Word to the Wise
Monday, July 14, 2014 - Monday in the 15th Week in Ordinary Time
[Isa 1:10-17 and Matt 10:34-11:1]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; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
JULY 14, ST. KATERI TEKAKWITHA
Recruitment commercials for the various branches of the military in our country often emphasize the challenges that are part of being in the armed services. Of course, they don't often show the discomforts or wounded soldiers. That is left to the news media. The appeal is to patriotism and excitement and not to the discomfort and daily danger which lead to what is now known as "post traumatic stress syndrome." Those elements would not make for a successful recruiting campaign! After one reads Chapter 10 of the Gospel of Matthew, one might wonder how Jesus expected to attract dedicated disciples after the list of trials and difficulties he describes!
The list is really composed of a number of statements made at various times, but they all aim at one thing: the cost of discipleship. Many of these consequences were already being experienced by the early Christian community. Families were divided and disciples were being persecuted. Jesus makes it clear that a dedicated disciple will put the mission ahead of everything else, including family. To be a disciple means to be identified with Jesus.
We in the USA live a fairly comfortable discipleship! Our brothers and sisters in Iraq and other parts of the Middle East are not so "fortunate." To be identified there as a Christian can make one a target for a bomb! Yet, Jesus represents the ultimate value of life even in such a violent environment. When we complain about the inconvenience of finding a parking place to get to Sunday Mass, we might consider the lethal risk our brothers and sisters elsewhere must accept to be present at worship! When we put an athletic or social event ahead of religious duties, we might consider the loss of home and family that so many other Christian believers suffer for the sake of prayer! Re-reading chapter 10 of the Gospel of Matthew can help us to realize that the cost of discipleship is still with us even if we in the USA seem to have put it out of mind! AMEN