“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” (Luke 14:26–27).In the Gospel passage of the Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, we hear another challenging teaching from Jesus, reminiscent of what he says in chapter 12 of Luke’s Gospel: “Do you think I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division” (Luke 12:51). In that reading, Jesus was not dismissing the value of temporary peace among families and communities. Temporary peace is the first step in deepening communion with one another, but when families continually avoid conflict just to preserve surface harmony, we end up neglecting the demands of justice. “Co-existing” becomes our highest aim, and Jesus wants so much more for us than that.
Likewise, when Jesus uses hyperbolic language saying we must “hate father, mother, wife, children, even our own life” (Luke 14:26), he isn’t advocating for hatred any more than he was advocating for war in chapter 12. He is clearly underscoring that allegiance to him and to the eternal Kingdom must come before everything else, even our most sacred earthly bonds. Ultimately, Jesus shows us that putting him first sets us on the very path to fulfilling our deepest desires. As C.S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity: “Aim at heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’: aim at earth and you will get neither.”
Reflection: Are there areas in my life where I have settled for lower expectations? What might things look like if I allowed Jesus to help bring healing into my relationships instead of settling for the status quo?
