The Cost of Being a Disciple

Scripture: Luke 9:57-62
57 As they were going along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." 58 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head." 59 To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." 60 But he said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." 61 Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." 62 Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

Reflection: It is a great challenge to follow Jesus. Many obstacles and distractions stand along our way to Him. Jesus knows this, but He is calling us anyway. His call comes with a warning though: that we should give up all that may cause us to place God as second priority. If God is not the most important person in our lives, then we are not true disciples. It really is a demanding call, but then God deserves to be number one in our lives. Jesus has given us all He could give, even His life until He has shed the last drop of His blood.Even to this day, Jesus continues to give Himself to us in the Blessed Sacrament, His Real Presence.

When God calls, He does not force us to follow Him. But He gives the grace and strength to us so we could respond positively. Loving God and being His disciples would require much from us, but we are assured that we will be filled with grace and strength to follow through and be true disciples. Love always requires sacrifice. Jesus showed that His Love made Him undergo the ultimate sacrifice... that of laying down His life for us. We may not be required to die for God, but to live for Him. Living for God will require us to give up any person, addictions, bad habits or any situation that is blocking us from God, and this will hurt. But again, we are always assured that it is God Himself who will give us the grace and strength to love Him as we should.

If we decide to say yes to God's call, it would be the best decision we will ever make. It is a decision that has eternal consequences, eternal life with God.

God seeks me...a sinner

Scripture:  Matthew 9:9-13 
9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax office; and he said to him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed him. 10 And as he sat at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"  12 But when he heard it, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  13 Go and learn what this means, `I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."

The Return of the Prodigal Son by Rembrandt

Reflection:  We are in great need of God's mercy. All of us are sinners and have offended God more often than we please Him. What a relief that God not only loves us but longs to bestow His mercy and forgiveness on us. The greater the sinner, the greater His mercy. No sin is too big for God to forgive, if only the sinner would run back to Him. 

I personally find comfort in the fact that Jesus' disciples are men who have many faults. That means that there is hope for us who have fallen and made mistakes. St. Peter, the head of the apostles had a quick temper and was too impulsive. He did not think before he act and often says or does things he would regret later on. He even denied Jesus three times. But Jesus made him the "the keeper of the keys" to God's Kingdom. That shows that Jesus trusted Peter regardless of his faults and weaknesses. Jesus can see beyond those and saw that Peter's love for Him would prevail in the end. St. Matthew who was a tax collector, the equivalent of today's corrupt politicians or even worse, was also called by Jesus via two words only: "Follow Me." That was enough for Matthew to turn his back on his riches, gave away all that was not rightfully his, and live a new life as God's follower. 

Jesus truly sees the good in us no matter how much we have failed Him in the past. He sees our hearts and our capacity for goodness and love. May Jesus help us to believe in ourselves as He believes in us. Let us not give up on ourselves because God surely does not. 

Who is your family?

Scripture:  Luke 8:19-21
19 Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him for the crowd. 20 And he was told, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you." 21 But he said to them, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it."

Reflection: We are all called to love our families and relatives, but we should not stop with them. The whole human race is God's children, and He calls us to love everyone outside our own families. All human beings are created by God and belong to Him as His children. Most of the time it is difficult to love and care for those who are not your family. But God desires that all His children, regardless of race or religion be in a loving relationship with one another and with Him. Always remember that Jesus died for each and everyone of us, without thinking if you are a Jew or Gentile, Christian or Muslim, black or white. Because of Jesus' sacrifice, we are all given the right to belong to God's family.

The right to be Children of God is offered to us, but we need to accept it. God does not force anything on us, he just invites and wait for your acceptance. How do we accept His offer? By being faithful to Jesus His Son and striving to please the Father in all we do just as Jesus did.

Called to be God's flashlight

from www.givingblessing.com

Scripture: Luke 8:16-18
16 "No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a vessel, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, that those who enter may see the light. 17 For nothing is hid that shall not be made manifest, nor anything secret that shall not be known and come to light. 18 Take heed then how you hear; for to him who has will more be given, and from him who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away."

Reflection: God is the origin of love. And His love is light to all the world. In God's goodness, He calls us to be bearers of His light. Just like a friend who always wants to do things together with his best buddy, God calls us to be His coworkers in bringing light to a world darkened by sin. We know we are unworthy, but who is worthy? Only God can make us worthy. And He is so gracious to invite an unworthy sinner like us to join Him in His work of spreading love.

May God give us the grace and strength to be his light bearers. And love bearers.