The Struggle of Being His Disciple
By Nuvi Dela Cruz
September 3, 2017
September 3, 2017
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.”
In some point in our lives, we have experienced seeing people whom we considered important eventually leave. Sometimes we simply accept it, but we have to admit that in most times we question why should this happen – why did they have to leave and even try to stop them. When this happens we think that they are being selfish for not considering us – the people they are leaving behind. But did we ever consider the other way around? That maybe, we are the selfish ones, those who do not understand why they had to do what they did - why they needed to leave. As we only consider what we think is good for us and others, we tend to forget to ask what they really needed; we forget the faith that we have in God. That maybe our self-centeredness is the only thing stopping them from achieving their mission or purpose as stewards of God.
Furthermore, as presented by Matthew in this week’s gospel, Peter disagrees with Jesus when He started discussing with the disciples of His father’s plan. Coming from last week’s gospel wherein Peter was given the leadership of the Church, Peter failed to understand that Christ’s suffering and crucifixion were His father’s plan for Him – for the sake of mankind. The disciples like all of us also encountered times when we think that we are loyal to God, that we are faithful to Him – that all that we have done is done according to God’s will because of our love for Him.
However, we are so blinded by what we want – with what we think we deserve that we tend to fall short from being the advocates of Christ who have nothing but selfless love to our neighbors, to all the other creations of God. There will always be times when men go astray – that they are not going in accordance with what the society sees as ideal. Despite all these, we have to remember that man always has the free will to change – to live in accordance with God’s will, to be selfless advocates of Christ. This is the beauty of the Church that the Father wanted for mankind, it was not meant to be a church for those who view themselves as perfect and above others - it was not simply for those who go by the social construct, but a church for those who are imperfect – those who have faults, doubts, those who are not yet able to understand everything yet – but are still trying to come back to God’s paved way.
In some point in our lives, we have experienced seeing people whom we considered important eventually leave. Sometimes we simply accept it, but we have to admit that in most times we question why should this happen – why did they have to leave and even try to stop them. When this happens we think that they are being selfish for not considering us – the people they are leaving behind. But did we ever consider the other way around? That maybe, we are the selfish ones, those who do not understand why they had to do what they did - why they needed to leave. As we only consider what we think is good for us and others, we tend to forget to ask what they really needed; we forget the faith that we have in God. That maybe our self-centeredness is the only thing stopping them from achieving their mission or purpose as stewards of God.
Furthermore, as presented by Matthew in this week’s gospel, Peter disagrees with Jesus when He started discussing with the disciples of His father’s plan. Coming from last week’s gospel wherein Peter was given the leadership of the Church, Peter failed to understand that Christ’s suffering and crucifixion were His father’s plan for Him – for the sake of mankind. The disciples like all of us also encountered times when we think that we are loyal to God, that we are faithful to Him – that all that we have done is done according to God’s will because of our love for Him.
However, we are so blinded by what we want – with what we think we deserve that we tend to fall short from being the advocates of Christ who have nothing but selfless love to our neighbors, to all the other creations of God. There will always be times when men go astray – that they are not going in accordance with what the society sees as ideal. Despite all these, we have to remember that man always has the free will to change – to live in accordance with God’s will, to be selfless advocates of Christ. This is the beauty of the Church that the Father wanted for mankind, it was not meant to be a church for those who view themselves as perfect and above others - it was not simply for those who go by the social construct, but a church for those who are imperfect – those who have faults, doubts, those who are not yet able to understand everything yet – but are still trying to come back to God’s paved way.