Gospel

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."
Reflection

The hidden message is that there is something demanded of us in terms of us responding to the life that God calls us to share with him. It is not without struggle, it is not without work. And one needs to sit down and figure out if they can do it. And what seems clear to me, he's saying, you can't do it.

You don't have enough to build a tower. You don't have enough strength to overcome evil. What he's trying to say, indirectly is, please let me open you to the resources that you do not see, that you do not feel, for they’re there constantly being offered to you.

Closing Prayer

Father, your desire to see us change and grow, participate with you in the salvation of all those around us. You are the source that is most important, keep us fixed on you, not on our strength, so that we can be the instrument you call us to be. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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