“Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”
Luke 14: 26
At a Baptism there is the wonderful moment when anointing with the Oil of Baptism the Priest says to the candidate: -
“Christ claims you as his own” and then goes on to say, “receive the sign of the cross.”
I think it fair to say that at that moment few reflect on just what those words mean as we prefer to centre our thoughts on the promise of resurrection given in Baptism and not so much of the cost paid by Jesus or the cost of living the Christian Life that we are called to pay.
I am a great fan of the film, ‘Scott of the Antarctic.’ There is the iconic scene when the British party disappointed the Amundsen and his group had reached the south pole first, totally demoralized were running out of supplies. One of their number Oates discovering he was suffering from frostbite and would further slow them down left the tent one night saying, “I may be gone some time.” He did not return, sacrificing himself for his companions.
“Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”
While the scene from the film is indeed dramatic, we should note that S Luke sets this passage in the context of Jesus’ final journey to Jersualem. Note it, because by all accounts it sounds more like a Roman Triumph! The crowds following him have witnessed miraculous feedings of thousands and healings beyond all imagining and hear the Kingdom of God is promised equally to the poor and oppressed.
Jesus quite rightly recognizes how soon the fickle crowd could, and indeed as we well know, did change, thus he prepares those who he has called to be his witnesses after his resurrection. The practice of standing for the Gospel reading, heralded by the Gospel Acclamation; sometimes it being accompanied by lights and incense is a reminder to us of the call to wait on every word of the Lord whatever they may be and to wherever they may lead us.
In Catholic tradition we are blessed with the use of either the Crucifix or the Christus Rex as constant reminders of the price paid by the Lord to ensure for us in the words of today’s Collect: -
“true freedom and an everlasting inheritance.”
Thus Jesus says to us as a community and as individuals: -
“Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”
In my opinion we ignore at our own expense that to follow Jesus is to embrace a certain degree of discomfort for listening to his words will call for difficult decisions and choices of lifestyle, attitudes, friendships, leisure activities even our choice of occupation.
It is in listening before doing we find the answer to the question that opened this morning’s reading from the Book of Wisdom: -
“What human being can learn the counsel of God?”
As we note every time we look at the Rood Screen only one of those who heard Jesus teaching, as we have today, remained with him to the end yet he with Peter was there at the beginning of the fulfillment of God’s promise in the Resurrection. Another who after his conversion faces up to the challenge of the cross as from prison Paul writes to share his faith with Philemon: faith that in Jesus, all are in fact free from earthly restrictions that limit faith in the power of God to always overcome.
“Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”
Many of those who heard these words did in fact face their own crosses, only John, who as we have noted was the one apostle at the cross, died naturally.
So then, we have once again heard his calling as our Sunday Mass continues Jesus will strengthen us with his own body and blood; strengthen us to live lives of Christian faith, faith that these lives are indeed safe and secure. Safe and Secure in the promise of the Kingdom of God! That is surely worth the abandonment called for at the end of the passage: -
“anyone of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”
“Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”