IF WE only knew fully what were getting into, perhaps we may not have taken a path or decided on a kind of life. It could be a marriage, a career, or a business. It could be as noble as the priesthood or the religious life. It could as grandiose as a decision to engage into war against another nation that could have worldwide ramifications. Indeed, there are times when we make a decision without understanding fully its consequences.
The Gospel this Sunday does not only speak about the radical mandate to renounce everything and everyone to be a true disciple of Christ, but also the necessity of assessing and understanding completely the consequences of this decision. Are we aware of the full nature of our calling?
The Gospel illustrates this point: “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 a battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops?”
For some us, however, it’s too late to discontinue the path that we’ve taken. All that we need to do is to honor our commitments and to rely on God’s saving graces. Who would fully comprehend the crosses ahead of us when we’re so full of idealism and promises? When we are young, we are ready to conquer the world and to overcome any obstacle and difficulty, until we get more mature through years of experiences and realize the heaviness of an undertaking.
Another way to deal with a feeling of regret is to accept life’s imperfection and challenges. There will always be some weaknesses in a person or a relationship. There will never a perfect marriage, a perfect person or a situation. At times, we should be happy with something or someone that is good enough. A friend of mine always remind me of this hard truth.
Nonetheless, the Gospel gives us the strong admonition to discern well the decision to be a radical disciple of Christ. To be honest, it’s still rare to find people who are willing to renounce everything to follow Christ as his disciple. Not too many of us can practice this abnegation of all possessions and family or any relationship for the sake of Christ and the Kingdom of God.
The Good News is that we continue to learn and to mature in faith. We may not have arrived at this stage of radical discipleship, but our Lord, Jesus Christ, continues to invite us to discover and to live fully the great wisdom that he taught: it is in dying that we live, it is in giving of ourselves entirely and heroically to God and to others that we gain true joy and eternal life!
* * *
Reverend Rodel G. Balagtas attended St. John Seminary in Camarillo, California and earned his Doctor of Ministry in Preaching from Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, Missouri. For twenty years, he has been in the parish ministry of large multi-cultural communities. Since 2002, he has been the pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Los Angeles. Please email Fr. Rodel at [email protected].
