NB. I could not preach my way out of a chalk circle tonight for some reason. . .
23rd Sunday OT
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
OLR, NOLA
Among
the conveniences of modern life like no-fault divorce, no-receipt
returns, money back guarantees, it may be hard for us to grasp fully
what Jesus means when he says that we must hate our parents, our
family, and renounce all of our possessions in order to follow him.
This demand for all-in commitment, for there's-no-going-back
dedication can sound unnecessarily harsh, uncompromising even. Why
can't we try on being a disciple for a while and see how we like it?
Just dip a toe in and see if the water's right for us? All this
hating family and friends and giving up our stuff seems a bit over
the top! Who else asks this kind of commitment from us? No one! With
just about everyone we meet and everything we do, there's an Exit
that allows us a clean, guilt-free get-away. We're allowed to divvy
up our time as we see fit; parcel out our energy according our needs;
juggle various activities and people as we like. Almost no one is
going to dare demand of us 100% of our time and energy. We need the
option of backing out, the option of saying, “Sorry. Not today. Got
better things to do.” Unfortunately for us, our Lord dares to
demand 100% of our time and energy b/c he gave himself for us on the
Cross. We belong to him – time, energy, attention, heart and mind.
Being
a disciple of the Lord is no cake-walk. In his own day, many who
followed him ran off when his demands for allegiance got – shall we
say – bizarre. That time he told the crowd that they had to
eat his flesh and drink his blood to have eternal life. How many ran
away that day? When he got arrested in the Garden, even his most
devoted disciples denied him and fled. Even Peter the Rock dodged the
guards with lies and swift feet. If the men and women who knew him
best can't stay faithful when the feces hits the oscillator – what
chance do we have? Well, the best chance we have of staying faithful
is to be 100% faithful from the beginning, doing everything in our
power to stay firmly rooted in the Gospel and given over wholly to
the mission of Christ. We do this by having nothing else and no one
else standing between us and Christ. Not family. Not friends. And
certainly not our stuff. This doesn't mean that we have to actually
feel hatred for mom and pop, or burn our things in a bonfire of the
vanities. It does mean that we love Christ first and then love
everyone and everything else in light of our love for Christ.
Easily
said. Not so easily done, I know. But consider: that we are able to
love at all is a gift from God, Who is Love Himself. When I say that
I love my mom and dad, I am also saying that I love God b/c God is
Love. He makes my familial love possible. Knowing this and living it
are two very different things. I know that God is Love, and that I am
capable of love only b/c God loved me first. But how do I live this
truth? If I attach my God-given love to people and things w/o regard
to what God wills for my life, w/o thinking about how loving these
people and things affects my holiness, then I am attaching myself to
temporary people and things. If we become what we love – as
Scripture teaches – then I too become temporary, not destined for
eternal life in Christ. However, if I attach my love to Christ first,
then love my parents, friends, and things as Christ loves me, I can
say that I am loving in a divine love – sacrificially, eternally
with my heart and mind focused on holiness. When Jesus warns us about
the dangers of building a tower w/o a solid foundation and taking on
an enemy king w/o proper planning, he's warning us to put First
Things first. He comes first. Or not at all. And that's how we manage
to stay faithful when the things start to fall apart.
When
we lose the people and things we love, we don't fall apart; that is,
we don't if we have loved them all through Christ first. He endures
when nothing and no one else can. We are still capable of love. And –
in Christ – we are still loved. Our work toward holiness can
continue, and our life in mission endures.
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