23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time C

 He loved me and gave His Life for me 

Galatians 2:20

23^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time C

Wisdom 9: 13-18, Psalm 89:3-6. 12-14. 17 Rv.1. Philemon 9-10.12-17.,

What man can know the intentions of God?

Make us know the shortness of life, that we may gain wisdom of heart.

An old man now and still a prisoner of Christ.

None of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions.

Luke 14: 25-33

²⁵ Great crowds accompanied him on his way and he turned and spoke to them. ²⁶ 'Anyone who comes to me without hating father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes and his own life too, cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ No one who does not carry his cross and come after me can be my disciple. ²⁸ '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? ²⁹ Otherwise, if he laid the foundation and then found himself unable to finish the work, anyone who saw it would start making fun of him and saying, ³⁰ "Here is someone who started to build and was unable to finish." ³¹ Or , 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 was advancing against him with twenty thousand? ³² If not, then while the other king was still a long way off, he would send envoys to sue for peace. ³³ So in the same way, none of you can be my disciple without giving up all that he owns.

If you know love, you will understand

We have heard so many times that God is a loving God and sometimes we may get the impression that he is soft and easy going – lovey-dovey. Jesus is compassionate with those who suffer, merciful with those who repent and willing to sacrifice his life for us. But he was hard on himself and while understanding our weaknesses is uncompromising in his demands. He demands everything. The punch line of today’s Gospel is the last: none of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions. With Jesus it is all or nothing.

So he tells us, before you commit yourself to me sit down and work out the cost of being my disciple. Are you willing to pay the price?

Everyone who commits himself to some goal will have to pay the price – whether it is getting a career and money, or earning a name or power. Though they work hard their whole life are their achievements worth the effort? They earn money or power and their name may ring throughout the world. But is it worth the price? It will slip through their fingers like sand and is soon gone. The psalmist prays, ‘make me know the shortness of my life that I may gain wisdom of heart’.

It is passion, which drives a person. It may be passion for music, for literature, sport, exploration, even money and power. A person is gripped by it and nothing will stand in their way. They will lose everything for it. For love of a person we are able to give up everything and still sing and dance. Others cannot understand. To the ‘outsider’ it looks as if he or she is crazy to give up so much just to be with another person.

If we have really met Jesus then we will have this passion for him, a love that makes us throw away everything. Jesus tells us to sit down and count the cost – am I ready? I should ask, am I on fire with love for him? Is there a passion for him burning within me? If there is then I will not count the cost. In fact the more I can give up the happier I will be. Like Paul who could say: I am an old man now and I am still a prisoner of Christ and indeed for Christ as he awaited his trial in Rome. Paul is so great because the love for Jesus blazing in his heart was so great.

Have you met Jesus and fallen in love? Does your love for him urge you to give up everything for him? Or do you just believe that he is God become man to save us?

Father grant that the fire of love burn within me, for it is love that gives meaning to life.