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Saturday, September 14, 2019

Discipleship and Our Three Vocations

GospelLK 14:25-33

Great crowds were traveling with Jesus,
and he turned and addressed them,
“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.Which of you wishing to construct a tower
does not first sit down and calculate the cost
to see if there is enough for its completion?
Otherwise, after laying the foundation
and finding himself unable to finish the work
the onlookers should laugh at him and say,
‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’
Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down
and decide whether with ten thousand troops
he can successfully oppose another king
advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops?
But if not, while he is still far away,
he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms.
In the same way, anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”
For background information consult 

Above in Luke Jesus gives us three disqualifying factors of discipleship.
  1. If we love ourselves or others more than we love Jesus
  2. If we don't carry our cross
  3. If we don't renounce our possessions
This reading seems tied into Jesus' command to pray, fast, and give alms (see above link)
The easiest one to see is the renunciation of our possessions or conquering of Lust of the Eyes - this one goes with giving alms.
The next one would be the love of ourselves and those closest to us, this would deal with the Lust of the Flesh - which is conquered by fasting. 
Finally, the Pride of Life is conquered by carrying our cross. Pride makes us want to do our own will, but as Jesus said before carrying His cross - not My will, but thy will be done. This pride can only be mastered through prayer.

IN BRIEF
“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. - Cutting your ties from earthly relations so as to bind yourself to heavenly ones - through fasting
Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.- Insisting on your own will in imitation of the Devil is only solved through prayer
In the same way, anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.” - We cannot serve two masters, both Christ and money/possessions. A time will come when we will be leaving our possessions anyway in death, so why let them tie us down to this world. Cut the strings to that our hearts and minds can possess heavenly treasures.