23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Sunday 4th September 2016

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time 

(Sunday 4th September 2016)

 

Following Jesus can be very difficult, but the destination is worth all eternity – (Luke 14:25-33)

Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple”.  These words may leave us with an uncomfortable feeling.  Indeed, the thought of having to carry a cross may even terrify us!  And yet, Jesus makes it clear that unless we are willing to embrace some form of suffering in this life, we cannot be His disciple.

The cross will come to each of us in different ways.  Following Jesus will lead some people into direct conflict with family members and friends.  In another situation the cross might appear when a person tries to detach from the comfort of material possessions.  Perhaps the cross could come as a physical illness, a difficult marriage, the loss of a job, the death of a loved one, ….the list is endless.  The cross will always be unique, particular to our personalities and individual circumstances. We can never fully understand what another person has to carry, and what may not seem like a heavy burden to one person could be the source of immense anguish for another.  This sense of “not being understood” intensifies the weight of the cross.  Yet, we are not alone.  There is somebody who understands.

Although the cross may frighten us, we are not called to endure suffering simply for suffering’s sake.  When Jesus commands that we take up our cross, He adds the words, “and come after me”.  He does not ask us to take on something that He has not already taken.  He does not ask us to go some place where He has not already gone.  Jesus invites us to carry our cross so that we can be where He is.  He knows exactly what it is that we have been asked to carry.  When it seems like nobody understands, Jesus comes to us as our Saviour.  Those moments when the cross imposes itself are also moments when Jesus is especially close to us.

The more the cross weighs us down, the more we ought to lean on the Lord.  It is only through the eyes of faith can we see the bigger picture.  Like the man who builds the tower, or the king who goes to war, we also need to keep the end goal in view.  St. Teresa of Avila famously said, “in light of heaven, the worst suffering on earth, a life full of the most atrocious tortures on earth, will be seen to be no more serious than one night in an inconvenient hotel”.  Following Jesus will take us down paths that may be difficult, even terrifying, at times.  The destination, however, is worth all eternity.

Fr. Colm Mannion, O.P.