A good friend of mine was struggling with smoking. He could finish several packs of
cigarettes a day. I prodded him many times to stop; he would always say, “Soon. I will stop soon. Probably tomorrow.” But that tomorrow seemed to be forever. Until one day, he was diagnosed with a lung condition, and that forced him to stop smoking. Before, he did not see the urgency of the call to change his lifestyle.
In the Gospel this weekend, Jesus expressed in clear terms the urgency to follow him. He doesn’t want excuses and half-hearted commitments. We were given two examples of responses to the call of Christ. The first one asked Jesus if he could first bury his father before following him. To which Jesus said, “let the dead bury their dead.” At first glance, Jesus’ response may seem harsh and inconsiderate — how can Jesus even say that. Was Jesus being unreasonable? We have to understand the context of the story. In first-century Palestine, it was customary that the eldest son stay home, manage the property of his aging parents, and finally to ensure their proper burial. If that is the situation implied here, Jesus' reply is not a command to skip a parent's funeral. Rather, it is a challenge to leave home now—not some thirty years after—to join in the mission. Urgent and challenging, yes; cold and unreasonable, no. It’s interesting that Jesus uses the example of family relationships as a possible roadblock to fully commit to him because he knows that sometimes family relationships can be the biggest hindrance to follow the Lord because we don’t want to hurt them, so we just stay complacent and passive with our faith. But, if we are convinced that our faith is the fuel that keeps our life going, then we also want the people we love to have it, but doing it in a prudent and non-overbearing way.
By virtue of our own baptism, Jesus calls us to participate in his evangelizing work. And, this call is urgent, and he doesn’t want to haggle or bargain for our commitment. He needs our full and undivided attention. Looking at the quality of our discipleship, are we full hearted in our commitment to Jesus? Or, am I living a double life or postponing some demands of the faith because it isn’t yet convenient for me at the moment? Is there something that I can’t give up or put aside that hinders me to fully commit to the Lord? It can be a vice, an addiction, an unhealthy relationship, a toxic work setting, bad friendships or even a destructive spirituality that stunts our growth to holiness.
I remember when I was about to be ordained, a close friend concerned on what it would mean asked me, “Are you really sure about this? You wont be married; you wont have kids. You’re just 26, why don’t you live a normal life and be a priest when you’re 65 or 70.” Talk about postponing the call. Part of answering the call of God is the willingness to plunge into the unknown, but still having that peace because you know that ultimately God is the one in control of everything. If we truly believe that God is God, and that we are heeding his call, then the hesitation and the doubts will be transformed into trust and confidence in God. Would it be easy or a walk in the park? Not really. Jesus was very blunt in what we could expect — he said, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head." That’s not too inspiring and encouraging; we all need some security. Even the disciples asked him, “Lord, we have given up everything to follow you, what is in store for us?” Jesus had this response, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God who will not receive back an overabundant return in this present age and eternal life in the age to come.” But, even with this promise, we follow the Lord not because of that reward in the end, but because it is God who extends to us the invitation.
I’ve asked this question before, but it is worth asking again: Why does God demand so much of us – imagine – he demands that we give up our families, even our lives for him – why does he ask so much of us? One spiritual giant, Meister Eckhart, put it this way very clearly, “it is not due to God’s justice or his severity that he demands so much of us; rather, it comes from his great bounty, for he wants the soul/he wants us to be capacious/spacious so as to hold the great blessings he is ready to bestow.” This is the ironic thing: God invites us to give up many things for him, to be undivided in our commitment, so that we can truly be full and packed of the things that will give us lasting peace and joy. Is your commitment to the Lord full hearted and undivided? Or, do we haggle and enter into some compromises? May we cry out with the psalmist today, “you are my inheritance, O Lord/God.” – Fr. Cary