The thought of hating one’s father and mother, spouse and children, brothers and sisters, and even one’s own life does indeed sound harsh. However, when viewed through the lens of the parallel in Matthew’s gospel, we see that the point being made is that true discipleship requires undivided loyalty to Jesus above any other loyalty, including to oneself. Such a commitment might at times pit us against our relatives or even our own desires and wishes.
As I reflected on the gospel, I was reminded of the radical and inclusive love that God has for us. In being detached from our relationships and possessions we can more fully experience this love and be channels of it to our family, friends, ourselves and even our enemies. Ironically then, today’s gospel is not calling us to hate (as we understand hate) our father and mother, spouse and children, brothers and sisters, and even our own life, but rather to love these with that radical and inclusive love that we have experienced as disciples. This is the true cost of discipleship, and it is not easy.
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Since its inception in 1997, Online Ministries has been blessed to have myriad members of the Creighton University community offer their personal reflections on the daily scripture readings.
