This passage refers to discernment. Jesus is asking us to be wise and discerning in our choices. Following Jesus is demanding and so we need to think very carefully about our choice to follow him before we start on this journey, in order to avoid disappointment and disillusionment. A true follower of Jesus is
aware of the seriousness of the commitment to this journey and knows that this journey doesn’t include us drifting unreflectively through life.
Inner freedom is the key. The inner freedom and understanding that the real obstacles to following Jesus are the material possessions and ways of the world that we surround ourselves with.
Jesus wants us to follow him in friendship, to face the difficulties with him, to enjoy love and courage with him. He wants a personal relationship with us, to speak to each one of us as individuals.
We are reminded of Good Friday and Jesus struggling and stumbling under the weight of his cross. What cross are we being asked to bear as followers of Jesus? For most of us, our cross is part
of our make-up: our addictions, temptations, desires and bodily infirmities, all the things that rob us of our inner freedom. Carrying our cross is about learning to live with all these obstacles, holding them lightly, releasing our attachment to them.
This Gospel reading encourages us to take steps that will lead us to Jesus. Steps that take us on a path free from anything or anyone that will hamper us, doing
everything in our power to seek him first. The path that, through prayer, opens us up and allows us to offer our true and real selves to God.
