This passage shows us what is expected of us if we wish to gain eternal life by following Jesus. It can be a difficult text to read as it seems to be calling us to hate those closest to us. This is not, however, what Jesus is asking of us. Jesus is inviting us to choose that which is most important to us, him,
and to give less priority to other aspects of our lives.
Jesus invites us to examine all areas of our lives carefully and to decide if the reward of eternal life with God is more important than anything else. Jesus helps us to identify what we need in our lives to truly follow him.
Listening to Jesus is uplifting and peaceful but it can also be quite challenging. Jesus is
clear, open and honest about his expectations of us, he doesn’t hide anything about what following him entails. This tells us so much about his way of leadership. He uses strong words, statements and illustrations to show that dying to ourselves brings new life in him. We need to ask him for the grace to be able to let go of all the fears and obstacles holding us back from following him faithfully.
Jesus invites
us to think about the freedom we desire; he asks us to resist all that causes us to be in a comfort zone or to opt for security in order to grow in his freedom and to follow his plans for us. But, he wants us to be aware of what lies ahead of us; to know what to do when things seem to much for us; to turn to him for help.
This Gospel reading is about more than the Christian way of life though. This passage is
about Jesus, the person he is and about his kingdom. His demands may seem radical but if we look closely, he is reminding us of the first commandment: to love God before all else.
Today, I invite you to consider what things you are holding onto tightly that may be hindering you from following Jesus.
