Division, Condition, Reward

Jesus: A Cause of Division

34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. 35 For I have come to set
a man ‘against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36 and one’s enemies will be those of his household.’
37 “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; 38 and whoever does not take up his cross[a] and follow after me is not worthy of me. 39 [b]Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
40 “Whoever receives you receives me,[c] and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. 41 [d]Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is righteous will receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple—amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”
1 When Jesus finished giving these commands to his twelve disciples,[e] he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.-Matthew10:34-11:1

Jesus is not saying we should wage war against our loved ones because it will be contrary to the Law (Honor your father and mother) and He comes to fulfill the Law. Rather, at a certain point in our life, we should learn that the ultimate goal is always God, that the ultimate Love is God. Sometimes our family is against us if we make or do things for God i.e. serving the Church. We face tough opposition from our family should we decide to make a sacrifice for God i.e. entering the priesthood or religious life. Today, Jesus is reminding us of the conditions to be His disciple. It is always about God first and foremost.

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Attachment and Detachment

Attachment and Detachment.

7 As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 [a]Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give. 9 Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; 10 no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick. The laborer deserves his keep. 11 Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it, and stay there until you leave. 12 As you enter a house, wish it peace. 13 If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; if not, let your peace return to you.[b]-Matthew10:7-13

When my friends and I would meet before, we have to wait and wait for the late person to arrive. Now, with phones readily available, we can proceed with other things and the late person will just catch up. With this, we can accomplish much rather than sitting and waiting for the late comers to arrive. I remember this experience when I read the Gospel reading because so many would say, 'I cannot live without a phone. I would die.' But the truth is, we can. I lived at a time when mobile phones are for the ultra elite only. No one can afford it. No one even wants to use it because it seems so expensive before. But now, everybody has one and is very affordable. It is true that it has many uses. But it is also true that we can live without it. Jesus today is teaching us about attachment and detachment. Too much detachment is not good. Too much attachment is not good too. What we all need is a balance of attachment and detachment. What we all must learn is the capacity to recognize and meet our needs (i.e. basic and daily needs), and letting go of the things that we want but not needed at all (i.e. a new phone when we already have one or a new bag when we still have one or two that can still be used). 

Saltiness

Daily discipleship.

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.[a] 14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. 16 Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.-Matthew5:13-16

We are called to live out our discipleship everyday. Yes, it is more for the clergy and religious, but it is also an invitation for all. A police officer must live out his/her discipleship everyday especially on duty. A doctor must live out his/her discipleship everyday especially when administering to patients. A teacher must live our his/her discipleship everyday especially when teaching students. If we forget the essence of why we are doing our job or what the job is all about, we lose our saltiness. And when we lose our saltiness, chances of committing sin are high. And when we sin, we lose our identity as a disciple of Jesus. Jesus' invitation for us is to show Him to the world through our everyday existence even through our work. We do not have to be showy about it. All it takes is a little kindness, respect, love, service and concern for others.

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And the Cost?

Follow Jesus!

14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.

19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.-Mark1:14-20

"Come, follow me." When Jesus called His first disciples, it was clear that they immediately left their boats, nets, father and hired men behind. In short, they left everything for Jesus. However, following Jesus has a certain cost. No, you're not going to pay for it, rather, a follower/disciple of Jesus must "deny himself, take up his cross and follow Jesus." Easier said than done. To deny oneself means saying no to pleasures and desires of life. It means living like Jesus - seeped in poverty, servant of all, celibate, chaste, forgiving even to the unforgivable and so on. If necessary, to live without anything to lay one's head on. To take up one's cross means enduring joyfully the absence of many pleasures and desires of life. Isn't it painful to say no to our favorite food? Isn't it painful to deny one of an addiction? Isn't it painful to reconcile with a sworn enemy?

Isn't it painful to forgive one whom we vowed never to forgive? Denying oneself and carrying one's cross will free us of many baggages and chains in life, and will make us free to follow Jesus. Isn't it easier to walk without any bag to carry around?

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He who calls

The cost of being Jesus' disciple.

25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.-Luke14:25-33

To be Jesus' disciple meant renunciation of all attachments including loved ones, loving Jesus more and above all else, denying oneself and carrying his/her 'cross.' And, for me, it seems the path a disciple walks on to is a narrow path. Easier said than done. But let us bear in mind that Jesus is the One calling, and we are only responding.

If Jesus is the One calling, then He knows exactly our capacity, strengths and weaknesses. He wouldn't call us into something which we cannot handle. Aware of the existence of our frailties, Jesus knows that there is strength in each and every one of us. But how come many cannot survive it? For me, it is because we choose to handle things our way, we choose to face everything alone, we silence Jesus' instruction if it is contrary to what we want. In other words, the moment we focus and listen to ourselves more and more, the more we push Jesus away. And as we push Him away, a gap increases separating us from Him. The strength and power to survive everything rests in the shoulders of He who called us. Yes, for as long as Jesus is in our very existence, nothing will harm us. For as long as Jesus is in the very center of our lives, we have nothing to fear. We can face everything, we can be better individuals, we can survive any tests because Jesus is the One helping us. Perhaps, He is even the One solving everything for us.

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