Everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions

7 NOVEMBER (Lk 14,25-33)

In the Old Testament the sequel is of the Law. The Commandments, the Statutes and the Precepts of the Lord is what we follow and walk after. But God follows all of the steps of a man. The truth that it is God who must be followed has not yet matured. It is after him that we need to go. It is in his presence that we must walk. God must be followed like sheep follow the shepherd. Revelation also progresses towards its fullness. Before it was fullness of development. Today it is a fullness of understanding.
For those blessed by Him will inherit the land, But those cursed by Him will be cut off. The steps of a man are established by the LORD, And He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, Because the LORD is the One who holds his hand. I have been young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his descendants begging bread. All day long he is gracious and lends, And his descendants are a blessing. Depart from evil and do good, So you will abide forever. For the LORD loves justice And does not forsake His godly ones; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked will be cut off. The righteous will inherit the land And dwell in it forever. The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, And his tongue speaks justice. The law of his God is in his heart; His steps do not slip. The wicked spies upon the righteous And seeks to kill him. The LORD will not leave him in his hand Or let him be condemned when he is judged. Wait for the LORD and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you will see it. I have seen a wicked, violent man Spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil. Then he passed away, and lo, he was no more; I sought for him, but he could not be found. Mark the blameless man, and behold the upright; For the man of peace will have a posterity. But transgressors will be altogether destroyed; The]posterity of the wicked will be cut off. But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in time of trouble. The LORD helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, Because they take refuge in Him.(Cf. Psalm 37 (36) 1-40).
Everything changes in the New Testament. Christ is the only person to be followed. One follows neither a word nor a commandment, a blessing, a commandment, a law, the Gospel. He follows Jesus Christ, eternal Person made flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary; who came to dwell among us, to give us the grace and truth, to be our one and only Master. The sequel of Jesus must be universal, in everything, always, anywhere. From the time of the conversion to the last moment of life.

Great crowds were traveling with him, and he turned and addressed them, “If any one 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. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 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. In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.

Jesus teaches us that before following him, everyone has to assess his strength, scrutinize his will, examine his heart, shed light in his thoughts, evaluate all his strength. One does not choose Jesus for a moment, a time. He chooses him for a lifetime, forever. Once chosen, he cannot go back. He must endure to the end. There is no point in following Jesus for a day. Either one follows him for a lifetime, or it is a right, wise thing to not even begin. The choice requires discernment, utmost attention, fullness of knowledge, ability of right evaluation, intelligence in calculating everything. It is a true act of a man, a long-term commitment that does not allow one to repeal what he has decided to carry out with his life. Jesus asks every man to be intelligent, wise, knowing, prudent, cautious, so that he can always choose the best.
Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints make us wise and learned.