Fr Antonio Pineda
fter one of the Sunday Masses last weekend, I noticed one of our parishioners carrying a Spanish bible. He told me that he preferred the Spanish translation of the bible because it made some passages clearer, or easier to understand. As an example, he cited this Sunday’s Gospel which, in the English translation, seems to say that to be Jesus’ disciple, we have to hate our parents and family members. Is this true? Is Jesus really telling us to shun our father and mother? Isn’t this contradicting the fourth commandment to honour our parents?
Well, according to the Spanish-loving parishioner I spoke to, the Spanish translation makes it clear that what Jesus was actually saying was that to be a true disciple, we have to be prepared to put God before anyone else, and that includes our parents and loved ones. God should be our priority, everyone and anything else is secondary. This is what is the cost of discipleship.
Jesus wanted the people to understand that becoming his disciple would change how they prayed, where they lived, and what their future held. Following Jesus would require them to take up their cross, and he wanted them to choose it with eyes wide open.
This Sunday’s Gospel Jesus also asks who would build a tower without first calculating the money needed to complete it? In some ways, we’re all a bit like an unfinished building, a work in progress. But the good news is that we can be completed. We just need to keep on choosing to follow Jesus. He tells us that our journey will require more than our own natural resources—not to discourage us, but to point us to God who wants to shape us into the best person we could possibly be. Only he can do so.
When Jesus says, “Come, follow me,” he is aware of the challenges you will face, and he doesn’t want you to give up when you realise it costs you more than you expected. He has all the grace you need to resist temptation. His love will strengthen you on your path toward heaven. And he has deep pockets, overflowing with mercy, to help you choose him day after day.