In Luke’s Gospel there seems to be a cost to being Jesus’ disciple. Jesus says that there are certain requirements to be met: to calculate the cost, decide if it will be successful, and to carry your own cross; or “you cannot be my disciple.”

When I consider the move Rita and I recently made, these requirements were indeed considered. To be successful, there was a lot of planning: what and how to pack, the need to schedule the move, to decide where to place our belongings in our new house. To assure we had the money to move, we had to budget for: packing boxes, condo moving fees, the cost of the moving company. And as we tried to anticipate the stress in moving, the crosses that we bore became much heavier on our shoulders. But without giving attention to these details, we would have been doomed to fail.

Yet, Jesus goes on with his requirements -- that we must renounce all our possessions and even family. Well, our move was all about preservation of our possessions. And we did move to be closer to our daughter’s family. I guess we may have failed at being Jesus’ disciples.

A large crowd of people were traveling with Jesus on his journey to Jerusalem. A crowd that has witnessed his miracles and have been comforted by his teachings. Perhaps, sheep who were in need of a shepherd. But Jesus was requiring them to continue to follow him all the way to his cross, which was a wholehearted commitment. A commitment to follow him can be no less than a willingness to carry our own cross. In carrying our cross, we chose to travel a higher road: to forgive offenses committed against us; to live simply so others can simply live; to take responsibility for the moral character of our society. Indeed, this can be a very demanding way of life. Yet, in choosing Jesus, we are called to relinquish our preoccupation with family and our focus on the goods we cherish, so that we aren’t distracted in our commitment to him.

Jesus is not asking us to take all these requirements to discipleship so literally, since the entire basis of his teaching is love. But he is asking us to realize our finiteness and the transitory nature of life. What is to be gained from the towers we construct, the battles we have won, the possessions we have? But in choosing to follow Jesus, we are making a commitment to living in a relationship with him, leading us in a straight path, and helping us in becoming his disciple, during our brief journey on earth.

Yes, we can carry our cross and be his disciple, because “his yoke is easy and his burden is light.” (Mt 11:30) We travel not alone, but with Jesus. And in his embrace, we will not fail, but we will keep our wholehearted commitment to follow him through this life - and to eternal life.

This week, we welcomed our Early Childhood students! It's going to be a great year at Saint Andrew School!

Are you interested in a Catholic Education for your child? We have limited seats still available for the 2022/23 School Year!

Please contact Anne Japsen in Admissions at annejapsen@gosaintandrew.com for more information. Come join us and experience what makes our Blue Ribbon School so special. www.gosaintandrew.com