A Reflection by Fr. Manasseh

09-04-2022Weekly ReflectionFr. Manasseh Iorchir, VC

Two Sundays ago, we heard Jesus admonishing His followers to enter the Kingdom of God through the narrow gate. By this, Jesus revealed that only the difficult and costly way of discipline can lead to eternal bliss. In the Gospel passage this weekend, Jesus teaches on the cost of discipleship, that is, what one would necessarily need to forego in order to successfully navigate life under the banner and standard of Jesus.

In Luke’s account of the cost of discipleship, Jesus makes “hatred” of father, mother, siblings, indeed one’s family, the first and necessary prerequisite for discipleship. In Biblical covenant context, the term “hate” does not denote deep-seated feelings of resentment, but rather actions which demonstrate one’s loyalty or disloyalty to an overlord. The person who loves his Lord is loyal and faithful to him while the one who hates him exhibits acts of rebellion and disloyalty against him. Jesus is simply saying that anyone who would be reluctant to displease the most proximate relatives when they run in contradiction to Jesus’ standards has effectively made the choice to forgo discipleship. The disciple is expected to place Jesus and His standard over and above self, personal desires and fillial relationships and, if need be, be willing to break family ties if one’s family opposes the call of Christ on one’s life. No one should literally stop loving their family, though, because love of God and love of neighbor are the summation of God’s law, and one’s family certainly qualifies as one’s neighbor.

If the demand to hate one’s family sounds shocking to us, Jesus made a more outrageous demand of His followers. “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” Here, Jesus makes it an absolute requirement for the intending disciple to not only accept suffering, persecution and shame for the sake of the Kingdom, but to willingly and patiently bear it in daily imitation of Christ.

Following Jesus will cost you everything you have. If there is anything or even anyone you cannot give up because of Jesus, you are not ready for discipleship. The path to salvation requires us to renounce self, family and material wealth, and rather embrace the difficult way of suffering and discipline in order to attain the true liberty and disposition that is needed to truly imitate Jesus. A notorious attachment to sin and the things of this world that has not been severed by a superior love of God will certainly hinder discipleship.

Let us ask the Lord to fill our hearts with deep love that will make detachment from worldly encumbrances realizable and the humble imitation of Christ easier.

Please be kind and may God bless you.

Fr. Manasseh