Sunday, September 4, 2016
Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
“…everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.” – Luke 14:33
In today’s gospel, Jesus tells us what we must do if we wish to be his disciples. There are some difficult sayings here.
Take up our crosses, he tells us. Renounce our possessions. Hate our family.
Hate?
Perhaps what it means is to make Jesus the center of our lives. Our main focus. Number One.
All I know for sure is that it got my attention. And Jesus really wanted to get our attention here, wouldn’t you say?
Perhaps Jesus is asking us here to make a firm decision to be His disciple. To follow Him all the way, not in any kind of lukewarm fashion, but with total commitment, regardless of the price.
We will have to carry a cross. We will have to renounce our possessions. We will have to put God first in our lives and in our hearts. Even first before our families. We will need to surrender all to God.
Seems like every time I am ready to give all to the Lord, I end up taking some of it back again. This stuff isn’t easy.
But then we cannot do it by ourselves. And we cannot expect to be perfect at this discipleship business. We can only pray and put ourselves out there the best we can. And hope Jesus holds on to us. Which of course, He will.
St. Francis de Sales said it well – “Lord, I am yours and I must belong to no one but You.”
Shall we make that our prayer as well?
Catholic Prayer Life 
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