Great crowds were traveling with Jesus, and he turned and addressed them,
“If any one 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.”
Renounce to gain
1) Renouncing implies accepting that in life we can’t have everything. When you give something up, you’ll gain something else. It’s means letting go to obtain something. The person who doesn’t let go and doesn’t take a risk, thinks he has everything, but he doesn’t… and that makes him anxious. I’m not only talking about letting go of material things, but also, letting go of situations in life. We don’t have to let go all the time but, there are moments when we are going to make a change in life, and that’s why it’s so difficult to give up some things, people, and situations. We have the capacity to discern, and we must make a decision.
2) Disciple. Jesus points out the things you must give up to be his disciple; following Him implies leaving behind some things that you have firmly ‘fixed’ in your life, like aspects of your personality, habits, and certain friends. Walking along the path of your life with Jesus requires renouncing certain things, but you gain many others. The one I like most is “peace”.
3) The Cross. Throughout the process of learning to be Jesus’s disciple, He always tells us that there is a cross. Following Him doesn’t mean there’s no cross. There will always be a cross, but there is a “team” that will help you carry it and not drag it along. This “team” is the Church! Come on! Dive into life and let go of everything that prevents you from following Jesus. We will support and help you… we will encourage you and be there to welcome you. Let go of what imprisons you and makes you suffer, and let yourself be embraced by us, the Church. I’m not referring to the Church just as a formal organization, but by the people who follow Jesus in the Church; those who have experienced His love and mercy, and are there for you to show you a new way.
Come on! Remember Heaven is our goal!
God bless you in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
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