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Credo Catholic
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| Joined: | Sat May 5th, 2007 |
| Location: | Greenville, South Carolina USA |
| Posts: | 1212 |
| First Name: | Marsha | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Baptist, Catholic |
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Posted: Sat Sep 8th, 2007 07:51 pm |
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This Sunday's gospel reading is Luke 14:25-33.
26) 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. 27) Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot by my disciple.
Many of us on the forum can identify with this passage can't we? Jesus teaches us to love everyone, even our enemies. But we can never let that come between our desire to love and follow Christ. Joining the catholic church for many of us means turning our back on family and friends, or it may mean them turning their backs on us. My family is about 1/10 of a degree warmer towards the RCC than it was six months ago. Still a long way to go.
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Kayla
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| Joined: | Mon Jul 30th, 2007 |
| Location: | Emmitsburg, Maryland USA |
| Posts: | 349 |
| First Name: | Kayla | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Atheist, kind-of Mormon, Catholic |
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Posted: Sat Sep 8th, 2007 08:29 pm |
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Credo Catholic wrote: This Sunday's gospel reading is Luke 14:25-33.
26) 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. 27) Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot by my disciple.
Many of us on the forum can identify with this passage can't we? Jesus teaches us to love everyone, even our enemies. But we can never let that come between our desire to love and follow Christ. Joining the catholic church for many of us means turning our back on family and friends, or it may mean them turning their backs on us. My family is about 1/10 of a degree warmer towards the RCC than it was six months ago. Still a long way to go.
It's difficult sometimes. I mean, family is family, right? Yet Jesus tells us that we cannot even go back to say good-bye or to bury our father.
I think, thanks be to God, my family has finally come to full terms with my being Catholic. They don't necessarily understand it, but they seem to accept it now.
____________________
I believe, Lord, help my unbelief.
Jesus, I trust in You!
There's not a lot of job security for us after death. I suppose that's one advantage of being a philosopher. - Peter Kreeft
http://kayla23mount.blogspot.com/
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Credo Catholic
Member
| Joined: | Sat May 5th, 2007 |
| Location: | Greenville, South Carolina USA |
| Posts: | 1212 |
| First Name: | Marsha | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Baptist, Catholic |
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Posted: Sat Sep 8th, 2007 09:48 pm |
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But what do verses 28-32 mean? "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."
Does it mean that unless we unburden ourselves first we will be unable to journey to the end with Jesus? That we need to take stock of what is in our lives now to calculate or determine what would be a hindrance?
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David W. Emery
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Brownsville, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 1714 |
| First Name: | David | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic |
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Posted: Sat Sep 8th, 2007 10:24 pm |
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My take on the whole passage, Marsha, is that we should not be rash in declaring ourselves Christians, because being one does exact a price.
Staying true to Christ when family or friends want you to go another way with them. Staying true to Christ when others threaten to beat you to a pulp unless you conform to what they believe is best for you. Staying true to Christ when appetites nip at your heels, demanding your attention. Staying true to Christ when it begins to cost a lot in material and human commodities and satisfaction. Staying true to Christ when you feel your own resources flagging and foundering.
Ultimately, it seems to be a corollary to the parable of the sower (especially Matthew 13:20–22, Mark 4:16–19, Luke 8:13–14).
David
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CajunRick
Network Helper
| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
| Posts: | 4981 |
| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
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Posted: Sun Sep 9th, 2007 11:25 am |
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Kayla wrote: Yet Jesus tells us that we cannot even go back to say good-bye or to bury our father.
I think this passage is misunderstood. I have always taken it to mean that Jesus was telling this young man, "This is your one chance to follow me. Don't let your family interfere."
Many Protestants use this passage as a condemnation of prayer for the dead, prayer to saints, etc. I don't think that's what Jesus meant at all. Jesus quite simply meant, "Put your love for me first, even over your family".
Quite a message for the rest of us, isn't it?
____________________
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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vee12
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| Joined: | Mon Aug 13th, 2007 |
| Location: | Japan |
| Posts: | 22 |
| First Name: | vee12 | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Catholic |
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Posted: Thu Sep 13th, 2007 03:40 am |
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| If you listen to the ewtn homily for that day the priest explains that passage. Basically its what others have said to put God first before family and even money and other goods. This kind of passage is why we need the tradition and teaching authority of the Church otherwise things start to sound a little wacky because Jesus says love your enemies but also hate your family?!
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