Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
When I was growing up, it bothered me that there were too many rules, that a great deal was always expected of me. And there always seemed to be many people responsible for enforcing these rules – get up early, pay attention, don’t bother your classmates, stop making excuses, work hard, make the right choices, clean your mess, know when to ask for help, go to church, be nice to your friends, don’t hit your sister, don’t hold grudges, apologize, finish what you started, eat your vegetables, study hard, turn off the TV, quit goofing around, act your age, say your prayers, get to bed at a decent hour, go now even if you don’t have to go. Life just isn’t as fun when you don’t have absolute freedom to try new and exciting things, sometimes make bad choices, and sometimes even make mistakes. Fortunately for me, I didn’t stray too far. But as I look back upon those early years, I am grateful for those who kept me on the right path, despite my resistance and my lack of appreciation. Most adults will gladly hope young people succeed even where they didn’t. They will share unsolicited advice with those who often have no use for it. They will point out potholes, obstacles, and detours on the road of life, long before a young person encounters them, and they want none of it. If they have encountered them, they probably already know what to do.
Today Jesus gives us life advice for the journey, some rather stern teachings. Last weekend, he taught about humility, challenging us to rethink our social customs against the values of the kingdom of God. Today Jesus speaks about discipleship, addressing anyone who would listen. Christian discipleship, following in his footsteps, is open to all. However, what he says is not that easy to hear. “Anyone who comes after me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, even his own life … everyone who does not renounce all his possessions … whoever does not carry his cross and come after me … you cannot be my disciple.”
The word “hate” aimed at “father, mother, wife, children, brother, sister,” is way over the top. Why would Jesus require that we “hate” those most dear to us so we can follow him? Can we not love both? Why renounce all our possessions? Can we just renounce some and still follow him? These requirements of discipleship seem extreme. Yet it is meant to grab our attention, much like last week’s instruction not to invite our friends, our brothers, our relatives and our wealthy neighbors when we hold a lunch or dinner. Yes, by all means, invite them, but do not neglect those who cannot invite you back. In God’s eyes, there is greater honor in welcoming those who are unable to return the favor. So it’s perfectly fine to love friends and family, even wealthy neighbors, but they can never come before following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. It is perfectly fine to keep and use all our material possessions, but they can never come before following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. Besides, the success of our discipleship or our following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ is not measured by how well we follow the rules. You can invite every homeless person off the street to dinner and still be a lousy disciple of Jesus Christ because of a grave lack of humility or an unwillingness to forgive or a consistent disregard for honesty and truth. True discipleship is not a measurable value. It is not about how well we follow rules while sometimes we only comply grudgingly. Rather it is about our sincere effort and our faithfulness that only God can see.
Jesus challenges our understanding of discipleship when he uses images that appear harsh because he wants us to focus on its true importance. There is no such thing as half-hearted discipleship. True Christian discipleship is passionate and convincing. Sometimes it is costly and alienating and irrational and uncompromising. Take everything you know about following in Jesus’ footsteps and crank it up a few notches. True Christian discipleship will sting. And all those strangely extreme images we read in the gospel will make sense. Love your enemies (not something that comes naturally). Pray for your persecutors (not anything I would choose). Turn the other cheek when someone strikes you (when was the last time you did that?). Give to whoever asks (as long as they give it back, right?). Give and do not expect anything in return (not what we would call reasonable). Judge no one (boring). Condemn no one (but some people are just asking for it). Forgive and you will be forgiven. Remove the wooden beam in your eye before attempting to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye. Blessed is the one who hears my words and puts them into practice. True Christian discipleship will cost us. It involves intentionally setting aside what is rightfully ours for the sake of the kingdom – relationships, possessions, even our own lives. True Christian discipleship will alienate. It will pit family members one against another, because the values of the gospel will sharply contradict the values of the world. True Christian discipleship will seem irrational. It will demand what sensible people might find absurd, that we love our enemies, that we honor those who cannot honor us back, that we welcome trial and persecution. True Christian discipleship will yield no compromise, demanding excellence and perfection, that we not merely seek to be the best we can be, but that we rather aim for perfection just as the Father in heaven is perfect.
Some who claim to be Christian think that their decision to follow Christ gives them the right to demand that everyone around them should do the same. Instead, the choice to be a Christian disciple is personal. We understand what Jesus asks of us and we decide of our own free will to imitate his way of life regardless of what everyone else is doing.But would our discipleship be genuine if we didn’t have a choice?
He tells us, “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” The cross may stand for life’s daily trials and inconveniences, everyday aches and pains, the weakness of our flawed nature, our illnesses, hungers, our griefs. Now consider a new angle. Whatever is an obstacle to my following in Jesus’ footsteps is my cross. If I am prideful or full of rage, if I am dishonest or unjust, if I am filled with lust or jealousy, if I am lazy or gluttonous … the biggest obstacle to my following in Jesus’ footsteps is my stubborn, selfish, and disobedient self. Bodily aches and pains come and go. Inconveniences will cease to be inconvenient at some point. Illness, hunger, and grief will pass. But carrying a cross that is inherently tied to my own ego means facing the daily struggle without giving in to discouragement or cynicism. True Christian discipleship will be costly and alienating and irrational and uncompromising. If we follow Jesus whole-heartedly with passion and conviction, our discipleship is also sincere and joyful and confident and transforming. Anything less is mediocrity.
Rolo B Castillo © 2025