Today in Scripture

Luke 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, everyone of you who does not renounce
all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”

Such extreme words!!  Hate my family? Take up my cross?
Renounce all my possessions?
Well, that's one way to get a big crowd to disperse quickly!

Scripture scholars tell us that in this context "hate" doesn't mean holding a literal contempt for our loved ones, but the word Jesus used was an exaggerated way of saying, 'love God above everything and everyone else'. Don't let any person or any possession get between you and your relationship with God.

And Jesus seems to be trying to give these people a dose of reality. So many people following a renowned preacher, a miracle-worker .... like groupies to a rock star.  Think about what you're committing to, he tells them (and us) through these examples; if you are going to follow me, there's going to be some cost involved.

For Jesus and many of his early followers, that cost was their lives. For us today, the price may not be as extreme. Still, pockets of anti-Catholicism remain in workplaces and some communities that could jeopardize your livelihood or simply make conversations uncomfortable.  Now you notice that Jesus doesn't say, "go confront your oppressors," or "argue your Truth with them" - he simple says, 'know it won't always be easy, be sure you are ready for whatever comes, and keep God first in your life'. If we can have the humility to not have to prove ourselves or our beliefs to others, but stand firm and secure in living in the love of God, that's one way to carry our cross as his disciple.  What do you think?