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Jesus invited his disciples to "come
and see," to experience day-to-day
life with him. In these brief reflections on the Sunday Scriptures we
invite you to do the same.
Come and
See!
September 5, 2010: The 23rd Sunday
in Ordinary Time
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The Word…
Who can know God's
counsel, or who can conceive what the LORD intends?...
And scarce do we guess the things on earth,
and what is within our grasp we find with difficulty;
but when things are in heaven, who can search them out?
(excerpted from
Wis 9: 13-18B)
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…
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.'…
In the same way, anyone of you who does not renounce all his
possessions
cannot be my disciple." |
Pondering the Word…
“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?”
Sounds like a logical question…I wonder what Jesus
would say about credit cards and real estate speculation! These days, it is all
too easy to embark on a financial venture without having a clear idea of the end
cost. Sometimes, we can do that with our spiritual life as well.
This Gospel reading is a challenging one, and that is
precisely what Jesus intends: to challenge the “great crowds” that were
following him, and to challenge us as well. By using exaggeration and
hyperbole--we need to “hate” those persons closest to us and renounce all our
possessions--Jesus makes the point that nothing in our lives, not even our loved
ones, can take precedence over our relationship with God. The word “hate” is not
to be considered literal in the sense of how we interpret it today. Jesus uses
this strong word to make sure that, even though it might be exciting to be among
the crowds following him, we must strive to understand the cost of discipleship
before we make a commitment we can’t keep.
Which begs the questions, “What, then, are we to make
of the reading from Wisdom, which says that we can barely understand things of
this world, much less things of heaven? How are we to understand the cost of
discipleship when we ‘cannot conceive what the Lord intends’?”
Perhaps the hardest thing about being a
disciple—something even harder to give up than those we love or our
possessions—is our need to understand and to have control of what happens in our
lives. Renouncing our own will and our desire to know the “reasons why,” in
favor of what God has in store, can be the most difficult thing we encounter
when we set out to follow Christ.
This is the question we need to ask ourselves as we
calculate the cost of true discipleship: “Do I have the resources, the strength
to put aside my own will and let God be the architect of my life?”
Living the Word…
The “tower of discipleship” we set out to build is a
life-long project. We work at it each day, sometimes building it up, and
sometimes having to tear down a bit, through sorrow and contrition for mistakes,
so that the tower can remain stable and true.
But unlike the man in the Gospel deemed foolish
because he lacked resources to complete his project, our resource is a stockpile
of grace, which can only be accessed through daily prayer. Even if we are set in
the foundation of the sacraments, we will not be able to build a strong “tower”
without praying each day for the strength to see and live God’s will for us.
Daily prayer need not be complex or even
time-consuming. When I am distracted or overwhelmed, I find a fervent and
heartfelt “Our Father,” with special emphasis on “thy will be done” is far
better prayer than going through the motions of a half-hearted, unfocused
reading of the daily scripture.
Give yourself the time and the pure luxury of prayer
each day. It is a gift you certainly deserve!
“Prayer does not change God, but changes the one
who prays.”
(Sören Kierkegaard, slightly adapted)
Elaine Ireland has a passion for working with
parents and anyone who struggles to maintain a sense of God’s love and peace
amid the day-to-day challenges of life. She has a master’s degree in Spiritual
and Pastoral Care from the Pastoral Counseling department at Loyola, Maryland,
with a focus on developmental psychology and spiritual guidance. Rooted in
Ignatian spirituality, she is a writer, retreat and workshop leader, and
presenter on topics such as pastoral parenting, “letting go,” and finding the
spiritual in the midst of everyday life. She lives in Ellicott City, Maryland
with her husband, Mark and children, David and Maggie.
We hope you
enjoy "Come and See!"
and we welcome your input. Please contact Elaine Ireland at
ehireland@loyola.edu
with questions, comments, and responses.
© 2009, Elaine H. Ireland - Images@FaithClipart.com
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Up to 6 weeks of "Come and See!" reflections are
saved here.
The latest is always listed first.
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