DISCIPLESHIP
Today we celebrate the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. In today’s readings, Jesus teaches us the reality of discipleship and not the imagined picture of it. St. Luke tells us that large crowds were travelling with Jesus and he turned and said to them “whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27). In Jesus’ time, carrying a cross was a shocking and suffering image for the people. It reflects the discipleship of following Him, the deep commitment, and the courage to do so. In the 2nd Station of the Cross, we see Jesus do this - take up the cross. Christ does not give up, self-emptying Himself, accepts God’s will and plan for Him; teaching us to carry our cross through the circumstances, responsibilities, and challenges of our lives.
Jesus also said to the crowd in Luke 14:26 “whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.” We learn from homilies, that this does not mean to psychologically hate, to be hostile or angry with one’s family nor in hating one’s life. It is a call to reexamine our relationships and priorities, in letting go of anything that keeps us from Christ, choosing Christ above all else, and to follow Jesus fully with commitment and trust in Him, going beyond the mind we have.
The readings bring to mind our Saints, Francis of Assisi and Carlo Acutis whose lives fully characterize these teachings, where they lived at different times and in different places.
Indeed, we see St. Francis of Assisi as gentle and who loved God’s creation. He was also a courageous spiritual warrior and his vocation cost him everything. Born in 1181, St. Francis grew up with the liberty to do as he pleased, loved attention and fame, enjoyed fine clothing, elaborate banquets and singing in the streets. Decision by decision he stripped himself of attachments to be more like Jesus. As a youth he went to war eagerly, patiently endured imprisonment and illness. His life changed, when he encountered a leper returning home from a military battle. Despite fear, St. Francis was moved to kiss and help the leper. Moments later, the leper disappeared and he realised the leper was Christ.
In his early twenties, he renounced wealth, possessions, an embarrassment to his father who was a respected businessman in Assisi. He lived like the poor he met in Assisi’s back streets, and embraced “Lady Poverty.” St. Francis referred to Poverty as “Lady Poverty” his “bride,” which was not just a lack of possessions; rather a spiritual life of absolute, unencumbered freedom and joy. This is rooted in the poverty of Christ himself, a poverty that brings the treasure of the Kingdom of Heaven, a path for those who want to live their lives more fully in imitation of Jesus.
One day when St. Francis was praying in the dilapidated church of St. Damian, he heard a voice from the crucifix say, “Go and repair my Church.” At first, he literally worked to fix the building, but later understood the call was to renew people spiritually. St. Francis devoted himself to Christ crucified. His father took him to the Bishop’s court, demanding that his son repay the money he had used to repair St. Damian church. St. Francis submitted, then stripped naked, returned his clothes to his father as a sign that he forsook his family and inheritance. St. Francis of Assisi’s example continues to inspire and to live lives of simplicity, compassion, and love.
Carlo Acutis, our first millennial saint was beatified on October 10, 2020 and is to be canonized today September 7, 2025. He was a teenager who loved video games and soccer but by 15 years of age he had done something extraordinary. He saw the internet as a tool to lead others to God. He taught himself coding languages, designed and created an international exhibition "The Eucharistic Miracles of the World," building a movement of faith that continues to grow. Carlo was convinced that the scientific evidence from Eucharistic miracles would help people to realise that Jesus is present in the Eucharist and for them to return to Mass. He famously said, “The Eucharist is my highway to heaven,” and “with each Communion we come closer to the goal of sanctity.”
