23rd SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME C
THE CHALLENGE TO THINK FOR ONESELF
LK 14: 25-33
MESSAGE
Today’s Gospel contains the most challenging part of the Lord Jesus’ teaching: “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” Like the Lord, every disciple has a cross to carry before reaching the fullness of the Kingdom.
But how do we carry the cross today? The Gospel intimates a possible answer applicable to our time: we need to think, to reflect, to ponder. Like a builder planning a tower, like a king about to wage war, the follower of Christ must embrace the cross of thinking for himself, thinking rightly, and thinking less of himself and more of God.
Now, perhaps one may think that thinking is easy. However, in our time, thinking takes a back seat to crowd mentality, to mindlessness, and to laziness. How many people really think of the facts rather than get swayed by emotions or fiery passions of others? How many of us take the time to research, ask questions, and discover things before making decisions that affect our lives and those of others? How many immediately consult Google or artificial intelligence (AI), or social media for answers to very sensitive issues rather than listen to people, discern events, and prayerfully reflect on things?
A recent study showed that people who rely so much on AI, students or not, exhibit a decline in memory, critical thinking and other mental functions. It is a difficult cross to reflect, think, reason and discover; it is much more easy to follow others or to type a question on a gadget. But in a time when the world needs genuine Christians who listen to the Word of God and befriend Jesus, the difficult task of prayerful and thoughtful discernment is a cross that we need to embrace so that we can help the world heal and move on in peace, unity, and love.
REFLECT
Can you honestly say that like the king marching to battle or the builder planning a tower, you carefully weigh things in thought and prayer before you act? Ask Jesus today for the cross of discernment to discover his will and presence in the world and in your own life. Amen.
