05/09/2010 - 23 SUNDAY IN ORDINARY SEASON - C
1Reading Wis 9,13-18 Psalm 89 2Reading Phl 1,9-10.12-17 Gospel Lk 14,25-33
"Just Father, the world did not know you, but I have known you; these know
that you have sent me". The world is not in communion with neither Jesus nor
the Father, and cannot be with us, who are disciples of Jesus and who know that
we are children of the Father. This is what st. John says in his First Letter: "That's
why the world does not know us: because it does not know him" (3,1). We, as
believers, without forgetting that our mission is to love all and to give our life
for all, need to be vigilant. To love all does not mean that we are to accept the
ways of thinking or of doing of those around us. To love means, to always give the
love of God, and therefore how God the Father and Jesus, think and see! And it's
because we want that our love be always inspired by the Holy Spirit that we find
ourselves in conflict with the world, that is, with those who do not believe and
are not guided by the Holy Spirit of God. "The world does not know us":
it's useless that we complain that there are those who oppose the Church, spy on
her members and her mission, that they create lies about her and even hate her.
Who does not love Jesus and does not accept God as Father of all cannot understand
our way of seeing things and think about them. It is difficult to share the rules
of our life as children of God it is difficult to share the rules of unselfish love
and of that love that forgives. To believe in God means to imitate him, obeying
the inspirations of his wisdom. We are not to be surprised therefore by the difficulties
which we have to face because of our faith and of our belonging to the Lord. Jesus
himself warned us and so he shall give us the power to live through "like lambs
among wolves". We, even to love the world, love God by obeying his commands,
and so our experience of God deepens. In fact "From this we know that we have
known him: if we obey his commandments. Who says: "I know him", and does
not obey his commandments, is a liar and in him there is not truth. Who, on the
other hand, obey his word in him the love of God is perfected. From this we come
to know that we are in him" (1Jn 2,3-5).
"A great crowd followed Jesus". At first hand, it seems that Jesus was
trying to encourage them not to follow him. The crowd that follows him risks to
be and remain "crowd"; who follows him can follow him because of the number
of persons, because he feels supported and approved by the crowd. Is it not so today?
Many say they are Christian till they see themselves surrounded by people who go
to church and take part in activities that bring many groups together. In such groups
there are those who have never really decided to follow Jesus. For them he is one
who brings many together and with these one can enjoy a good feeling without really
committing oneself, without being in love with him. It is necessary that Jesus checks
those who follow him, who really follow him and not following their own desire to
be approved. This he does by putting forward what it means to follow him, to be
his disciple. To be his requires to love him fully, not having other 'loves'! Not
even the natural love for parents, children, not even that for husband/wife; for
these can be of an obstacle. Then, love for self is to disappear completely: this
keeps us tied up with things, commodities and friendships that keep us from moving
forward in our discipleship of Jesus and his will. Jesus tells us two parables to
help us understand that we cannot walk with him if we don't accept the conditions
that he puts and which are there to have a true relationship of a disciple with
his master. First and foremost, before any important and committed plan, an intelligent
and wise person sits down to see whether he can make it or not, not to loose in
vain energy and money. Do you want to be a disciple of Jesus? If you have not renounced
to the things of this world, do not even think to start. We might not succeed to
understand quickly the demands the Lords puts before us in order to follow him.
God's wisdom is bigger than ours, and we can receive it only after we obeyed. We
are therefore to commit ourselves to come to know the will of God, because his will
bears better fruit than our reasoning.
St. Paul offers us a real example: he suggests to his friend Philemon to do something
this would have never done. He suggests that he should not only forgive the fact
that his slave Onesimus deserted him, but to welcome him back with love as a brother
in the Lord. This is God's will, unconceivable at first hand for the one who had
to accept it, but the only one to make him a witness of Jesus. Philemon, to be a
true disciple of the Lord, needed to renounce to himself, to his own ideas, convictions
and reasons. No one would ever counsel him to act in this way. But God's wisdom
knows how to straighten the ways of men and hence, the witness to Jesus becomes
an unbelievable power in different and new ways.