JULY 14 ST. KATERI TEKAWITHA
Taken together with the Sermon on the Mount [Matt. 5-7], the "missionary discourse" presents the would-be disciple with a very strong challenge. It is not simply taking up the cross of one's personal suffering, but the suffering that comes with being a disciple - the persecution and opposition. Jesus sets forth a priority and that priority is HIM. What follows from that priority is found in his teaching and example. This kind of loyalty and perseverance is not strange or beyond our reach. On a lower level, in socio-political life, people can show it to a particular social cause or political figure. Why not show it for the sake of Jesus Christ?
The reaction to this is often an aversion to zeal for anything! We may aim for whatever is "good enough," meaning the minimum necessary to call ourselves a "disciple" or "practicing Catholic." The individualism of our culture may direct us solely to a devotional expression of faith without any regard to love of neighbor. But the benefits of sacramental practice are meant to be shared, not hoarded. The Gospel According to Matthew will present us with the parable of the Last Judgment [Matt. 25:31-45] as an example of what Jesus expects. The Lutheran pastor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his classic THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP, warns against "cheap grace." He was martyred by the Nazis just before the end of World War II. Jesus warns us about it, too. Discipleship comes at a cost. AMEN