Once in a personal retreat, my retreat director made a stark statement that continues to haunt me: It is one thing to follow Christ’s call; it is quite another to accept his mission.
When St. Matthew narrated the call of the first disciples which we find in the Gospel selection for this weekend’s Mass, he emphasized the speed of their response. They were adventurous young men who only needed a nudge from God to leave behind all they knew and serve a man who drew crowds wherever he went.
The Gospel writer knew the compelling nature of Jesus’ call. At the start, a life of discipleship promises fulfillment, wisdom and grace, as well as potential honor and status. But, the inspiration of these dreams of doing great things for God can sometimes obscure the hard work and suffering inherent in discipleship. In his preaching this week, Jesus offers his disciples no such illusions.
Hostility to Jesus and his message had already begun. The debate over his ability to forgive sins had turned some faithful Jews against him. Now he had doubled down on his claims and was sending his disciples out to spread this same message throughout Judea and Galilee. It’s easy to imagine friends and family quietly begging the Twelve not to go; and, it is easy to imagine the disciples beginning to wonder what they had gotten themselves into. Jesus’ response is clear, “Whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
The Twelve must have sensed they were passing a point of no return. Until now, they had learned from Jesus, but they had not yet risked themselves. Now, to continue their discipleship they had to preach his difficult message alone among strangers. By making his words their own, they were making themselves target for the hostility directed at Jesus. Those whose goal was to sit at Christ’s side in a restored kingdom of Israel must have been utterly bewildered.
Discipleship today requires the same self-abnegation. We need to speak Christ’s words in our own voice and actions. We have to pass the same point of no return. In doing so, we may confuse our families and maybe lose a few friends. The only people who might understand what we are doing are those who have undertaken the same mission themselves.
Is Christ asking you to leave something behind to follow him more truly?
Fr. Frank Reale, S.J.
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