Reflection for November 3, Wednesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 14:25-33

Gospel: Luke 14:25-33

Great crowds were travelling 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? Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him and say, ‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’ Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops? 

But if not, while he is still far away, he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms. In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”

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Reflection:

Have you already watched/listened to a life testimony about Jesus? Majority of these testimonies deals with the many blessings that they’ve received from the good Lord. You would also  hear testimony about their sufferings and crosses and how Jesus helped them carry it. 

In our gospel for today, Jesus speaks to us about the suffering and crosses that is incorporated with our discipleship. Jesus tells us: “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” What do these profound words of Jesus convey? 

This conveys that if we want to follow Jesus we should also be open to carry our own cross and endure our share of suffering/s. Because it is only through these two that we could have that true feeling of companionship with Jesus. If we say, that life is all bed of roses since we’ve followed Jesus. Then, we have not really felt the true companionship of Jesus in our lives. 

True discipleship for Jesus is felt only when we suffer for His sake, when we are willing to carry our cross for His sake. And when we are willing to give even our very lives so that others may live and have that encounter with Jesus. This is the real essence of authentic discipleship for Jesus. 

In the silence of our hearts let us examine our own discipleship with Jesus. Have we already suffered for Him? Have we already carried our cross for Him? – Marino J. Dasmarinas