The first sentence of today's gospel is somewhat jarring - at least I find it so. It appears, at first reading, to stand in stark contrast to Jesus' message of love of neighbor (not to mention in seeming contrast, also, to today's first reading from Romans that speaks of the same). The note on today's gospel, however, offers some clarification that is essential to understanding Jesus here: This collection of sayings, most of which are peculiar to Luke, focuses on the total dedication necessary for the disciple of Jesus. No attachment to family or possessions can stand in the way of the total commitment demanded of the disciple.

The question of attachment is one worthy of some reflection. Is it not good to be attached to one's family? How can I love my family without being attached? St. Ignatius can help us as he addresses this very condition in what is known as the First Principle and Foundation of his Spiritual Exercises. There are different translations. The following comes from a print of artwork I purchased from Demontreville Jesuit Retreat House in Minnesota that now hangs in our home:

The goal of our life is to be with God forever. 
We should not fix our desires on 
health or sickness,
wealth or poverty,
success or failure,
a long life or a short one.
For everything has the potential of calling forth in us
a deeper response to our life in God.

Who doesn't want to be healthy, or to have financial stability, success, or long life? Life may be easier with these things, but are they inherently more conducive to our deeper response to our life in God than are sickness, poverty, failure, or a short life? In this life, we are meant to participate with God in the creative power that springs from his love for us. We are part of this ongoing genesis. Whereas our health can enable us to serve God in various ways and thereby participate in his creative power, our sickness and the suffering that comes of it may, in equal measure, arouse our compassion for others who suffer, thereby enabling our greater participation in God's compassionate love for others. Whereas our success may enable us to institute positive change in our community and world, failure may remind us not to become distracted enough to think that our highest aims were ever of this world but, rather, of building up the Kingdom of God. 

How are you being called to a deeper response to your life in God? Let us pray for the grace always to fix our gaze on this goal.