The Cost of Discipleship

photo by Mark Hoggard

In trying economic times, most people need to calculate carefully how they spend their money. They choose to renounce having some things they would like to have because other things are more essential to life. Often the reward from this pattern of calculation and renunciation becomes valuable enough that even when better economic circumstances develop, they continue in this way of living.

In today's gospel (Luke 14:25-33), Jesus reminds us that discipleship is constantly about renunciation and calculation. Following Jesus is an ongoing choice with ongoing demands: "The concerns of the Church’s social doctrine, commitment to peace and justice, care

for our common home and intercultural and interreligious dialogue, must also be more widely shared among the People of God so that the action of missionary disciples can influence the construction of a more just and compassionate world. The commitment to defending life and human rights, for the proper ordering of society, for the dignity of work, for a fair and supportive economy, and an integral ecology is part of the evangelizing mission that the Church is called to live and incarnate in history" (Synod Final Document, 151). Disciples would become discouraged if they did not keep focused on where faithful discipleship leads -- to full ness of new life.

If we clearly calculated the costs and assessed our resources before beginning the journey of discipleship, none of us would ever begin! The fact is, we ourselves don't have what we need to be faithful disciples on our own. But in baptism, Jesus gives us his power to "finish the work." So what we are to calculate is not what we lack, but what Jesus continually gives. We can give our all, only because Jesus has first given his all to us.