Wednesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
(Philippians 2:12-18; Luke 14:25-33)
The hard words of today’s gospel must be understood in the
context of first century Palestine.
Speaking in Aramaic, which is said not to have “more” or “less” comparisons,
Jesus says that his fellow travelers must hate their relatives if they are
going to follow him. He is encouraging them
to think deeply before committing themselves to him because their option may
well be spurned by their families.
A famous Protestant theologian, Dietrich Bonhöffer, named
the making of sacrifices to remain with Jesus “the cost of discipleship.” Following the Lord may cost one’s physical
life, but no believer should doubt its worth. Keeping company with Jesus means having
eternal life.
Jesus does not want us to hate anyone, least of all our
family. In fact, the more we follow
Jesus, the better we will love our immediate family as well as the human
family.