When he was little, he had a great interest in the church, the saints, the Gospel, and each time the family passed a church, he wanted to go in and greet Jesus and he stopped for quite a long time. At 7 years of age, when he received his First Holy Communion, he started to attend mass daily and loved going to Eucharistic adoration. He compared his time in Adoration of the Eucharist as being like St John, who leaned on the Lord’s breast at the Last Supper. At 9 years of age, we witness his love and concern for the poor. With his own money, he bought blankets rather than toys and would bring food to the homeless in Milan. He would say he had everything, a house, the love of his parents and the homeless are without anything and he could not remain peaceful seeing this despair. In his short life, his witness of faith lead adults to convert and be baptized, he defended Church teachings when his classmates disagreed with him and was a faithful friend for kids who were bullied. He was diagnosed with leukaemia at 15 years of age. He faced his death with great courage, stayed joyful through it all, offering his suffering for the Church and for the Pope, always with a smile never complaining saying that there are people suffering much more. His final wish was to be buried in Assisi. Carlo Acutis said he desired “to always be close to Jesus, that is my life plan” - this is so vividly witnessed in his life and a reminder for young people and all of us that holiness is accessible even in today’s technology driven world, and continues to inspire us to walk the same path.
In an earlier part of Luke’s Gospel 9:23 Jesus said: “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Discipleship is not the preserve of a few, rather it is exercised in the everyday existence that we lead and in our day-to-day choices, behaviour, responses, focus and action in any situation. This is in letting go of anything that holds us back and making Christ our top priority, putting Him at the centre of our lives and carrying our cross. Discipleship does not take us out of the ordinary and is nearer than we think.
In our daily call to discipleship, Pope Francis writes in Gaudette Et Exsultate n14 “by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves.” We see this - By loving and caring for husband or wife, as Christ does for the Church. A mother and father bringing up their children is answering to discipleship. An aged father or mother you are caring for is discipleship. A parent or grandparent by patiently teaching the little ones how to follow Jesus. A teacher is called to discipleship through faithful teaching. In work, by labouring with integrity and skill in the service of our brothers and sisters. In a position of authority, by working for the common good and renouncing personal gain. In fact, nothing in the ordinary is outside the boundary of discipleship.
Jesus cautions those who merely travel alongside Him that following Him requires a deeper commitment. In Luke 14: 28-32, using examples of building a tower and a king going to war, Jesus teaches that embarking on discipleship demands readiness and lifelong commitment to see it through, even when it is difficult. This is further emphasized in the closing sentence of the Gospel “in the same way, anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33).
To enable us to do so, the first reading Wisdom 9: 13-18 reminds us how limited our human understanding is, and whether we are able to discern i.e. to seek and recognize God’s will amid the anxieties, distractions, and noise. The passage encourages us that God does not abandon us. Instead of relying only on what we know or understand, to pray for understanding and discernment that comes from God through His Holy Spirit. Like Onesimus in the second reading Philemon 8-10, 12-17, we have been redeemed and made part of God’s family, called to live in the light of Christ, and filled with His kindness and wisdom.
In the 2nd Sation of the Cross when Jesus carries the cross, we see Simon of Cyrene come to His aid to carry the heavy cross for a while. We are also blessed to have help and the many graces to carry our crosses daily. We have the Church, the clergy and religious, the Sacraments, the Eucharist, devotions, and prayers. Our family, friends, community and even people we are not acquainted with. Like Jesus, we carry our crosses and help others to carry their crosses in peace, joy, and love.
In Matthew 6:32-33, Jesus encourages us - “indeed your heavenly father knows that you need all these things. But strive for the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.” We see that Jesus knows and does dismiss the realities, importance, and concerns that we face daily. However, what comes first is to surrender to His will and purpose, and to place our faith and trust in the Lord.
As in the Responsorial Psalm 89(90) “O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next” – depicts so well God’s eternal presence, and is with us always our refuge and hope in every age. His wisdom helps us to see beyond our own fears and desires, and lead us to choices that bring real peace and meaning.
In prayer, we ask God’s guidance as we embrace our discipleship daily in our journey of faith, hope, and love.
Lord, help us to trust Your wisdom above our own understanding. Teach us to welcome others with love and to see them as part of Your family. Give us the courage to follow You, even when it means making sacrifices. May we always put You first in our lives. Amen.
Article by Olivia Tan, HFC Blog Contributor