The World of the Gospel
From the Holy Gospel According to Luke (14:25-33)
GREAT CROWDS were traveling with Jesus, and he turned and addressed them, "If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
"Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion? Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him and say, 'This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.
"Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops? But if not, while he is still far away, he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms.
"In the same way, anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple."
Nothing Less than a Wholehearted Commitment
Jesus knows only too well that many of the people traveling with him to Jerusalem hope to share in his worldly fame and glory. Aware of what awaits him there, he talks to the crowds about the cross. Crucifixion is the capital punishment imposed by the Roman conquerors on political offenders and condemned slaves. The Jews preferred stoning a criminal to death.
Jesus prepares the people for the possibility of a tragic confrontation between his true followers and the religious and political authorities. The need for reflection before deciding to be Christ's true disciple is presented in two parables. Just as a builder must see if he has enough resources to construct a tower, so must a king weigh the chances of succeeding against an opponent who has more troops under his command. In the same manner, the aspiring disciple must look into himself and see if he can detach himself from his family, his possessions, and his very life. He must also determine if he is strong enough to face persecution and suffering. Christ demands nothing less than a wholehearted commitment from his followers.
Taken with kind permission from The World of The Gospel column in Sambuhay, ST PAULS, 7708B St. Paul Road, SAV, Makati City, Philippines; Tel.: (632) 895-9703; Fax: (632) 895-7328; E-mail: publishing@stpauls.ph; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.
About the author:
Fr. GIL ALINSANGAN hails from Iloilo, Philippines and is a member of the SOCIETY OF ST. PAUL, a religious congregation of priests and brothers devoted to the apostolate of communications media. He was ordained priest in 1980. In 1989, he obtained his Licentiate in Sacred Scriptures (SSL) from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome.
The author is the editor of the missalette Sambuhay and of the biblical-liturgical diary 365 Days with the Lord. He also teaches New Testament exegesis at San Carlos Seminary Graduate School of Theology and Don Bosco Center of Studies. He is in the executive board of the Episcopal Commission for the Biblical Apostolate (ECBA) and the Catholic Biblical Association of the Philippines (CBAP). He has authored two books: In Peaceful Stillness, published in 2001 and The Gospel of the Cross, published in 2004.
