In today’s gospel (Luke 14:25-33) we hear Jesus emphasize how our devotion and commitment to God must trump all else. Jesus tells us that our relationship with God is even more important than our relationships with our closest family – our siblings, our parents, our own children, even our spouse. Jesus uses the metaphor of preparing for battle – the construction of the watchtower, and the readying of one’s defenses – to emphasize the need for us to ward off anything that could come between our devotion to, and our relationship with, God. We must be constantly watchful for, and battle against, those aspects of our human condition – selfishness, greed, ambition, lust, and other sinfulness – that separates us from God.
Going back to what Jesus says about those closest to us – Jesus seems to be discounting our relationships with our dearest loved ones. In actuality, Jesus is not discounting this at all. In fact Jesus always insists that loving relationships are not only important, but are required of us. Jesus’ overriding point is that it is our relationship with God that lays the foundation for all other relationships. It is our relationship with God – the mutual love, the grace bestowed, the empowerment gained – that allows us to go beyond superficial relationships and truly love others. Jesus is telling us that it is by putting God first that we are enabled to live and love the way God desires. It is by putting God first that we can imitate the love God has for us, and pay that love forward. It is by putting our relationship with God first that we can extend what we gain from that relationship to others.
And today we celebrate the canonization of Saint Teresa of Calcutta – our Beloved Mother Teresa – a woman who most who certainly put God first in her life.
Here is a woman who sought relationship with God more than anything else, a woman who disposed herself to God’s will and heeded Gods call to live a life of poverty while tending to the neediest of God’s children. Here is a woman who, even in her darkest moments, never wavered in her faith or in her service to the needy. Here is a woman who demonstrated what Jesus is telling us today – put God first and all else will follow. Here is a woman who exemplifies today’s gospel message – love God first, open yourself to God’s grace, and your love and grace for others will follow.
So we go forward with our ears attuned to Jesus’ message and our eyes focused on the life of Saint Teresa of Calcutta. We go forward putting God at the center of our lives and then extending his love to others.
And as we go forward we can pray Saint Teresa’s own prayer –
Dear Jesus, help me to spread your light everywhere I go. Flood my soul with your spirit and love so that my life may be a reflection of yours. Shine through me so that every soul I come in contact with may feel your presence. Amen
(Prayer to Shine the Light of Jesus)