20251105 THE PRICE OF DISCIPLESHIP
05 November 2025, Wednesday, 31st Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Romans 13:8-10 |
Your only debt should be the debt of mutual love
Avoid getting into debt, except the debt of mutual love. If you love your fellow men you have carried out your obligations. All the commandments: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not kill, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and so on, are summed up in this single command: You must love your neighbour as yourself. Love is the one thing that cannot hurt your neighbour; that is why it is the answer to every one of the commandments.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 111(112):1-2,4-5,9 |
Happy the man who takes pity and lends.
or
Alleluia!
Happy the man who fears the Lord,
who takes delight in all his commands.
His sons will be powerful on earth;
the children of the upright are blessed.
Happy the man who takes pity and lends.
or
Alleluia!
He is a light in the darkness for the upright:
he is generous, merciful and just.
The good man takes pity and lends,
he conducts his affairs with honour.
Happy the man who takes pity and lends.
or
Alleluia!
Open-handed, he gives to the poor;
his justice stands firm for ever.
His head will be raised in glory.
Happy the man who takes pity and lends.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | Ps118:88 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Because of your love give me life,
and I will do your will.
Alleluia!
Or: | 1P4:14 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
It is a blessing for you
when they insult you for bearing the name of Christ,
for the Spirit of God rests on you.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 14:25-33 |
Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple
Great crowds accompanied Jesus on his way and he turned and spoke to them. ‘If any man comes to me without hating his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes and his own life too, he cannot be my disciple. Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
‘And indeed, which of you here, intending to build a tower, would not first sit down and work out the cost to see if he had enough to complete it? Otherwise, if he laid the foundation and then found himself unable to finish the work, the onlookers would all start making fun of him and saying, “Here is a man who started to build and was unable to finish.” Or again, what king marching to war against another king would not first sit down and consider whether with ten thousand men he could stand up to the other who advanced against him with twenty thousand? If not, then while the other king was still a long way off, he would send envoys to sue for peace. So in the same way, none of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions.’
THE PRICE OF DISCIPLESHIP
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Rom 13:8-10; Ps 112:1-2,4-5,9; Lk 14:25-33]
The disturbing truth about the Church is that we have many followers but few true disciples of Christ. In the Gospel, we read that “great crowds accompanied Jesus on his way.” This remains true even in our times. The Catholic Church has the largest number of members among all Christian communities. Unfortunately, most are merely followers of Christ in name. They are happy to be associated with the Catholic faith, and they even participate in rituals and worship on Sundays. They may say a few prayers now and then, especially when they are in trouble. Some can even be overly superstitious in their practices, relying on holy water, medals, and scapulars to protect them from harm, ensure good health, or save them from hell. These are the people who would say to Jesus, “‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets’. And He will reply, ‘I do not know where you come from; go away from me, all you evildoers!”‘ (Lk 13:26f)
Being a disciple, however, is very different. It requires commitment, loyalty, and discipline. Jesus is honest about the sacrifices involved in discipleship. Some of us are Catholics because we want to live respectable lives, seek spiritual insurance against unforeseen circumstances, or hope for success and popularity like the rest of the world. But Jesus made it clear that those who follow Him will not enjoy worldly power or glory. We must be ready to pay the price of our faith by enduring suffering out of love and commitment to Him. Indeed, He said, “Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”
Discipleship means carrying our cross and following after Jesus. However, we must not reduce this merely to the act of carrying, for the cross ultimately leads to crucifixion and death. Discipleship, therefore, is a constant dying to oneself — a path of self-denial. It demands that we accept suffering as part of life. This is why, if we are seeking an easy life, we cannot be His disciples. It is a daily dying to self and rising to new life. It is a constant call to be like Jesus, embracing the cross willingly out of obedience to the Father’s will. Jesus knew that the cross was the way to victory over sin and death.
Yet it is not only about the price of suffering with Jesus in carrying the cross; it also involves the sacrifice of relationships in favour of our Lord. Jesus said, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” Certainly, Jesus was not asking us to literally hate our loved ones. What He meant is that we must place Him first, before everyone else. The real question is: whom do we love first and above all? Do we subordinate all other loves under our total love for the Lord? All other relationships must take second place because our primary loyalty is to Him. To put other relationships before Him is to risk compromising our faith and values. When we place people or things before the Lord, we fall into idolatry.
