The cost of discipleship and promises

Reading 2 today is the most beautiful letter of recommendation you could find anywhere. Saint Paul wrote a beautiful letter to the early Christian community. Recommending his personal friend, a slave became a friend. The man after his own heart, his child, a follower of Christ. Now, Paul at the end of his life vouched for this new Catholic, new Christian, new follower of Christ, to the community. What a beautiful way of making sure faith is received and passed on. Thanks to those disciples.

In my life as a priest, I have written probably hundreds of letters of recommendation. I’ll be honest with you, sometimes; it's easy to write because the one who asked for that letter, I knew very well. And a lot of the time, I have no idea, and it's difficult to even put my thoughts together. Do you ever write a letter of recommendation to someone that you struggle to even think about what to write about? Do you? Because this letter might change one's life, so it takes a considerable amount of energy, sitting down and really thinking about that person. What is so good about this person is that I could vouch for my credibility, with my life. Now I would like to ask you in light of this beautiful letter of Saint Paul to the early Christian community. Imagine you and I, now coming to God, the one who knows you and I so perfectly well, that nothing could be hidden. If we ask the good Lord “Can you please write me a letter of recommendation?". Imagine him writing that letter to the entire world, to every employer, every boss, and every organization in the world. Imagine that for a moment asking our Lord to write me a letter of recommendation. Tell them how good I am, and tell them too how much I need help. I would like to present that to you as an experimental thought. At the same time I would like to give you some, perhaps according to the gospel, something to really tackle the cost of discipleship.

In today’s gospel, our Lord asked us to really sit down and think about, think through our life, and do a deliberate calculation. Whether or not this is a good thing to go forward? Now let's take a look at what did Jesus actually ask you and me in order to be his disciples? Second, let's go through the promises that he made to those who actually follow him. First, what did our Lord actually say to those who want to follow him, want to be his disciples? Number one, He wants us to understand that it is he who chose us, not the other way around. Our good Lord has stepped forward toward you and I, he extended his invitation, and therefore, the call to discipleship, first and foremost, my dear brothers and sister, is a blessing, it's a gift. It's truly a gift. And that is the first realization that we all have to understand that our Lord reaches out to you and to me. The fact that we are here indicates that we are invited, embraced, and loved into this community, into this family, into this world, and that is an awesome gift.

The second thing: "come and follow me". Those early disciples like Peter Andrew and the rest, "come and follow me". The good Lord gives the direction not you and me. The good Lord leads our job to come, see, stay, and learn with him. We are his students, we are not his teacher. And the entire Lord clearly said to his disciples: "No, no, students could be greater than the master? No, none.

And third it's interesting our Lord lays out completely, transparent to those who follow him. If you put your hand on the plow and turn back, you are not worthy of HIM. He meant to say if you committed to me, I demand complete fidelity, complete fidelity. You cannot go around worshiping money, and then me at the same time; you cannot have two masters - mammon and God. Complete fidelity to Christ and his teachings, complete and absolute submission to his divine will. Oh my brothers and sisters, how hard is it? It's simply hard, extremely hard to renounce everything.

What did he ask? Repent and believe in the good news, in the gospel. Those who follow Jesus have to have a recollected mind. Meaning we got to be thinking about what we need to confess, what we need to get rid of, what we need to renounce. Saint Paul listed the whole and our Lord listed the whole list as well. Those who come from the outside do not defile us but those who come from the inside actually defile us. Theft, stealing, cheating, killing, you name it. Repent; humbly accept God's mercy by asking for his forgiveness.

Next, in today's gospel, our Lord repeatedly asked us to consider "unless you and I pick up our cross and follow him we do not really deserve to be his disciple". What does that mean? Listen to him, follow him, and accept him? It means that sometimes, we're going to suffer, it means that when we renounce our sins that attachment is going to cost us a lot of anxiety, a lot of pain, and disunity among our family. A great problem comes when we face a greater political force that suppresses our faith that wants to destroy our faith. Those moments of pain and suffering, do we continue to follow HIM or drop HIM along the way? Too hard, Lord, too difficult to believe in you. Too difficult to really say yes to life, too difficult to say no to sins, too hard to renounce my habits, therefore, I dropped you along the way; I cannot pick up the cross and follow you. This path is full of thorns and rocky soil. It's hard to travel. Not many people accompany me on the path either. Our Lord is asking us to pick up the cross, pain, and suffering that accompanies those who follow Jesus. Also, our Lord asks His disciple to bend down on their knees, and serve one another as our Lord has served his disciples in the last supper. You see, I'm the master and I did this to you. You should do it to one another. Lord asking us to humbly accept one another, humbly see each other not enemies but actually brothers and sisters in Christ. We may have struggles, problems, and bad things going on. But after all, underneath the image of God, the beautiful person God has created, there's something lovable, something beautiful that needs to be discovered. The Lord continues, "If you want to be my disciple, love one another, and love your enemies, pray for those who hate you”. Amazing isn't it? If I listen and continue to list, dear brothers and sisters, the requirements to be Jesus' disciple was so difficult to really follow. Who could do so? The disciple asked: how many of us could be saved, my good Lord? How many of us could fulfill the list? Not that many If we do it on our own strength, but if we do it with God's strength, then yes, we could. Now those are just a few things that we needed to think about our discipleship.

