In our first reading Paul is writing again to the churches in Rome: “Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another” (Romans 13:8).

And then in the gospel of Luke, we read: “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” (Luke 14:26).

Paul could write what he wrote to the Romans because he received, understood, and embraced Jesus’ teaching that he shared with the crowds. Even more importantly, he received Jesus’ love and acceptance even when he, Saul, before he became Paul, was persecuting Jesus. What first appears to be opposed and opposite are saying the same thing. 

The point of both readings is the cost we pay to be disciples of Jesus. But to understand the cost, we need to understand the terms of agreement that Jesus requires. 

When he is saying that we must hate the members of our family, and even ourselves, he is speaking clearly as a prophet in hyperbolic speech to get the crowd’s and our attention. At the same time, this is not just hyperbolic. 

When Jesus uses the term, hate, he is not doing so in the way we might think of it as a violent, emotional reaction. He is presenting hate as a detached choice. To be his disciple, we must make Jesus to be first, and primary before anyone and anything else. We must make this choice freely. We can trust Jesus and put him first because he knows what we need to be healed and made whole, better than we do, better than our family and friends.

As we come to know Jesus, we come to know ourselves and we can better come to know each other. We come to know Jesus when we trust him and allow him to love us. As we let go of our inordinate attachments and crawl out of our comfort zones in trust, receive his love and experience his love, we experience what we have been created for – to be loved and to love in return. 

This love of Jesus is unconditional. It is no mere emotion or sentiment. When we love the way Jesus loves us, without conditions, and choose to renounce our inordinate attachments, we will experience his love as a free gift. We can then love by willing the good of another as they are as Jesus loves us. 

Jesus is our stable foundation not only when we have trusted in him but it is just as important to know that he is our foundation in those times when when we may not have thought to reach out to him, or when when we did, not have felt that he was even present. He is present when lies attempt to divert us away from our relationship with him. Jesus has been, is now, and will always be with us. We have never nor will we ever be alone.

Whenever we open your hearts and minds to Jesus, God our loving Father happens in our lives. He loves us as we are and where we are as the starting point, even in our worst moments. Then we begin each time from that moment to the level we are open to following his will. May we continue to trust and take Jesus’ hand today as both of us did yesterday morning and walk with him as he leads us.

Photo: St. Vincent De Paul Chapel, St. Vincent De Paul Regional Seminary, Boynton Beach, FL.

Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, November 8, 2023