Tuesday after Reminiscere
Scripture: St. Luke 14:25-35 (NKJV)
25 Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.
34 “Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? 35 It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Devotion
Jesus talks about “hating” your family and carrying a cross, counting the cost and forsaking everything. “Hating” here means not loving your family more than loving Jesus but, Luke maintains an old term here in order to keep the “hardness” of it. Unless you do these things you are not worthy to be His disciple. You don’t make the cut. This is hard stuff, not for the faint of heart. We have to be willing to lose or alienate our family and friends for the sake of the Gospel.
Most people don’t mind if their worldly possessions are taken so long as the family is safe and together. But, Jesus says that we must be willing even to forsake our families for Him. It’s not easy to be abandoned or hated by our family and friends but, this is part of being the Church militant. And there is no option. There is no other kind of Church than the Church militant. Loyalty to our country cannot come before Christ.
Part of bearing our cross is to be a fool in the world’s eyes and to speak openly and militantly about the faith. This is giving up everything, forsaking everything for Christ. Giving up your reputation as a reasonable, balanced person. Allowing your family and friends and co-workers to think of you as obsessed because you ask them if they know the Gospel, if they know how to be saved. This reputation that we lose here because of our devotion to Christ will be replaced someday with a reputation for having been a loyal and devoted son and brother. You will be looked on as a strong and courageous sister or brother in the heavenly kingdom. Amen.