When we think about how God would write the letter of recommendation, how many of those things have we done, my brothers and sisters, how many of those things that we actually believe in. Do we believe that we have to go out and show our faith? Do we believe that we have to reconcile with one another? Do we believe that we have to love one another? Do we believe that we have to share our resources to build God's kingdom here on earth? The money that we drop in the basket here in the church is no longer a donation to God. God doesn't need your money or my money, he has it all. It’s an act of thanksgiving. It's an act of acknowledgement that we continue to work together to further God's kingdom, to take care of his house and his people. Here at this moment in history.

Now the second part, let's take a look at the promises. We already see the requirements, how about the promises made to those who follow Jesus. It is an amazing list as well. My dear brothers and sisters, listen to this list so that we have courage to embrace the call of discipleship. Those who believe in me shall live even if he dies, shall enjoy eternal life. Amazing isn't it? Our Lord is just not just guaranteed his life is going to be suffering and pain. No, he's saying our life is going to be awesome. In the next, this is just the beginning; this is just a preparation period. The enjoyment period is to be with God on high. That is the promise. If you listen to me, if you are my disciple, your joy will be complete. We are always longing for joy. Sometimes substitute it with something else in this life - go to the movies, watch a good play, even while committing sins because we think those things may actually create some joys in our heart. We are looking for joy. And our Lord says:" if you follow me, I'll give you joy ". He also says: if you follow me, if you renounce, give away family and everything that you got, I’ll multiply that by a hundred and overflow. amazing, he's saying if you give me your life, I’ll give you back 100 times; if you give up your habit, I’ll give you a thousand more; brothers and sisters, if you want to be generous, if you open your heart, you'll not only have you in it, I’m going to have you a thousand more people in it with you. If you want your heart to be big, expand it and make sure it is going to be big like mother Teresa, like John of the cross, like Abdullah, like the rest of the apostles, they were so concerned about what they get from Jesus and they forgot about the larger picture. But when they got it, my good Lord they brought thousands of people to Christ that house God multiplied.

And now the Lord also promised to you and to me that we're going to be his friends. We’re going to be his friends not a slave. Because a slave does not know the master is doing, but the friend knows exactly. Our Lord called his disciple friends. Friendship with God means being with him in the state of blessedness, the saints are called friends of God because they enjoy that state of being with God completely. So we're being called friends, we're actually being called friends in such a beautiful way that everything he has he shared with us. Friends with a mutual interest of heaven and not only that for those who follow Jesus, what else did he promise? We're going to have God as father. And all of us are brothers and sisters. The disciple asked how to pray and our Lord taught them: "our father who art in heaven". Our heavenly father, God, is no longer a distant entity, a being that we could not reach, but actually a personal God we could actually call upon, we could touch him, we actually see him, as we receive and see Jesus here at mass. we actually have a relationship with our heavenly father, he is not a punishing father but actually a good and merciful kind forgiving father. Brothers and sisters, if those things are not enough to incite us to embrace this discipleship, willingly weigh the cost. These are the requirements and these are the promises made.

So my dear brothers and sisters let me go back to Saint Paul's letter. He vows with his own life, that this man is worthy of reception. Let's think about the letter that God could write to you and to me. - For me, a letter of good standing, a letter of recommendation. Think about those things, think about beautiful challenges, think about the promises that God had made and make a determination. What should I do? Should I love my family more than God? Should I embrace a political agenda more than God's agenda? Should I just embrace my personal agenda? Or are we going to move forward with God's agenda? Should I relinquish my habits of sins, habit of gossip, habit of hurting people, or sinning personally? Should I follow Christ or not? Trust in HIM and receive the reward of eternal life. My brothers and sisters, that's the choice we have to make and that is a call to discipleship.

