Readings
I - Rom. 13: 8-10
II - Lk. 14: 25-33
THE THREE Ds OF DISCIPLESHIP
The cost of discipleship is all about 3Ds, one leading to the other viz. Decision, Detachment and Dedication. Decision to follow the Lord that calls for detachment. Detachment leads to dedication in the radical following of Jesus. Jesus in today’s Gospel passage illustrates two metaphors: a person intending to build a tower first sit down and estimate the cost and secondly, the king make peace with his opponent who is stronger than him. Tasks taken up cannot be given up for any reason. Following the Lord demands detachment that liberates a person for a complete dedication in the carrying of the cross that comes across in the pursuit of following Jesus. Jesus says, “No one who puts a hand to a plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God” (Lk. 9:62)
Christian living calls for complete commitment to the life and teaching of Jesus. A witnessing life to the truth. To be a Christian is a decisive decision to follow the way our Master had tread. Attachment to persons, wealth or for that matter even to one’s own life should not hinder a Christian to live by the principles of Jesus. A follower of Christ cannot but be dedicated to the commandment of Jesus, Love: for God and neighbour. It is not easy but suffering and cross on our path. To befriend the poor, strive for justice, stand for righteousness, voice out for the voiceless and refute the rich and the powerful is challenging but possible for the one who is attached to Christ and dedicated to his mission with the firm decision to follow him come what may. May our mind and heart resonate with the prayer: “Lord Jesus, teach me to follow you”.
