23rd SUNDAY
IN ORDINARY TIME
Luke
14:25-33
September
8, 2013
GOSPEL READING: On Discipleship
Great crowds were traveling with him, and he
turned and addressed them, “If any one 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. Whoever does not carry his own
cross and come after me 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.’ Or what king marching into
battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he
can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand
troops? But if not, while he is still
far away, he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms. In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his
possessions cannot be my disciple.
REFLECTION: Open
Hands
When a
person hears of sacrifice, one immediately thinks of pain, letting go and
gaining something better. It is a painful process because it entails letting go
of something which we value much. However, the pain is overwhelmed by the sweet
promise of gaining something better.
It is
said that the human hands are designed to hold on to things rather than to let
go of them. It is manifested on the strong grip capacity of our hands especially
when valuable or important things are handed on to us. This is why the task of
surrendering something has always caused agonizing feeling. The task hurts
deeper when aspects closer to our hearts or most valuable to us are asked to be
sacrificed.
In the religious
life, we experience paradoxical moments of sacrifices. We are called to a life
without personal properties, but we are given all the essential things that we
need for the service of others. We live a life without exclusive relationships
apart from God, but we work and live closely with people from different aspects
of life. We are invited to live a life of reverential obedience to our
superiors, but there is a process of reasoning out and dialogue in all
discussions. Thus, religious life is a life of sacrifice, which entails painful
trimming of personal comforts and connections so that one may be open to a
wider horizon of service and greater depths in relationship with God and
others.
In our
Gospel, Jesus points out to us that living a life pleasing to God always
demands sacrifices. One must be willing to depart from one’s families and
friends. One must outgrow one’s limitations and fears so as to grow in
capabilities and faith. None can fully hold on to God if that person is still
clinging to the solicitudes of this world. Thus, Jesus invites us to a life of
reflection before we make great sacrifices.
In our
lives, we cannot simply make decisions out of whims. When we are placed in a
situation that demands immediate actions and decisions, we oftentimes have a
glimpse of the outcomes and the necessary sacrifices involved. There may be
unforeseen elements, which aggravate the weight of the sacrifices asked from
us, but we must not lose sight of the sweet end, which we desire.
God calls
us to make sacrifices because He wanted us to make space for the best things He
has in store for us. He puts us in a tight situation so that we would only hold
on to the bare necessities and let go of the needless preoccupations that we
have. Our sacrifices are not only for the sake of personal improvement, but
also for the benefit of others who needs us.
ABOUT THE SHARER:
BR. JUNEL C. PEDROSO, O.P. is a student-brother of the Dominican
Province of the Philippines. He is studying Theology at the University
of Santo Tomas in Manila
KEYWORDS:
Ordinary Time, Cycle C, OP Friars, Sacrifice,
Letting go, Detachment, Religious Life, Surrender
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