門徒的條件和許諾

讀經 2 (費肋孟書 9-10, 12-17) 是聖保祿宗徒寫的一封推薦信，一封感人而美麗的推薦信。在信中他推薦了一位奴隸進入早期的基督徒團體。他說這位奴隸與他認識，有私交，有同樣的情懷，追隨了耶穌，是保祿宗徒傳福音所生的孩子。保祿宗徒在他生命的盡頭，將這位新的天主教徒、基督徒、基督的追隨者推薦給教友團體，用這美妙的方法來確保信仰的傳續與接納。我們感謝宗徒們的努力。

在我做神父的生涯中，寫了數百封的推薦信。寫推薦信有時很容易，因為我認識那位要我寫推薦信的人。很多時候，我不認識他們，無法著墨寫信。您是否想要給人寫推薦信，卻想不出要寫什麼？因為這封信可能會改變一個人的一生，所以需要花相當大的精力來思考是否可以用我自己的信用來擔保這個人的優點和可信度。現在讓我們想想看，當我們來到全知的天主前，問良善的天主：“你能給我寫一封推薦信嗎？”。這封信將會把自己推薦給全世界，每個雇主、老闆和組織，告訴他們我有多好，多麼的需要幫助。我將這個題目呈現給大家一起思考。同時也根據福音，來討論一下成為耶穌門徒的條件。

主在今天的福音中 (路加福音 14:25-33)，要求我們檢討自己是否善度基督徒的生活？讓我們來看看在福音中耶穌對他的門徒要求是什麼？然後回顧一下對那些真心追隨祂的人所作的許諾。

主對門徒的要求是什麼呢？第一，主要我們明白是主揀選了我們，而不是我們選擇了主。是良善的主對我們發出了邀請。收到了主的邀請成為門徒是一個祝福，一份珍貴的禮物。因為這是主向你和我伸出援手的時候。今天我們在這裡就是表明了我們的確受到主的邀請，得到了擁抱和愛來加入這個團體、家庭、和世界，這是一份了不起的禮物。

第二，主向我們說 “來，跟隨我”。就像當初祂對伯多祿，安德肋說：“來，跟隨我”一樣。天主吿訴我們行動的方向，而不要我們自己找方向。主邀請我們到祂的身邊，留下來，觀察祂，學習祂。我們是學生，不是老師。主說：“徒弟能比師父大嗎？不，一個都沒有“。

第三，很有趣的，主對追隨祂的人是絕不掩飾，完全透明的。主說：”手扶着犁而往後看的，不適於天主的國”。主對祂的門徒要求完全的忠誠。祂說：”沒有人能事奉兩個主人：他或是要恨這一個而愛那一個，或是依附這一個而輕忽那一個。你們不能事奉天主而又事奉錢財”。完全忠於基督和祂的教導，絕對地服從祂的神聖旨意。哦，兄弟姐妹們，這是多麼的困難？放棄一切是極其困難的。

主！又要求了什麼呢？他要我們悔改並且信從福音。跟隨耶穌的人必需有一顆反省的心,常常承認、擺脫、放棄罪惡。聖保祿宗徒列出了反省的清單，主也列出了清單。主說：”不是從人外面進入他內的，能污穢人，而是從人心裡出來的，纔污穢人”。偷竊、欺騙、殺人，各種罪惡應有盡有。不斷地謙卑反省，悔改，接受耶穌的憐憫，請求主的寬恕。

今天的福音中，主要求我們 “誰若願意跟隨我，該棄絕自己，天天背着自己的十字架跟隨我”。這意味著什麼？聽祂，跟隨祂，接受祂，意味著有時會受苦。當我們放棄自我時，有種依戀會讓我們產生焦慮、痛苦甚至導致家庭分裂。尤其當我們面對強大的政治力量，企圖壓制及摧毀我們的信仰，會產生很大的問題。在痛苦中，我們是否繼續跟隨主還是放棄祂？主啊，相信祢真是太難了。對罪說 “不” 也是太難。我的一些習慣太難捨棄，所以，我把禰丟到路邊；我不能拿起十字架跟隨祢。這條路充滿了荊棘和石塊，難以前行，在路上陪伴的人也不多，又要背著十字架、接受痛苦和苦難。主也要求我們跪下，互相服務，就像主在最後晚餐中為門徒服務一樣。主的行為告訴我們，“我是主人，我對門徒做了這件事。你們也該這樣彼此服務”。主要求我們謙卑地接受彼此，眼中看到的不是敵人，而是主內的兄弟姐妹。我們會遇到困難、問題和考驗，但畢竟我們是以天主的形象而造，有天主的美善，有愛的元素，也有些需要被發現的美善。主繼續說：“如果你想成為我的門徒，你應愛你的近人，愛你們的仇人，當為迫害你們的人祈禱”。這是不是很神奇？成為耶穌門徒的條件真的很難。門徒問：主，有多少人可以得救，達成這個標準？答案是：如果我們憑自己的力量，沒有幾個人會得救，但如果我們信靠天主的幫助，得救是可能的。要成為一個耶穌的門徒這是我們必需要考慮幾個條件。

