WHO DO WE PUT FIRST?
Jesus counted the cost and said "Yes" to His
Father's will. We, too, must "count the cost" and be ready to follow
Jesus on our "way of the cross" if we want to share in His glory.
Today's Gospel sounds
pretty shocking. It is disturbing to hear Jesus say that His followers must
turn their backs on father, mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters.
The words of Jesus reflect a typically Hebrew way of speaking by exaggeration in
order to make a point very forcefully. The point He wants to make is that there
shouldn't be anyone in our lives who will be able to turn us away from Him,
even if that person is someone very close to us. Jesus must come first in our
lives.
Yes, Jesus uses strong
language to make clear that nothing should take precedence or first place in
our lives over God. Jesus knew that the Way of the Cross was the Father's way
to glory and victory over sin and death. He counted the cost and said
"Yes" to His Father's will. We, too, must "count the cost"
and be ready to follow Jesus on our "way of the cross" if we want to
share in His glory. What is the "way of the cross" for you and for
me? The cross involves sacrifice, the sacrifice of laying down our lives each and
every day for Jesus. What makes such sacrifice possible and "sweet"
for us is the love of God poured out for us in the precious Blood of Jesus
Christ.
I think we can
understand this teaching of Jesus when we remember His equally forceful
teaching that we must love one another. But love does not mean giving in to
another person when our faith is involved. A long list of martyrs throughout
the history of the Church bear witness to the fact that even life itself must
be sacrificed in order to remain faithful. St. Paul had the same teaching in
mind when he wrote to his beloved people of Philippi: "Do everything
without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent,
children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation"
(Phil 2:14-15).
Without daring to
judge the personal guilt of anyone, we should acknowledge that we too live in
the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. All around us we see wealth and
prestige canonized; we witness the disintegration of marriage and the family;
we see the sanctity of human life disregarded. We must not let things of
corruption affect us. We must remember that God is our God, not money, or power
or personal gratification. We must recognize that our devotion to God calls us
to be unselfish and generous in our relationships with each other. We are
called to live as children of God beyond reproach in the midst of a crooked and
perverse generation.
The love of God
compels us to choose who or what will be first in our lives. As Jesus
challenged His disciples to examine life, He continues to challenge us as well.
Jesus' way to glory and power is opposite the world's way of glory and power.
The choice is ours.
Do we put God first?