“Discipleship and Commitment” by Colleen O’Sullivan

“Discipleship and Commitment” by Colleen O’Sullivan

Memorial of Saint Charles Borromeo, bishop 

My beloved, obedient as you have always been, not only when I am present but all the more now when I am absent, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work. Do everything without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine like lights in the world. (Philippians 2:12-15)

 

Great crowds were traveling with Jesus, and he turned and addressed them, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion? (Luke 14:25-28)

 

Piety

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1) 

Study

Committing is relatively easy. After all, as the old saying goes, “words are cheap.” Keeping a commitment requires much more of us than mere words, perhaps even our very lives, as Jesus points out to the crowd in today’s Gospel reading. As I read today’s readings earlier this week, I thought of the many times couples came to see me about getting married when I was a pastor. With very few exceptions, they showed up at the parsonage eager to talk about their dreams for their wedding day, without giving much consideration to the lifelong commitment they were about to undertake.

Jesus was no stranger to that kind of scenario. Every day, he encountered people along the way who expressed the desire to follow him and be his disciple. Remember the rich young man who wanted to sign on? He was prayerful, versed in the Hebrew Scriptures, etc. Jesus said, okay, but first, you need to do one more thing - divest yourself of your riches. That wealth would be a tie to the world that you couldn’t maintain while you traveled from village to village in my footsteps. Sadly, the young fellow turned away. His money and worldly goods had too tight a grip on him. Jesus advises every would-be follower to consider the cost of discipleship and whether, if asked, we could forsake everything else before signing on. Would we be willing to carry our own crosses?

The Apostle Paul understands what Jesus asks of us. He finds himself in prison for his faith as he writes to his beloved Ephesians. A lesser person might have curled up in despair in the corner of the cell, but Paul spends his time writing to and encouraging the Christians still young in their faith. Time behind bars, as well as an unspecified physical infirmity, are his crosses to bear. He doesn’t allow either of those to deter him from continuing to serve his Lord.

Action

Parents and godparents made baptismal promises in our names long ago. When we were older, we renewed those promises in the Sacrament of Confirmation. Every year at the Easter Vigil, we repeat these vows once again. But the truth is, no matter how sincere we are or how willing we are initially to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, we are sinners. Things come along that pull us off the path or tempt us to go astray. When you are praying, take some time to lift up before the Lord whatever has caused you to stumble or fall. As the psalmist reminds us today, God is our Light and our Salvation. Approach God in a spirit of remorse and contrition, and you will find yourself picked up from wherever you fell, lovingly dusted off, and set back on the right path. Our God is a God of forgiveness and mercy. And for that, I give thanks.