那麼主會如何為我們寫這封推薦信呢？兄弟姐妹們，想想我們做了多少門徒該做的事？到底做了多少？我們有為信仰作見證嗎？有彼此原諒嗎？有彼此相愛嗎？有沒有分享我們的資源在這個世界建立天主的國度嗎？因為天主擁有一切，所以我們在教堂裏投進籃子的錢不是對天主的奉獻，它是一個感恩的行為，一種認知，代表在這一刻，我們決心繼續同心合力地來推動天主的國度，照顧天主的家，和祂的子民。

我們既然了解了耶穌對門徒的要求，現在讓我們來看看祂的許諾。祂驚人的許諾使我們有勇氣來通過做門徒的考驗。耶穌說：“我就是復活，就是生命；信從我的，即使死了，仍要活着；凡活着而信從我的人，必永遠不死”。信耶穌的，即使死了，仍會活着享受永生，這是否很神奇？耶穌並不是說生命只有苦難和痛苦，他告訴我們信祂的人會享永生。這只是一個開端，一個準備期。他說我們將享受的是與天主同在高天的喜悅。耶穌說：”如果你們遵守我的命令，便存在我的愛內，我的喜樂便存在你們內，使你們的喜樂圓滿無缺“。我們渴望喜樂，有時用今生的東西來追求它：看電影，一場好戲，甚至於犯罪。因為我們以為這些事物會創造喜樂。我們尋找喜樂，耶穌說：“跟隨我，使你們的喜樂圓滿無缺”。祂還說：”人為了我，為了福音，而捨棄了房屋、或兄弟、姊妹、或母親、父親、或兒女、或田地，將來就得百倍的房屋、兄弟、姊妹、母親、兒女、田地，並在來世獲得永生”。太棒了，耶穌說如果你給我你的生命，我會給你百倍賞報；如果你放棄你的惡習，我再給你千倍的賞報；兄弟姐妹們，如果你們敞開心扉，你們不僅擁有自己，耶穌還會給你千百倍的賞報。擴大你的心胸，像德肋莎修女一樣大，像十字若翰，像阿卜杜拉，像其他的門徒一樣大，他們努力成為耶穌的門徒並得到了耶穌的許諾。當他們成為基督的門徒後，天啊，他們同時將成千上萬的人帶到天主面前，倍增了基督信徒的家庭。

耶穌應許我們成為祂的朋友，我們就再也不是奴隸了。奴隸不知道主的旨意，但朋友知道主的旨意。與天主交友意味著與天主同處於幸福的狀態。聖人被稱為天主的朋友是因為他們完全地分享了與天主同在的圓滿。所以我們被稱為朋友是如此的美好，因為天主的朋友與天主分享祂所擁有的一切，不僅是那些跟隨耶穌的人，也包括了所有對天堂有渴望的人。耶穌還應許了什麼呢？祂說我們要以天主為父，所有基督徒都是主內的兄弟姐妹。門徒問耶穌如何祈禱，耶穌教導他們以 “我們的天父” 開始。天主不再遙遠，而是一個我們能呼喚，可以看到，並且觸摸的真實天主。我們在彌撒時可以領受耶穌。天父再也不是一個嚴厲的父親，而是一個善良、仁慈、寬容的父親。兄弟姊妹們，如果這些許諾還不足以讓我們來接受成為門徒的挑戰，那麼就請你再衡量一下作為門徒的條件和許諾了。

讓我回到聖保祿這封推薦信。保祿用自己的生命來推薦這一位奴隸是值得加入基督信仰的團體，成為耶穌的兄弟姐妹。再讓我們想想天主為我們寫的推薦信。 希望主能為我們寫一封信，來肯定我是一位好的基督徒，推薦我進入基督的團體成為耶穌的兄弟姐妹。讓我們看這個門徒的挑戰和天主的許諾，下個決心。到底我該怎麼辦呢？愛我的家人勝過天主嗎？接受世俗而拒絕天主嗎？向慾望屈服還是按照天主的指示前進呢？繼續犯罪、說閒話、傷害人還是跟隨基督，信靠祂來獲得永生的獎賞？兄弟姐妹們，我們必須做出選擇來面對成為門徒的條件與許諾。