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Manila Bulletin devider Opinion devider He cannot be my disciple

He cannot be my disciple

Published Nov 5, 2025 12:05 am  |  Updated Nov 4, 2025 04:27 pm
REFLECTIONS TODAY
On their way to Jerusalem, Jesus teaches the people who are walking with him that if they really want to be his disciples, they must do two things: (1) to be detached from their loved ones, and (2) to be willing to take sacrifices. One cannot journey with Jesus up to the finish line if he or she is not free from the demands of his or her loved ones and relatives. Emotional attachments can debilitate us in our journey. Jesus wants our full attention to his teachings to get them right.
We cannot accompany Jesus in his journey if we are not willing to take on our responsibilities. False disciples do not like to wash the feet of their fellow disciples. Instead, they demand to be served and given special treatment.
First Reading • Rom 13:8-10
Brothers and sisters: Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, you shall not commit adultery; you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not covet, and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this saying, namely, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.
Gospel • Lk 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, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”
Source: “365 Days with the Lord 2025,” St. Paul’s, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.
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