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Luke:14:25-33
The mission statement of the parish I have belonged to for nearly forty years is, “Encounter Jesus. Be disciples”. When it was first published, I was skeptical. It seemed too open-ended. Over the years I have come to appreciate the simplicity and power of the statement.
Today’s gospel presents Jesus differently from the compassionate Jesus we read about who reaches out to those on the margins. His words today are harsh: “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.”
I like it better when Jesus says things like love your neighbor, bless those who curse you, do not judge, or blessed are the meek. I really like it when he gets specific: feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the prisoner. These are concrete things I can do
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So what do we do with today’s gospel?
Jesus was making a point. If you are going to follow him you have to be all in. It is not a part-time job. It means checking in every morning and every night. It means being careful in your judgments and nudges us to visit our elderly relatives and show up at the food pantry when perhaps we would rather do something else.
Following Jesus means living with an eye to the welfare of others, those we know and love and those we would rather not have anything to do with.
Jesus understood hyperbole and used it effectively. Sometimes we need to be shaken up to understand the larger issue. Parents learn this over time. When children say things that seem extreme, like “You never listen to me,” parents recognize there is an issue and that the child is trying to capture their attention. Jesus needed to capture the attention of the people following him. He needed them to understand the enormity of what it meant to be a disciple.
The question for us: Do we understand what Jesus is saying and are we willing act on that understanding?
Peace,
Anne
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