When we put Christ above all, we will then know how to love our children, spouses, and friends rightly — with a greater love that comes from the Lord. Truly, we must prefer nothing to Christ. This is what renunciation is all about. As long as people or things take priority over the Lord, we will be led astray by compromised goals. When we free ourselves from worldly attachments that hinder us from loving God with all our heart, mind, and soul, we learn to love rightly. Hence, every would-be disciple must be willing to let go of everything he has — especially money, possessions, and even relationships — whenever they make us hesitant to do what the Lord asks of us. A true disciple of the Lord must be able to say, “Lord, all I have is yours.”
What does this love involve? St. Paul illustrates the call to discipleship as fulfilling the debt of Christian love. In his understanding, this is the only way we can truly fulfil the law. Loving our neighbour as ourselves is what the book of Leviticus commands us to do. We all owe each other the debt of love. When we love, we fulfil the law, because love means doing no harm to our neighbour. St. Paul highlights the commandments governing our duty to love and respect others. Even though love is the fulfilment of the law, he emphasises the commandments because they teach us how to love both God and our neighbour. Yet we must be cautious of those who promote a “new morality” that claims love alone is sufficient and that the law is no longer needed. Love, for such people, is dependent on what the person thinks is love, which is a naïve confidence in love’s infallibility. That is why, even though love is sufficient, we still need the law to guide us in how to love rightly. St. Paul did not say that “love is the end of the law,” but that it is “the fulfilment of the law.” Love and law need each other — love needs the law for direction and discernment, while the law needs love for inspiration.
Consequently, the Lord invites us to be conscious of our Christian responsibility if we wish to be His disciples. We must consider the cost of following Him and the sacrifices it entails. Jesus gave the examples of the tower builder and the king going to war. If we do not consider the demands upon us, we might find ourselves unable to finish the project or win the battle, and end up mocked and shamed. Hence, the wise disciple plans ahead, anticipating difficulties and discerning his strengths and limitations. Counting the cost and investing wisely are necessary conditions for bearing fruit.
At the same time, Christ assures us of success if we give ourselves wholeheartedly to Him and His plan for us. Only those willing to surrender their will and mind to the Lord can succeed as His disciples. There is no room for compromise — total commitment is required. We must either give our lives entirely to Him or keep them for ourselves. Even though the price is high, the reward is infinitely greater — the reward of eternal life. It promises full joy, peace, and freedom. As St. Paul wrote, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.” (1 Cor 6:19f) That price is the precious blood of Jesus Christ, shed for us upon the cross to redeem us from the slavery of sin and death. The abundant life in Christ is more than we can imagine — it is the joy that St. Paul and St. Francis discovered.
Finally, if we feel daunted by the cost of following the Lord because of His high demands, we must remember that Jesus does not leave us alone to bear the burden of discipleship. On the contrary, He walks with us and shows us the way. He did not ask us merely to take up our cross, but to follow after Him. Jesus gives us the strength to walk with Him. If we stand on the Lord’s side, He is the strong one who helps us overcome our enemies. To choose Christ is to choose the more powerful one who can lead us to victory over the temptations of the Evil One. We should not be foolish enough to ally ourselves with the devil rather than with God, for the Lord is the surest guarantee of victory. He has promised us the Holy Spirit, who equips us with the gifts needed to bear fruit.
St. Luke concludes this chapter by saying, “Salt is good; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored?” (Lk 14:34f) This image of salt is a warning to all of us about discipleship. Just as salt can lose its flavour, our commitment to Christ can also weaken. Discipleship is an ongoing journey that never ends until death. We must therefore strive to remain diligent disciples in continuous formation. If we lose our zeal and love for the Lord, we become useless for His mission. Eventually, we will lose even the little faith we have if we fail to bear fruit for the Lord. But if we remain committed to Him — in how we love our family and friends, and in how we carry the cross with love and obedience — we will bring life to others and help them become their best selves. Indeed, discipleship is a serious calling, and to complete this task, we must place Him first above everything else.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment