Why Change?
The opening word of today's Gospel are hard to comprehend. Jesus turned to the great crowd following Him and said, "If anyone come tome without turning his back on his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple."
The Gospel of today speaks of the radical change in attitude Jesus sets in front of us. What Jesus is really doing is giving His disciples a reality check. Are they willing to pay the price? Do they know the price of the change Jesus has in mind?
Jesus well knew the costs involved in change. We find them here in today's Gospel episode on the way to Jerusalem. There He would be spit on, laughed at, humiliated, tortured, and put to death in the most excruciating ways. It would change everything in our relationship with God.
I love my family, my father, mother, wife, children, grandchildren, ancestors of long ago as much as anyone, but Jesus is really saying that God, "Who is perfect love", has to be first.
If God is not first in our lives, then who or what is? This is the question we all must answer. What are we willing to sacrifice to keep Gad as number one in our life? Is this what Jesus was referring to when talking about turning our backs even on members of our family to be His disciples, to be able to follow Him wherever God leads us?
Another question I may ask, does God require us to go to Church to be His follower? If God is number one inn our lives that question is already answered. We will so desire to worship Him at Mass where Jesus presents Himself in a representation of His suffering, death, and resurrection and giving us Himself (Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity) through the hands of a priest-- a priest who gives himself totally to God so God can give Himself to us.
Maybe this doesn't answer the question in our minds about turning our backs on our own family to be a true disciple of Jesus, but let us not be fooled. Our love for Jesus must surpass all others and all things. If anyone or anything becomes a stumbling block to becoming a true disciple of Christ then we need to deal with these obstacles in our journey to salvation.
There's nothing automatic about our salvation; it makes demands on what we do, what we value, how we see ourselves, and how we relate to others. The demands are not easy but the rewards are not of this world.
We will all die to this world some day. We don't know when. In this world we all have our own crosses to bear as Jesus was given His own cross and He knew of it on His way to Jerusalem that day. While a large crowd was following Him he wheeled around and confronted them. He stopped them dead in their tracks and asked, "Do you really know what you're doing? Are you sure you are willing to follow in my footsteps? Did you count the costs? And are you willing to pay them?
Jesus wanted change and so did His followers. We also want change but find ourselves in the same old patterns. We treat our wives, husbands and children in the same old way all the while being upset with ourselves for doing it. We never seem to pray well. And when we pray it's most often due to misfortune and not when things are going well for us. How often do we thank God? Praise God? And ask God to help us be what He wants us to be.
Being a real disciple of Christ is a way of life that is demanding.
In human society we find demands in our professions, occupations, vocations or callings. These demands can cost you the loss of friends. Other will ridicule you, laugh at you, and scorn you for your values.
Let me give you a few examples.
- Being openly pro-life. Respecting all of human life from its first moment of existence until, in the end, returns to God.
- Having strong moral values in a world that clams you have a right to sensual pleasure and gratification first and foremost, in a world that tells us "anything goes so long as it's between consenting adults."
- Holding to the value that marriage is a lifetime covenant commitment between a man and a woman oriented toward having children and raising them to have strong character.
- Respecting God and taking Him seriously--listening to His voice, caring for the gifts He has bestowed on us.
One gift we all should be grateful for as Catholics is the priesthood. Those true disciples of Christ who have given themselves to God so God can give Himself to us in the Eucharist as I mentioned earlier.
God our creator wants each one of us to perform special individual functions in this world. With this in mind, if a person feels himself drawn to a particular calling from God that person ought to do everything possible to obey that calling. Each one of us has a calling from God and we must not be influenced by other, or maybe even by our own parents, who may pressure us to change our minds. To select something that is contrary to God's wishes often leads to failure and unhappiness.
As disciple of Christ we must not forget that His cross my be light one day and heavy the next and we must accept whatever God sends our way. Remembering always that life is one of service in all that leads to heaven. Our good example and life of generous love for God's children everywhere will lead many others to salvation. The reward will indeed be great one day.
What changes do we need to work on to become true disciples? Now is the time, right here in the presence of Christ Himself, God's greatest gift to mankind.
