The gospel for Wednesday of the 31st week in ordinary time is taken from Luke 14:25 33 great crowds were traveling with Jesus, and he turned and addressed them. If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Which of you, wishing to construct a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion. Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work, the onlookers should laugh at him and say, this one began to build but did not have the resources to finish. Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with 10,000 troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with 20,000 troops.

But if not, while he is still far away, he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms. In the same way, every one of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple. Jesus speaking here to the crowds. And he’s wanting everyone to realize that this thing that he has come to establish is so radically new, so different, that it will separate us from those who we are close to because they won’t understand. It’s going to cost a great deal. In fact, it’s going to cost Everything that we have has to be secondary to this new kingdom of God that He is inviting us into.

And when it is that important to us, then it can happen. Because it’s not something that we create. It’s not something we do. It’s something we surrender to. Please ponder these images. And then I will close with a prayer, foreign closing prayer.

Father, free us from working for things that only you can create within us. Give us a clarity and a disposition of surrender, acceptance, allowing you to change us, to renew us, and to bring us into the light. And we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.