THE COST OF FOLLOWING CHRIST! ~ CookingFood.Org

“HONEY FROM THE ROCK”

Daily Reflections

Wednesday, 4^thOctober 2017.

Twenty Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi

Neh 2: 1-8;

Ps 136: 1-6;

Lk 9: 57-62

THE COST OF FOLLOWING CHRIST!

We live in a world where costs go up as the risks go up. And many a times the more the cost, the more is the demand. There is a cost also in following Christ. In the Gospel passage, three men come to Jesus and express their desire to follow Him. Yet when Jesus speaks about the cost, they weren’t ready to pay it. They wanted to be with Jesus, but on their terms. They weren’t really ready to give up their own wants, desires, agendas, etc. for Christ.

It’s no wonder that Jesus said that the road to eternal life is narrow and few will find it. Nehemiah was the cup bearer in the court of king Artaxerxes. A cup-bearer was an officer of high rank in the royal courts, whose duty it was to serve the drinks at the royal table. On account of the constant fear of plots and intrigues, only a person regarded as thoroughly trustworthy could hold this position. He had to guard against poison in the king's cup, and was sometimes required to swallow some of the wine before serving it. Nehemiah, a foreigner in the land of exile, was found trust worthy. On learning that the walls of Jerusalem were broken down, he asked the king’s permission to go and rebuild them. Artaxerxes sent him to Judah as governor of the province with a mission to rebuild the walls. Once there he defied the opposition of Judah's enemies on all sides - Samaritans, Ammonites, Arabs and Philistines - and rebuilt the walls within 52 days. What should strike us is the love Nehemiah had for Jerusalem, the holy city, which also had the Temple – the house of God. What love do we have for the house and mission of the Lord? Are we committed as true disciples to the point of putting our life at risk?

Jesus’ call is absolute. When He calls us we ought to respond with complete submission of our will and with an abundance of generosity. In the Gospel, God willed that third person immediately and completely follow Jesus. But the person hesitates saying he wants to go and first say goodbye to his family. But Jesus makes it clear that he is called to follow Him immediately and without hesitation. Jesus uses the opportunity to show us that our number one priority must be to answer His call, when He calls, how He calls, and because He calls. In the wonderful and even mysterious call to follow Christ, we must be ready to respond without hesitation. In our own lives, we most likely will not receive the radical call to literally leave everything behind immediately and go serve Christ in some new form of life. But the key is our willingness and our love for the Lord and his household.

Prayer: Lord, I do love You and I do want to follow You. Help me to overcome any and every hesitation in my life in saying “Yes” to Your holy will. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen.