The Cyrene Luke 14-25-33: [25] Since many people went with him, he turned and said: [26] "If anyone comes to me and hate not his father, his mother, wife, children, siblings, sisters and even his own life, can not be my disciple. [27] Who does not bear his cross and come after me, can not be my disciple. [28] Which of you wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? [29] To avoid that, if the foundation and are not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, [30] This man began to build, but was not able to finish the job. [31] Or what king, starting to war against another king without first sitting down to consider whether it can deal with ten thousand men who comes to meet with twenty thousand? [32] If no, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation to peace. [33] So whoever of you does not renounce all his possessions, can not be my disciple.
Dear friends, dear friends,
Sunday, September 9, 2007 we are celebrating the XXIII Sunday in Ordinary Time. The proposed Gospel (Luke 14.25-33) is demanding. Jesus is responding to the question about the conditions to become His disciples. Issue for all believers, without distinction. But what sense does it occur, even after long years of church attendance and practice of celebration, whether or not we believe? Sometimes, standing in front of certain words of Jesus, one gets the impression that never arrive. Principle of not being able to comply fully with the conditions that he proposes to us from time to time. Feeling a sense of loss and inadequacy.
The first statement of Jesus, in fact, is very precise and leaves no way out at some possible interpretations: "As many people went with him, he turned and said, 'If anyone comes to me and hate not his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters and even his own life, can not be my disciple '. " Jesus is not at all concerned need to be followed quantitativamente rilevante e di immagine. Tradendo un certo timore per la massa – “siccome molta gente andava con lui” – va alla questione di fondo: “Se uno viene a me e non odia”.
Una precisazione va fatta circa il verbo ‘odiare’. Gli esegeti notano che siamo in presenza della strutturale povertà dei termini della lingua aramaica usata da Gesù, più che non di un vero e proprio odio verso i propri famigliari, esplicitamente richiesto da Gesù a tutti coloro che intendono seguriLo. Odiare starebbe piuttosto ad esprimere distacco, superamento.
Tuttavia, resta ugualmente valido il senso provocatorio dell’espressione usata da Gesù che, con molta probabilità, vuole seriously stimulate our senses. If we do not 'hate' anyone to follow, a qualitative leap in relational terms to be well implemented. At least it recognizes Jesus a real first love. Almost asked for himself ("if someone comes to me") an undivided heart and a mind convinced, once you have decided to stay after him. As well as he had already said elsewhere: "He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me" (Mt 10:37). Jesus then tested, in terms of affection, a certain misunderstanding on the part of her relatives, who saw one day Avedano so dedicated to the people, saying, "It's out of his mind" (Mark 3:21).
But Jesus is more explicit: "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me, can not be my disciple." If'odiare 'properly about the others, the disciple is also required in a real violence upon himself, with the request to carry his own cross. There is an objection
background: if the God of Jesus Christ so loves life, to identify with it (Jn 14:6), how to justify their self-injury as an explicit request to bring "their own cross "in order to be able to follow really? In a world that idealizes existential vitality and fluency, word of the cross (1 Cor 1:17) would seem to negate the primary intake to life. If, on the one hand, the stated intention of Jesus is to bring the fullness of His life (Jn 10:10), the fact remains, however, that life itself asks to be gained at a high price (1 Cor 6 20 and 7.23). So much so that "the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven is taken by force, and the violent take it by force" (Matt. 11:12). Moreover, no major project is realized in the softness and simplification.
become more understandable at this point even the verbs used by Jesus, in the stories that follow: "Which of you wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? To avoid that, if the foundation and are not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build, but was not able to finish the job. " The first required of a disciple of Jesus is able to evaluate (with intelligence) What does the proper adherence to his Gospel project, "sit down to calculate and examine."
This computing power is complemented by the ability to 'look', described in the story: "Or what king, in war against another king without first sitting down to consider whether it can deal with ten thousand men who comes to meet with twenty thousand? If not, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation to the peace. "
So, making a synthesis of what Jesus told us (to calculate and review), the tradition of the Church has always tried to exercise - especially in times of crisis - the practice of discernment. Asks believers can tell, in a spiritual sense, things, problems, situations, allowing the Gospel to his race. Discern not only intelligent, but, in fact, 'spiritual', ie using the same Spirit of Jesus
In this sense, the last minutes of action can be shown that this passage is illuminating: "So whoever of you does not renounce all his possessions, can not be my disciple." The fact that Jesus three times repeated the expression "can not be my disciple," makes the "renunciation of all that he had" a real prerequisite. But what exactly should we give up? Any subtle form of power and domination - in the Church - which is objectively compared with what is in the very heart of God, thereby accepting, in no uncertain terms and measures, to put Him first.
E 'for this reason that Sunday is the day for believers of the Lord. The day when we commemorate the full availability of Jesus to His Father. On the day of His final gift of love.
Whether for a Sunday all in His serene and peaceful.
Don Walter Magni
