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Calling for Discipleship: With Firm Commitment and Full Dedication

Fr. F. X. Sudarmanto, SX

Sep 1, 2016
599

TWENTY THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

One day I chatted with my friend who is a tailor. When I asked about her job, she said that there were many customers who asked her to make them clothes, but the problem is her poor management. Many left her because they waited too long to get their cloth ready. She herself realised that the key of her success is her own commitment. The problem is that she is afraid to start organising the job in collaboration with the new beginner tailors. So she asked me to pray for her, to have a firm commitment in her heart in managing her job without fear to take the risk of collaboration and to trust to her own conviction.

Not only our daily job and career needs firm commitment and full dedication, but also in our discipleship as Christian. We see this in the Gospel today (Luke 14:25-33). In the Gospel Jesus did not hide the reality from his disciples. He pointed out the difficulties, the hardships, and the sacrifices that would be required of those who would follow him. Jesus told his disciples in no uncertain terms that to follow him would not be easy. Discipleship has some practical demands that one cannot escape.

To understand what Jesus said is not difficult, as many of our experiences proved it. Just as my friend asked me to pray for her to have a firm commitment and courage, an inner freedom and willingness to carry the job with risk but also opportunity, so the journey of discipleship with Jesus.  Christian discipleship needs not only to choose Jesus as our first priority, but also needs an inner freedom (by detachment from family ties) and willingness to carry the cross in order to manage well our journey following him.

The first reading (Wis 9:13-18b) illustrate that to be a disciple with full dedication, just intuitive and emotional decisions is not enough. We need to sit down and apply wisdom and prudent.  The book of Wisdom tells us about the real wisdom which is the one given by God as a gift, not the one be obtained by professional philosophers. To gain the real wisdom, we must beg God to give it. Another element of wisdom is illustrated in the parable of Jesus in the Gospel, namely sitting down to calculate our resources, capacities, talents. With these attitudes: inner freedom, willingness, wisdom of God and proper calculation, our discipleship will be on the right track.

Sometime it seems that what Jesus told to his disciples discourage them and also us. As on other occasion, in response to the demands of Jesus, the disciples said: if so, who can be saved? (Mat 19:23). If it is so demanding, who can be his disciples? Anyhow let us not be discouraged. We can draw encouragement from the example of the Apostles. The Gospels show that they struggled at every point to follow Jesus. Yet he did not write them off. By looking at them we discover our own inadequacies. The Gospel offers hope to the Christians who fall. Repentance and a second chance are always possible. Jesus is generous with his grace to those who strive to answer his call.

Today, 4th September 2016, Pope Francis will canonise Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta as model of holiness for all the Church and the world. We can learn from her the attitudes demanded by Jesus for discipleship: inner freedom, willingness and strong commitment in serving and loving the poorest among the poor. Let us pray that many young men and women may accept Jesus’ challenge. If you are young, calculate your resources and pray for wisdom to adventure the discipleship with Jesus.

TWENTY THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

One day I chatted with my friend who is a tailor. When I asked about her job, she said that there were many customers who asked her to make them clothes, but the problem is her poor management. Many left her because they waited too long to get their cloth ready. She herself realised that the key of her success is her own commitment. The problem is that she is afraid to start organising the job in collaboration with the new beginner tailors. So she asked me to pray for her, to have a firm commitment in her heart in managing her job without fear to take the risk of collaboration and to trust to her own conviction.

Not only our daily job and career needs firm commitment and full dedication, but also in our discipleship as Christian. We see this in the Gospel today (Luke 14:25-33). In the Gospel Jesus did not hide the reality from his disciples. He pointed out the difficulties, the hardships, and the sacrifices that would be required of those who would follow him. Jesus told his disciples in no uncertain terms that to follow him would not be easy. Discipleship has some practical demands that one cannot escape.

To understand what Jesus said is not difficult, as many of our experiences proved it. Just as my friend asked me to pray for her to have a firm commitment and courage, an inner freedom and willingness to carry the job with risk but also opportunity, so the journey of discipleship with Jesus.  Christian discipleship needs not only to choose Jesus as our first priority, but also needs an inner freedom (by detachment from family ties) and willingness to carry the cross in order to manage well our journey following him.

The first reading (Wis 9:13-18b) illustrate that to be a disciple with full dedication, just intuitive and emotional decisions is not enough. We need to sit down and apply wisdom and prudent.  The book of Wisdom tells us about the real wisdom which is the one given by God as a gift, not the one be obtained by professional philosophers. To gain the real wisdom, we must beg God to give it. Another element of wisdom is illustrated in the parable of Jesus in the Gospel, namely sitting down to calculate our resources, capacities, talents. With these attitudes: inner freedom, willingness, wisdom of God and proper calculation, our discipleship will be on the right track.

Sometime it seems that what Jesus told to his disciples discourage them and also us. As on other occasion, in response to the demands of Jesus, the disciples said: if so, who can be saved? (Mat 19:23). If it is so demanding, who can be his disciples? Anyhow let us not be discouraged. We can draw encouragement from the example of the Apostles. The Gospels show that they struggled at every point to follow Jesus. Yet he did not write them off. By looking at them we discover our own inadequacies. The Gospel offers hope to the Christians who fall. Repentance and a second chance are always possible. Jesus is generous with his grace to those who strive to answer his call.

Today, 4th September 2016, Pope Francis will canonise Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta as model of holiness for all the Church and the world. We can learn from her the attitudes demanded by Jesus for discipleship: inner freedom, willingness and strong commitment in serving and loving the poorest among the poor. Let us pray that many young men and women may accept Jesus’ challenge. If you are young, calculate your resources and pray for wisdom to adventure the discipleship with Jesus.

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