Sunday Sept. 2, 2016: 23nd Sunday “ Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”

Gospel Luke 14:25-33

Great crowds were traveling with Jesus, and he turned and addressed them, “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. Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion?  Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him and say, ‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’ Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops?  But if not, while he is still far away, he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms. In the same way, anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

428  Whoever is called “to teach Christ” must first seek “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus”; he must suffer “the loss of all things…” in order to “gain Christ and be found in him,” and “to know him and the power of his resurrection, and [to] share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that if possible [he] may attain the resurrection from the dead.”

2728  Finally, our battle has to confront what we experience as failure in prayer: discouragement during periods of dryness; sadness that, because we have “great possessions,” we have not given all to the Lord; disappointment over not being heard according to our own will; wounded pride, stiffened by the indignity that is ours as sinners; our resistance to the idea that prayer is a free and unmerited gift; and so forth. The conclusion is always the same: what good does it do to pray?  To overcome these obstacles, we must battle to gain humility, trust, and perseverance.

2053  To this first reply Jesus adds a second: “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”   This reply does not do away with the first: following Jesus Christ involves keeping the Commandments.  The Law has not been abolished, but rather man is invited to rediscover it in the person of his Master who is its perfect fulfillment.  In the three synoptic Gospels, Jesus’ call to the rich young man to follow him, in the obedience of a disciple and in the observance of the Commandments, is joined to the call to poverty and chastity.  The evangelical counsels are inseparable from the Commandments.

From “The Great Crusade of Love” Testimony of Catalina Rivas (CL-94:3, 4, 6, 7)

3) Indeed, who would want to put things in order in a half-empty suitcase if, when closed, it would be turned over many times?  So does the one who predisposes everything toward a future forecast but without taking into account the present and, rather, doing so many things that are and will be the reason for which the desired future will not come.

4) You, man, put your affairs in order for that trip that you are taking to eternity. Yes, pack your suitcase, but do not seek to have a good trip without putting in your baggage other things you will need.  Otherwise, during your trip what you had arranged well will fall to the floor and get disarranged within your spirit, making an ugly mess of the things that were in order.  And, do you know what to put in your suitcase so that this does not happen?  Put a small grain of trust and hope in Me; add two small grains of distrust in you and if you want to fittingly please Me entirely, look, I will give you what will fill your small baggage; without Me you will not be able to do anything.

6) My beloved, this is the truth and each time I point it out clearer. I do not want you to remain passive.  You must be very active, but with a lot of confidence in Me and without expecting much from you…

7) In everything, always remember that you will never be able to do anything without Me… Your happiness, what you now experience as you hear Me say that in all cases you have need of Me, is the proof I give as a security of your ascents.  If man is proud, he degrades himself, becoming aware of his impotence and falling lower.  On the other hand, if he is humble according to My Heart, he takes pleasure in not being good for anything.  And I will make him capable of everything, and everyone will see that such a small being, that is not good for anything, can say prodigious things.

From “The Great Crusade of Mercy” Testimony of Catalina Rivas (CM-2:3-7)

3) I do not want to spend much time without speaking to you either.  Where would I find the sweetness of this heart?  It happens that for now the work that you could do for the Church is much more important.  That is why I need you to be active.

4) (Why did You not tell me this, Lord?  Why did You not command me to do it?)

5) I will never command you to do anything.  I guide you; I speak to you through other persons; I show you the good things and the bad but it is you who must decide. I propose and you have the freedom of choice.

6) Man should concern himself with living the present moment in all its details, with righteousness and not become so distressed for the moment which is to come because he knows neither how nor when it will come and not even if it will come.

7) You talk about wanting to be a holy person without even really knowing what it is to be holy.  Look, I am going to tell you what it is to be holy: a holy person is one who has made of himself or herself a crucifix of My Will… Meditate upon that.

Each week we will be presenting a portion of the following Sunday’s readings, and linking it to relevant parts of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and messages from the Testimony of Catalina. Pay special attention to the italicized sections. This week we consider “Who will be first or last, humility and God’s Will.” We hope this is inspiring and educational. Any comments you have are certainly welcomed.