THE BEST INVESTMENT
What can we expect from being a disciple of Jesus Christ? The answer is:
everything!
What's the best
investment you and I can make? Today's Gospel presents us with a paradox: we
lose what we keep, and we gain what we give away. When we lose our lives for
Jesus Christ, we gain an eternal inheritance, a priceless treasure from our
heavenly Father.
St. Peter raises a
bold question in today's Gospel. Basically, he asks Jesus, "What's in this
for us?" There sure seems to be a lot of pain and persecution going on
here. Wow! It sounds like something that would easily come out of our own mouths,
today. But Jesus responds to Peter by pointing out that being a disciple is no
small task. A disciple of Jesus Christ must look at a bigger reality - be a
visionary of the truth and its future - just as Peter and the others had to
come to realize. We, too, by following Jesus, are placed in the midst of a
faith community, which expands one's world almost beyond imagination. In the
present day as well, there will be suffering and persecution, but that is so
little compared to what one gains in the community of faith. In the long run,
it leads to eternal life!
So what can we
expect from being a disciple of Jesus Christ? The answer is: everything! It's
why we call it the "Good News!" Christian living is not about instant
gratification. Instead, it's about faith and perseverance. In our Responsorial
Psalm we acclaim, "To the upright I will show the saving power of
God" (Ps 50:23b). "Gather My faithful ones before Me, those who have
made a covenant with Me by sacrifice" (Ps 50:5).
Rose Fitzgerald
Kennedy once wrote: "I have come to the conclusion that the most important
element in human life is faith... What I want to make clear is that from faith,
and through it, we come to a new understanding of ourselves and all the world
about us. It puts everything into a spiritual focus, if I may say it that way,
so that with love, and joy, and happiness, along with worry, sorrow, and loss,
become a part of a large picture which extends far beyond time and space"
(Times to Remember, 1974).
There is a bigger
reality!