Like Peter in today’s
Gospel, we can feel like we have given up a lot in order to become a disciple. And we need to keep in
mind that this Gospel comes immediately following the Gospel where the rich
young man goes away sad after Jesus tells you to give away his possession in
order to follow him as his disciple. Maybe we also have given up
a lot to follow Jesus, but we also gain so much as well. I remember a pastor of a
large parish just outside of Cleveland, Ohio telling me that a parishioner once
exclaimed to him: “I wouldn’t have your job for all the money in the
world.” He responded to the parishioner:
“Neither would I.” We don’t follow Jesus for
earthly gain or for the accumulation of power or riches. Yes, we can’t compare what
we gain in our faith in terms of what the world values. It is like the smudge of
ash we will receive on our foreheads tomorrow on Ash Wednesday, when we are
told to turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel. You wouldn’t think our
church would be full on Ash Wednesday compared to what the world values, but
our churches are usually packed. The values of the world
cry out to us, but the values of our faith call us as well.
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