Whoever Does Not Take Up His Cross
Dear sisters and brothers,
I struggled a bit in order to find an insightful and meaningful approach to our Gospel Reading (Mt. 10:37-42). Jesus’ words on discipleship are extreme, provocative and even shocking. They leave little room for interpretation and compromise. "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."
Do Not Be Discouraged
We could say that his words are radical – not to be worthy of God and not exactly family-friendly. Instead of letting these words discourage us why don’t we try to find meaning and understanding in what he is telling his disciples. Clearly, Jesus is talking about relationships – about connections that help us to grow and mature in the depths of life and in all that it connects. We as human beings need these connections, these relationships. Within them, we find our life, our identity, our past, present, and our future.
The human heart seeks to find an answer to its existence in the echo of others.
With this in mind, let me read Jesus’ words again, with a different intonation: "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."
Searching For True Meaning
Does that help us to better understand what Jesus means? Is Jesus asking us to question our relationships in order to find the true source of the Living One, the source of love? Is this what Jesus means when he speaks of following his way of life? St. Paul wrote about mutual love to the impoverished Jewish Christian community in Rom: “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Have the same regard for one another.” (Romans 12:15)
Trusting And Loving The Divine
For me, to consciously live and love in the footsteps of Christ Jesus, means to say goodbye - to what gets in the way of life’s precious and sometimes hidden treasures. When we put our love and trust more in our earthly relationships than in the Divine, we weaken the connection with the real relationship of life.
"Whoever loves father or mother more than me...whoever loves son or daughter more than me...”
In these provocative words of Jesus, I believe, that God wants to widen and sharpen our perspective on life. Friends, we are invited to act through the eyes and ears from Jesus. Eyes are the mirror of the soul, and of the heart.
I have not seen Jesus personally, but I am sure of this: Jesus’ eyes must have been kind and compassionate - a perfect mirror of his heart and soul. Without this kind of vision, he wouldn’t have been able to see the affliction and needs of the people. That is why he could feel when his followers were hurting. Just as the countless number of prophets, men, women, and children before him, he had a discerning vision.
The Prophet Elisha
In our First Reading, we heard about the prophet Elisha (2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16a) As a man of God, he saw the suffering of a woman and her husband who already knew that the prophet was a holy man. Despite her great sorrow of being childless, she did not lose sight of precious encounters. It is something that impresses me. People in need and sorrow do not lose sight of deep human values. This is a very interesting reflection to be blessed. When the woman of influence and her husband welcomed Elisha and his servant, they opened their door without any expectations.
In their emptiness, the divine blessing found a resting place to create life.
My Point Is This
To receive a blessing demands a state of emptiness and trust. To follow Jesus demands a state of trust and emptiness. Saying goodbye to what obscures the view of life's treasures.
"Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
Following Jesus demands a life of conscious and intense living, constant farewells and goodbyes, over coming challenges or facing mortality, a life that passes through death in order to be born again.
Jesus Says
"Whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me."
Friends, whatever you are carrying, which ever cross you have in life, do not be afraid.
Open you hearts to Christ. The deepest joy in life is the joy that comes from God. And it is found in Jesus Christ the Son of God, the crucified. Jesus Christ is the hope of yours...it is my hope. He, the Risen One, is the hope of the world.
“Praise be Jesus Christ - Now and forever. Amen!”
“Laudetur Jesus Christus - In saecula saeculorum”