The Homily of Wednesday of the 31st Week in ordinary Time
Texts: Rom 13:8-10, Luke 14:25-33.
By Rev. Aghidi Emmanuel C.S.Sp.
Theme: STRIPPING MAKES IT LIGHTER
Yesterday’s reflection from Lk 14;15-24 reminds us of how Jesus gave an invitation to all but many gave excuses. In today’s text which is a continuation, it is opposite. Today, great crowds accompanied Jesus on his way. The word “Accompany” in Greek is sundevo (συνοδεύω) which expresses association especially on a journey. In this Gospel text, it represents “being with Jesus on his journey.” This “being with” is what metamorphosed into discipleship. Jesus is truly on a journey and perhaps the crowds wanted to journey with him. But then, Jesus turns around to speak to them. The same words he speaks to them, he speaks to us today. There is something very peculiar with the crowds. In the crowds, there are always some individuals who have a misconstrued understanding of the common object. When you ask them individually why they follow whom they are following, you will definitely find one or many who will tell you something far from the truth. It represents the personal sentiments that drive people which sometimes are different from the ideal.
WHAT EXACTLY DOES JESUS SAY?
Jesus understands very well how he has become an object of misconception. This made him, the great Teacher to translate his journey with the crowd into a brief classroom experience. He teaches them about the ideal. Jesus emphatically says unless an individual hates his father and mother, brother, sister, wife and his own life, such will not be able to be his disciple. The word “hate” sounds very harsh, but it is explicit in the text and I will tell you why later. Again, Jesus wants the crowds to know that it was going to end in ignominy if it is found out that they could not complete what they publicly began. To finally buttress this, Jesus conjectures the severe and terrible defeat of a king who goes into battle with another without having mercenaries that measure up to what the other king has.
WHAT DOES JESUS SAY TO US?
1. Just as the crowds were journeying with Jesus, we too are journeying with him in our Christian faith. Jesus calls us to evaluate our intentions as we journey with him. The first thing to do is this; It is very true that we cannot undo the relationship we have with these brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers and wives of ours, but then, Jesus wishes to say that not even something or someone as close to us as these people must come in between us and our following of Jesus. Jesus calls for total kenosis of our passions and inclinations. He wants us to strip off whatever that does not add up for our salvation. This is what he means by the word “hate.” It is the exact thing which he did on the cross. He hated his own life to the extent that it did not count it worthwhile to hold a grasp of it. He poured it all out.
2. Jesus helps to bring our minds to the shameful end of our inability to commit ourselves to following him to the end. The shame is in a grand style because professing Christianity is a public rejection of Satan, Sin and the cravings of this world that are not in congruence with the teachings of Jesus. To publicly deviate from the faith we profess is to invite ridicule. Jesus wants us to examine again what we understand by following him. There is no middle way in this journey. Stripping all breeds total commitment. At baptism we renounce Satan and all his works. But sooner than later we apologize to him for renouncing him and we begin to dine with him. This is evident in the ways we treat the poor, the less privileged, oppress and trample upon the rights of people just to get what we want.
3. Jesus calls us to examine our spiritual stamina as we battle against anything that fights hard to disconnect us from him. He reminds us to continue to fill our quiver with the arrows of his grace and mercy to be able to wrestle against Satan and his agents. We must bear in mind my dear friends, that the true Christian life is a life of continuous battle against Satan. He would do anything possible with our emotional attachments to pull us out. Jesus says today “STRIP THEM OFF.”
May the grace and power embedded in his words continue to sustain us in this journey through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.
