“How many of you have ever bought a house, a car, or some other major purchase? Go ahead just raise your hand, I am certain that most of you have done this before. Good. Most of you in church today know what it is like to spend a lot of money. Now, here’s a second question: How many of you made a large purchase, like buying a car or house, with no planning or research or consulting with your spouse? If you have done this, please keep your hand up so that I can throw something at you!
Common sense tells us that large purchases and projects need to be done carefully and with sufficient planning so we don’t get ourselves into legal or financial trouble. When you buy a house, you have to consider not only the price of the house, but also the cost of taxes, utilities, insurance, maintenance and repairs. You would want to have a home inspection first, then see what sort of schools are around your house and pay attention to the neighborhood so your kids can have good, safe environment to grow up in. How awful it would be to buy a house and be unable to afford to actually live in it! Who wants a beautiful house in a dangerous or rundown part of town? The same thing is true when we buy a car. We have to keep in mind not only the cost of the vehicle itself but also the hidden costs of insurance, personal property and sales tax, maintenance and repair, and even fuel. We make sure and check the carfax so that we know whether or not this vehicle was involved in some major accident and might have hidden damage. Most of us do the same research and planing with other major purchases like electronics and appliances, so that we can have peace of mind knowing that we are getting a good, reliable product that will be within our budget. To neglect this planning and research could be disastrous.
But as important as it is for us to plan and consult before making expensive purchases or starting major projects, Jesus makes it clear that it is even more important for us to plan and make sure we have what it takes to be his disciple. Over the past three weeks, we have been taught a trilogy of saving truths. Two weeks ago Jesus told us we can enter heaven only by the narrow gate. Last Sunday Jesus offered us the key to that narrow gate which is humility - "every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted." Today Jesus tells us what the key costs: "Any of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple."
It shouldn’t surprise us that the key to heaven has a steep price. Jesus tells us to "calculate the cost." If you want to build a tower, says the Lord, make sure you have the resources to complete it. We know that very well when we go to buy a car or house or other expensive item. If we want to be a disciple of Jesus - which is the only path to heaven - we need to know in advance what it will cost: everything. In the end we must be prepared to turn over all we possess if it keeps us from following Christ. Eternal life can be incredibly costly and it is something we must plan for. We have to utilize the same degree of planning and resourcefulness we use in worldly affairs when it comes to our souls. Christ is calling us to a look at our lives and see where we are going. What are the things that keep us from following him?
Do I follow Christ by the way I talk to other people and about other people? Do I embrace the cross by looking for the good in people, even those that annoy me or seem strange to me? Am I willing to let go of habits of gossip, bragging, and putting others down? Or is this cost too steep?
What about the company I keep? Do my friends help me to be a disciple of Christ? Do they encourage me to live a good life and make wholesome decisions? Do they help me to respect myself and others? Or do they pressure me to break the rules, disobey my parents, and offend God? Do my friends compromise my dignity or my purity or encourage me to do things harmful to my health? Discipleship calls me to seek good and holy friends and to let go of those who lead away from God. As a matter of fact, Jesus tells us today that we should be ready to renounce even our own family if they keep us from him! Is this cost too steep?
How about my possessions? Am I generous with the things I have been given? Do I give back to those who are less fortunate and need more? Do I support the works of the church and my parish? Am I open to sharing my time and talents with my family, friends, and church? Am I prepared to give whatever God asks of me, even if this would require a greater trust in him? Or is the cost too steep?
Is there anything else in our hearts, in our lives that we tell Christ is off limits? Will we follow if he calls us to the priesthood or religious life? Or does that cost too much? Do we stand up for the lives of the unborn even when our society, our friends, our families tell us that being pro-life is too radical? Or is that too much? Do we dare to let God take control of our marriages and married love by trusting him and abandoning any contraceptive practices? Or is that simply too costly?
Jesus makes it clear to us today that the cost of discipleship is steep but we have his promise that the benefits are eternal. Let’s not be afraid of the sacrifices Christ might be calling us to embrace, trusting that following him will give us strength to do his will and be joyful in doing it. And let us put the same energy and planning into our spiritual lives that we do for our worldly matters, taking time for prayer and making an effort to learn more about our faith, so we will have what we need to be his loyal disciples. As we come to this Eucharist, let us together resolve to take up our own cross and follow after Jesus, the Lord of Life and the Giver of all good things.
