Grace is costly; how much so, just look at a crucifix.

Luke 9;51-62. Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. June 26th, 2016

Today’s readings have the theme of discipleship. To be a disciple means that we follow a master or someone who teaches us a skill, a trade or a knowledge that we ourselves do not have. In our first reading, Elijah calls Elisha to follow him as a disciple. Although Elisha desires to settle his affairs first, Elijah demands that he come immediately. It would seem here that Elijah was being harsh. This was not the case however; Elijah was really testing Elisha to see if he really desired to become his disciple. And so, when Elijah saw Elisha’s heart, a heart desiring to be led, Elijah waited for Elisha.

In our Gospel, Jesus also calls people, in fact all people, to follow him. Just as Elijah demanded an immediate response, so too does Jesus. Jesus also tests the “would be” disciples to know their hearts; he knows the hearts of those He called in the Gospel. He knows that their hearts were “divided.” It wasn’t just a matter of returning to bury a father or say goodbye to a family, it was a matter of their wanting to follow the Lord later, when it was more convenient to them. The father of the one who said, “let me first go and bury my father,” was still very much alive. So what was really meant was, when my Father dies in ten or twenty years then I will follow you…!

Jesus desires us as well to be his disciples, but it would seem the price is very high. Jesus makes no bones about the commitment necessary to follow Him faithfully. Jesus assures us that discipleship will present its challenges and that it will require a great commitment. But it is a commitment in which Jesus never forces anyone to follow him. In the end the choice is our; it is a free choice. Jesus for His part however, wants no divided hearts, only our whole heart.

And so, when we stop to count the cost of being a disciple of Jesus we realize that the cost is indeed high-it is everything, everything we have, are and possess. We must spiritually detach ourselves from everything and everybody to be Jesus’ disciple-we must live our lives for Him alone. Everything we do, must be done for love of Jesus. Even when we serve others, it must be done primarily for love of Jesus.

During World War II, a German Protestant minister, Dietrich Bonheoffer wrote a book on this cost of discipleship; the book was entitled, “Cheap Grace; the cost of discipleship.” Bonheoffer said that to be a disciple of Jesus meant that everything in your life must be centered on Jesus, and lived for Jesus alone, and that this commitment in the end would cost you everything. He condemned the notion of “Cheap Grace” and preached the truth about “Costly Grace.” To quote Bonheoffer in his own words, “cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline. Communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ.”

Discipleship did indeed cost Bonheoffer everything, as he was killed in a Nazi concentration camp for his faith, for his discipleship. Perhaps the Lord might not be calling us to give up our very life as a martyr (although in our day it seems to be a very real possibility), but Jesus does ask us to intentionally (that is from our heart) give up our lives to him today completely, fully and without reserve, without looking back—for love is always the complete gift of self to the other with nothing held back.

We hear a lot of God’s Mercy in our day, but we hear very little about the need to repent of our sins in order to accept this Mercy. We hear very little about the need to be about being “just” toward our neighbor and very little about how we can’t be just without accepting and living the truth. As in Bonheoffer’s day, we hear a lot about “Cheap Grace” but very little about “Costly grace.” Grace is costly; how much so, just look at a crucifix. It may be free but it isn’t cheap! (the same can be said about mercy)

And so, to follow Jesus, to accept His mercy and to show His mercy to others we must give up many things. We must give up what we think, give up what we feel about things, we must give up “being right, “ and we must submit ourselves to He who is the Truth, Jesus.

We submit ourselves to Jesus by following His teachings as expressed through the teachings of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church which He founded to proclaim His truth in all of its fullness. This necessarily means we make changes in our lives and in our family in order to conform ourselves more closely to Christ--this requires daily change, which is the same as saying daily conversion, daily repentance a daily turning away from sin and turning more fully toward Jesus. And to follow Jesus, then we must give up not only our sins, but also our own will, our very self and commit ourselves to Him and His Holy Will (Thy Will be done).

Practically we do all of this by committing ourselves to pray intimately each day to the Master, Jesus, doing all we do for love of Jesus, and love of our neighbor for love of Jesus. Also, we commit ourselves to conform the way we worship at Holy Mass to the mind of the Church, which is the mind of Christ himself, (for it is Jesus who primarily offers the Holy Mass, not us). We must commit ourselves as well to receive the Sacraments more frequently, especially that of Confession. And we renew in ourselves a commitment to treat others with Justice and so with the dignity and respect they deserve as children of God; only in justice can we show mercy and we can only show mercy in justice with the truth, the truth that comes from God and is proclaimed fully and without error by His Catholic Church.

Just like in today’s gospel, over the next few Sundays, we will see different reactions of people in their call to discipleship of Jesus. Some drop everything and follow immediately and wholeheartedly while others find it much more challenging to respond to the invitation given. But regardless of people’s reaction to Him, Jesus invitation or call to follow him goes out to everyone regardless of their situation in life. It is personal call, to follow the master immediately and without reserve.

We know that as Christians, every one of us is called as well. It is call for which each one of us was created. Each one of us is called to a specific vocation or a unique path that will lead us to our fullest perfection in our life’s journey towards God’s kingdom-only by answering this call fully and completely will we have happiness, will we have peace. When we give ourselves fully to Jesus with great trust, we lose nothing of ourselves but gain everything besides. Jesus is calling us today; He may not repeat the call tomorrow; now is the acceptable time.

As the crucifixion of Jesus is re-present at this Holy Mass in a few moments, let us intentionally, that is in our hearts, renew our own discipleship and our own offering to Jesus as our Lord and our Master. During the Mass, we pray, “let us lift our hearts to the Lord; we lift them up to the Lord.” This is what we are being called to do. We are called to freely sacrifice our whole life for Jesus, in union with him- following him as he offers himself and makes present for us this offering on the cross for us. We are called to place our heart completely on the paten along with the host to be offered to God. We are called to adore and beg God for the grace to live this complete self-offering out in all the events of our daily lives. This offering entails change, radical change for each and every one of us if it is to lead to faithful discipleship and union with the Most Blessed Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Change is hard for all of us; let us, through the immaculate heart of Mary, ask Jesus for his free but costly divine grace to help us become closer disciples of His. The Virgin Mary, was the one disciple who never looked back, who was always faithful, who offered herself totally to God, in word and in deed even to the piercing of her own soul with a sword at the foot of the cross. Let us place our heart on the Paten at this and every Holy Mass through her hands. She will help us to cut any strings holding our hearts to this earth. Through her intercession she will help us to never look back and to live totally for Jesus as His faithful disciples. In this, through the Holy Spirit we will be transformed and He will renew the face of the earth. God Bless.