EVERYTHING IN FAITH FOR LIFE ETERNAL
A
spiritual person once said that it is a big sin for a Christian to die
with so much riches unused or unspent. No doubt, it was a radical
statement. Either one lives only with bare necessities or perfect
generosity and charity. But it makes sense in the Christian context. In
today’s Gospel, Jesus talks about discipleship. If one is to follow the
Lord, no other relations should take priority over our relationship with
the Lord. And whatever happens, the disciple must embrace the Lord’s
cross, through good times and bad.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus said that in constructing a tower,
planning is presupposed. If the tower cannot be completed because of
certain problems, He said that it is better not to proceed with the
construction. Half-done work would receive criticisms, not appreciation.
The strong warning of Jesus is meant for us to take discipleship
seriously. Before one decides to follow Jesus, he must be willing to go
all the way. As St. Paul says, we are like runners in a race with our
eyes set on the prize eternal life, the Kingdom. We prepare hard for it.
We discipline ourselves in order to win it. We do not stop until we finish the race and get the prize.
Christianity is 24/7. We are not Christians only on Sundays or whenever we
are worshipping in church. Our life is our faith; our faith is our
life. This is the life Jesus warned the Apostles of. Thus, if they are
not certain about following the Lord, they will encounter a lot of difficulties, which they
did when Jesus suffered, died and was buried. How could they have
entrusted their lives fully to someone who died? Was it a waste? Then
Jesus appeared to them in His resurrected form and suddenly all that
Jesus told them revealed their
meaning, especially the cost of discipleship.
When Jesus asks us to leave everything and carry His cross, it is not
for nothing or just anything. It is for the ultimate gift of eternal
life. It is not easy and it is not cheap. But with Jesus already
triumphing over suffering and death, we are assured. Challenges may
come, but our faith is always stronger. Fr. Benny Tuazon
REFLECTION QUESTION: Are you a Christian every minute of the day, or only for one hour each week?
Dearest Lord, help me to be mindful of my Christian identity and calling every minute of the day.
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