First reading Romans 13:8-10
Your only debt should be the debt of mutual love
Avoid getting into debt, except the debt of mutual love. If you love your fellow men you have carried out your obligations. All the commandments: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not kill, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and so on, are summed up in this single command: You must love your neighbour as yourself. Love is the one thing that cannot hurt your neighbour; that is why it is the answer to every one of the commandments.
Responsorial Psalm 111(112):1-2,4-5,9
Happy the man who takes pity and lends.
or
Alleluia!
Happy the man who fears the Lord,
who takes delight in all his commands.
His sons will be powerful on earth;
the children of the upright are blessed.
Happy the man who takes pity and lends.
or
Alleluia!
He is a light in the darkness for the upright:
he is generous, merciful and just.
The good man takes pity and lends,
he conducts his affairs with honour.
Happy the man who takes pity and lends.
or
Alleluia!
Open-handed, he gives to the poor;
his justice stands firm for ever.
His head will be raised in glory.
Happy the man who takes pity and lends.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Luke 14:25-33
Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple
Great crowds accompanied Jesus on his way and he turned and spoke to them. ‘If any man comes to me without hating his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes and his own life too, he cannot be my disciple. Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
‘And indeed, which of you here, intending to build a tower, would not first sit down and work out the cost to see if he had enough to complete it? Otherwise, if he laid the foundation and then found himself unable to finish the work, the onlookers would all start making fun of him and saying, “Here is a man who started to build and was unable to finish.” Or again, what king marching to war against another king would not first sit down and consider whether with ten thousand men he could stand up to the other who advanced against him with twenty thousand? If not, then while the other king was still a long way off, he would send envoys to sue for peace. So in the same way, none of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions.’
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The cost of discipleship
The call of Jesus to hate might sound strange for us as we read the gospel passage of today. However, we need to remember that Jesus often used exaggerated language to shock His listeners and get His point across. Jesus is calling those who desire to be His disciples to love Him before all else. Jesus has to be our first priority and our primary love. When He is our first love, He is the one who will empower us to love others with His unconditional and faithful love. Are we, as Christians and disciples of Jesus, ready to take on this commitment?
Our commitment to God is a personal daily decision. Jesus used the parables of the builder and the king to illustrate the need for us to reflect on the seriousness of being a disciple and our readiness to stay faithful in our commitment to Him. May we not lose our enthusiasm halfway, but live our discipleship wholeheartedly to the end.
Question for reflection:
What does it mean to be Jesus’ disciple?
What does it mean to be Jesus’ disciple?
