Thursday, September 8, 2022

On the Twenty-third Sunday

Thomas a Kempis wrote in The Imitation of ChristJesus has many who love his kingdom in heaven, but few who bear his Cross (Lk 14:27). He has many who desire comfort, but few who desire suffering. He finds many to share his feast, but few his fasting. Many follow Jesus to the breaking of bread, but few to drink the cup of his passion. Many admire his miracles, but few follow him in the humiliation of his cross. Many love Jesus as long as hardship never touches them. Many praise and bless him, as long as they are receiving comfort from him.

In today’s Gospel Jesus says words that were quite shocking to his hearers and to us too. “If anyone comes to me without hating father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes, and his own life, that person cannot be my disciple.” (Lk 14:26). What are we to make of such an extraordinary statement? Don’t we have an incomprehensible contradiction here? Is this the same Jesus who tells us to love our enemies, now tells us to hate those most important to us?

It is obvious from the overall context of Luke’s gospel that Jesus could not mean for us to literally hate our parents and brothers and sisters, and those close to us. Nor does he mean for us to hate our own lives. No, “hate” here means detachment. It’s not an emotional response, he calls for undivided loyalty to himself above family loyalties. We are called to have love and compassion for every single person, no matter who they are or what their relationship may be to us. We are bound to love our family members – not only them but those of our wider family. In not recognizing those other ‘family members’ we fail in being disciples of Jesus.

On the other side, there are those who will do anything for others, but nothing for their own family. For different reasons, some people totally alienate themselves from their family and will have nothing to do with them. Such behavior is as much against the Gospel as making one’s family the beginning and end of all living. That is certainly a kind of hate that Jesus is not promoting.

What does Jesus mean by “hating our own lives”? Are we supposed to consider our lives as worthless, having no meaning? People who feel this way end up taking their own life because it becomes a source of unbearable pain and suffering. I find it interesting that in a society such as ours, which has so much to offer, many people find themselves feeling desperately lonely, empty, and hopeless. Self-hatred is transferred to hatred of others and expressed in fear, intolerance, anger, and violence. The increase of mass shootings in this country is an unfortunate illustration of this.

In the next saying, discipleship is defined by following Jesus and “carrying the cross.” “Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (Lk 14:27). This indicates that giving-up self-interest and competing loyalties are central to discipleship. The following of Jesus is radical. There is no compromise.

The two brief parables that follow illustrate how to count the cost. The first presents a landowner building a tower on his property. (14:28-30). If the landowner has not estimated how much the tower will cost, and realizes that he doesn’t have the money, it’s possible that the project will remain unfinished. He then suffers humiliation and ridicule from all who see his unfinished structure.

The second story is about a king about to go into battle, who assesses the number of his troops and realizes that his enemy has twice as many troops. The wise thing to do would be to negotiate with the enemy before they meet in battle. This parable makes the same point as the previous one. Don’t start unless you have counted the cost and considered the likelihood of success or failure. The scripture scholar, Wilfrid J. Harrington, commenting on this passage writes, “The twin parables drive home the lesson that discipleship does involve commitment; it cannot be undertaken thoughtlessly. The following of Christ is at all times a serious business. He who comes to Christ must come with his eyes wide open.” (The Gospel According to St. Luke, a Commentary.)

The passage ends with Jesus saying, “None of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions” (Lk 14:33). Is he asking us to be homeless and dependent on others for all our needs? What he is saying is that our lives cannot be determined or manipulated by inordinate attachment to material things. Renunciation here means not only material possessions, but also possessions of the heart. The practice of detachment, of letting go, even of health and life itself, is what will bring us freedom to be a disciple of Jesus. Anything that lessens that freedom is to be “hated.”

I would like to close by continuing the quote from The Imitation of Christ that I began with.    

O how powerful is the pure love of Jesus, free from all self-interest and self-love. They who love Jesus for His own sake, and not for the sake of comfort of themselves, bless Him in every trial and anguish of heart, no less than in the greatest joy. And were he never willing to bestow comfort on them, they would still always praise Him and give Him thanks.

Homily by Father Emmanuel.