disciple? Only when we have an understanding and knowledge of the value of who we are, will we know that these possessions are nothing compared with the treasure that God has given us.
Is it in our heart’s interior desire to follow Jesus like his disciples or to acquire something we deem as important – be it material, spiritual or intellectual? Unless, we desire to make a change, with humility and purity of heart, we will not be able to understand how to become a disciple of Christ. “Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” – Matthew 18:3 Jesus tells us that if we do not give up the part of us that seems all important and knowing, we will not be able to follow him.
Jesus calls us to decide to get out of our ordinary lives to a whole new orientation in our everyday lives. Our intentions are unstable and the thought as to how to make sacrifice in our lives to become a disciple of Christ completely overwhelms us.
We may think that the word “disciple” means to be only a follower. To be a disciple of Jesus, we are called to live our relationship as a child of God. To take up the cross requires us to be present to God with our mind, our heart and our strength, in every aspect of our lives. When we begin to have this sense of faithfulness and desire in building a relationship with God our Father, we will see how it can transform our lives.
Written by:
Ministry of Lectors