Gospel Meditation-Finding Deeper Understanding of Scripture

09-04-2016Weekly Reflection

"Anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple." It's a modern misconception to think of Jesus as the ultimate nice guy who only said things that everybody loved to hear. Of course Jesus is the perfect model of charity and compassion, but he also gave some very challenging teachings. Today's Gospel is a case in point. Not many people are thrilled by Christ's lesson today that insists God must be first in our lives. Few are those who love to hear this instruction to renounce our beloved things as well as our beloved relationships. But Jesus does not mince words. We are to "hate" our "father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters," and even our own life.

It's important to understand that the use of the word "hate" here does not mean to despise anyone or treat them unkindly. It means rather to prefer something-or Someone-else, namely, God, to these important relationships. Taken in the context of the Gospel as a whole it is clear that Jesus is not advocating cruelty or animosity. On the contrary, just a few weeks ago we heard from Luke 10:27 as Jesus instructed us to love our neighbors as ourselves. However, in putting God first, inevitably something else must take second place. It is a kind of hatred of family, self, and "stuff" when we don't allow these things to become mini-gods in our lives. Instead, we keep God as God. 

What does this mean for us? It means not allowing a family member to prevent us from practicing our faith to the fullest, and also not putting our trust in gadgets and gizmos. It means, instead, putting all our trust in God, whatever the cost may be.

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