13th Sunday – 2 Kings 4:8-11,13-16; Romans 6:3-4,8-11; Matthew 10:37-42
A candle for God
And for who else do I light a candle?
In today’s Gospel we hear in the words of Jesus:
Anyone who prefers father or mother to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who prefers son or daughter to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who does not take his cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me. Anyone who finds his life will lose it; anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it.
Don’t be such a prude, this is the 21st century – is often heard by those who want to live seriously by the teaching of Jesus. Heard from father, from mother, from daughter, from son. From friends as well. To give in? To give up Sunday Mass because there’s a trip on. To behave dishonestly because there’s money to be made?
There’s no following Jesus without the cross. Without the cross, that is, obedience to the Father. You can’t follow Jesus and go to a fortune-teller, you cant follow Jesus and support abortion, you can’t follow Jesus and have a lover, you can’t follow Jesus and not pay a tradesman for the work he’s done, you can’t follow Jesus and repeat lies about a neighbour . . . .
So, without this will I lose, and will I deserve it? Whoever loves their comfortable life so much that they reject God, will lose it. Eternal life is gained by whoever follows Jesus even when it means being pushed into the margins.
Strengthen my will, Lord, so I will always want to be faithful to You . . .