First Reading: Bread for the Journey by Henri Nouwen
Emptiness
and fullness at first seem complete opposites. But in the spiritual life they
are not. In the spiritual life we find the fulfillment of our deepest desires
by becoming empty for God.
We
must empty the cups of our lives completely to be able to receive the fullness
of life from God. Jesus lived this on the cross. The moment of
complete emptiness and complete fullness became the same. When he had
given all away to Amma, his dear Mother, he cried out, "It is fulfilled".
(John 19:30). He who was lifted up on the cross was also lifted up into
the resurrection. He who had emptied and humbled himself was raised up and
"given the name above all other names." Let us keep listening
to Jesus' question, "Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?"
These
are the inspired words of Henri Nouwen.
Gospel:Luke
14:28-35
Large
crowds followed Jesus. He turned to them and said, "If any of you come to
me without turning your back on your mother and your father, your loved
ones, your sisters and brothers, indeed your very self, you can't be my
follower. Anyone who doesn't take up the cross and follow me can't be my
disciple."
"If
one of you were going to build a tower, wouldn't you first sit down and
calculate the outlay to see if you have enough money to complete the project?
You'd do that for fear of laying the foundation and then not being able to
complete the work - because anyone who saw it would jeer at you and say, You
started a building and couldn't finish it. Or if the leaders of one country
were going to declare war on another country, wouldn't they first sit down and
consider whether, with an army of ten thousand, they could win against an enemy
coming against them with twenty thousand? If they couldn't they'd
send a delegation while the enemy is still at a distance, asking for terms of
peace."
"So
count the cost. You can't be my disciple if you don't say goodbye to all of
your possessions."
These
are the inspired words of Luke, disciple of Jesus.
Homily: The Call of Discipleship by Dennis McDonald
“Large
crowds followed Jesus”. This isn’t
the first time we hear of the crowds gathering, coming, following Jesus. The Sermon of the Mount, the loaves and
the fishes, the people overwhelming him looking to be healed are but just a
few. But in this reading, Jesus,
rather than teach them, feed them, or heal them, challenges them. If they are going to follow him they
must be willing to give up everything including their families and their
possessions. He is looking for
disciples, for those who are willing to risk their lives in bringing about the
kin-dom of God.
In other
forms of this reading the word “hate” is used, which is very strong and
disturbing. Tony Lawless shares that the Greek word, “miseo” in more closely
translated as “to renounce one choice over another”, leading not to feelings of
anger or disgust but more a sense of sadness in making the choice. Remember the young man who asked Jesus
what he needed to do to follow him.
The response was to sell all of your possessions and follow me. And the young man walked away sad. Perhaps you’ve had an experience like
this, when you had to choose someone over someone else. The decision is not easy, and there is
hesitation, questioning of whether it’s the right thing to do. In the end the decision is not made
with a sense of happiness but with sadness and perhaps even regret. There is a mixture of sorrow and anticipation
that comes as you embark upon the
new journey with the other person.
In this
case, Jesus is on a mission, he doesn’t have time to deal with people who are
just along for the ride, who are tagging along for the show. He has a message to deliver and a way
of life to live and needs to show how the world can be different for those who
are treated as outcasts, those who are seen as less than. He is striving for a change of the
culture in which he lives, attempting to bring about a world of equality for
all people. A world in which those
who are downtrodden come to recognize the divine spark that is within them, to
realize that they have a right to a better life where they are treated with
respect and dignity. If this
dream is to become a reality, Jesus needs total commitment of the disciples who
will join him, will walk with him no matter the cost. They cannot be looking back, having divided
allegiances. It is all or nothing
if you decide to follow the path that Jesus has laid out.
That same
path is laid out before us today.
We are called to be disciples of Jesus and to turn our life over to the
cause of equality and justice. The
reality is that we are still trying to bring about the Kin-dom of God. We live in a world that is still filled
with injustice, with the haves and the have not’s. As we read the news or listen to the 24 hour news cycle we
hear of war, we hear of hateful language and threats being thrown at people
seen as different, as less than. We
see the living hell that immigrants are caught in, chased from their own
country, rejected by other countries, left to wonder where and when they might
have a place to call home again. The
list could go on and on, and we could each name an injustice that causes us
anguish and anger.
And so,
Jesus turns to us and asks: Are we
up to the call of discipleship? Are we willing to drink from the cup that he
offers? Are we ready and able to
speak truth to power? Are we ready
to face the consequences of our actions? Are we willing to give up everything
to follow him and his mission?
Are we
confident that like Jesus, we will be fulfilled in a life of discipleship?
Jesus turned all over to Amma, and in so doing was blessed with new life in the
midst of death. His challenge was
answered by disciples who continued his clarion call for justice and
equality. Let us hear that call
and reflect on how we can best respond as today’s disciples of Jesus to heal
our world and bring justice and equality to all.
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