Homily of the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Sunday, September 04, 2016, Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C Theme: The cost of discipleship Today’s Gospel gives the impression that Jesus is teaching His disciples to hate parents, brothers and sisters. Did Jesus teach His disciples to hate their parents and their own lives? No, No. To explain clearly what this entails, Jesus recounts the parable of a man who builds a house without counting the cost. He leaves the house unfinished because he cannot afford what is required. Jesus helps us to understand that nothing that is for the Greater Glory of GOD comes easy. Any treasure must have a cost, so we must count the cost of discipleship. To be Jesus’ disciple we must give up everything!!! WE must make JESUS our priority. This can be demonstrated by the examples below. A onetime Hollywood leading actress and 1962 award winner became a Benedictine nun. After a whirlwind rise to stardom, the 23-year-old beauty had secured a $1million contract and roles with some of Hollywood’s leading men. She had the privilege of kissing Elvis Presley. She turned her back on Hollywood to live in a convent to become a nun!!! She gave up fame and fortune to give everything she had to JESUS. Mother Dolores Hart starred in 10 movies, two with Elvis, between 1957 to1963. She had the world at her feet and gave her entire life to JESUS!!! Phil Mulryne, once a teammate of Ryan Giggs and David Beckham, is almost completing his studies to become a priest. Another professional footballer (soccer) for the Ñublense Football Club in Chile, Fr. Chase Hilgenbrinck, became a priest and returned to his home fans as their parish priest. The above examples show that discipleship has a cost. Peter and the first disciples left their nets. Mathew left his job as a tax collector. The apostles and other powerful people also left everything behind to follow JESUS. We take for granted that we live in places that allow us to call the name of Jesus and go free. In some areas, just being a Christian deprives many of this great privilege. This word Jesus gives infinite joy to JESUS and all in Heaven!!! Some of us want cheap grace. In his book, The Cost of Discipleship, Bonhoeffer writes that “Cheap grace (I will call it NO GRACE) is the preaching of forgiveness and love without requiring repentance. Baptism without church discipline. Communion without confession. No grace is grace without discipleship! “Grace without the cross, is grace without Jesus.” Today’s Gospel can be understood in a wider context of Matthew 19:29 which says, “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” God requires total commitment from His followers. Even the material things that we have forsaken to follow JESUS will be given back to us a hundred times more. than what was given! Jesus is God. He does not want us to hate, despise or wish harm to any of our family members. Jesus encourages us to make a choice – to choose Him over the material things which sometimes force us to reject Him. Following JESUS is a treasure. Do not miss the chance to gain Treasure in Heaven (eternal life)! Fr Jude Thaddeus Langeh, cmf Please pray for me