ARE THERE ANY PREREQUISITES ?
It
is a question worth an answer. Are there any prerequisites necessary
for being a disciple of Jesus? The answer I want to give is both yes and
no. Why do I say that?
It
is evident from today’s Gospel that there are no prerequisites — what a
person has done in his past life does not count. He calls each and
every one of us to be His disciples. However, I would like to suggest
that there is a prerequisite as regards the attitude we must have in
responding to this calling.
After
a good number of years of being a disciple of Jesus (as best I can) and
helping form disciples of Jesus, I realize that a fundamental
requirement would be the desire to become one in the first place. If a
person is not willing to do his work at following Jesus, then he will
never be successful at it. A disciple’s true colors are seen when they
come up against adversity. When the going gets difficult, the true
disciple will make a decision to persevere no matter what the cost may
be. The “fair-weather disciple” will avoid all discomfort and run away
as quickly as possible from any difficulty. I like the story of some
Irish boys
who came face to face with a large wall, threw their belongings over it,
and then had to find a way to get over it or they would not be able to
regain their things. This is the spirit necessary to follow Christ. The
person looks forward to the next challenge knowing that the grace will
be there to overcome it. This is the difference between the person who
gets negative at the smallest sign of difficulty and the other who
thrives at the sight of a challenge.
The
Gospel presents to us an unending list of challenges. As soon as we
overcome one, there will be another in its place. If we are living only
for ourselves, this will be enough to make us give up. But if we are
living for God, it will energize us to the point that we will discover
daily the many ways that God “makes a way possible” for those who follow
Him. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL
REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Are you the sort of person who cringes at the sight of a challenge? Or are you energized by it?
Jesus,
make me the type of person who thrives in the face of a challenge. Let
me see them as opportunities for Your grace to abound in my life.
No comments:
Post a Comment