You heard about the pig and the chicken walking down the road past a diner? There was a sign in the window “Bacon and Eggs $5.” Isn’t that nice, said the chicken, we’re featured. Nice for you, answered the pig. You only have to make a contribution. I have to make a commitment. In St. Luke’s Gospel Jesus says to those seeking to become followers: don’t be like the chicken; make a commitment. Look at the story in the gospel. Jesus, we are told, was “resolutely determined” to go to Jerusalem. Jerusalem was, of course, the city of destiny, the place where he would go through his suffering and endure the cross, the scene of the Resurrection and the conquest of sin and death. Jesus was “resolutely determined” – the Greek says he “set his face like flint” – to go there. He was not going to let anything distract him from his mission. Samaritans won’t receive him. He will just journey to the next village. James and John want to stop and dole out some punishment. Jesus says, keep your eye on the prize. Don’t go to the left or the right. Onward to Jerusalem.
That’s when Jesus encounters the three amigos, would-be followers. Instead of making it easy – just fill out this form and your membership card will be returned to you – he challenges them. You want to follow me? Are you prepared the share the hardships of the journey that we are setting out upon? You want to follow me? Are you willing to get your values and principles not from what your family says or what society says but according to my word? You want to follow me? Can you stop looking around for the next good deal and instead focus on what matters — bringing good news into a hurting world. We don’t know how the three responded to the challenges thrown down by Jesus. St. Luke doesn’t tell us. But he relates the story to challenge his readers, us, about how we will respond to the words of Jesus.
In the history of the church we have seen people who risen to those challenges and those who have fallen short. There was a St. Francis of Assisi who left everything behind and there were Borgia popes who got all that they could. There was a St. Francis Xavier who left for the missions in Asia knowing he would never see his family again and the conquistadors who claimed they were there to plant the cross but didn’t mind who they ran over in the meantime. There were martyrs who were willing to die because they were Christians and there were Crusaders who believed killing those who weren’t Christians would bring them glory. Throughout history many have supposed they were following Christ but those who responded to the demands that Jesus made on his inquirers in the gospel we heard today are far fewer.
What about us, you and me? Of course St. Luke doesn’t tell that story to entertain us but to instruct us. The lessons of history are not meant for our information but for our edification. How have we responded to the challenges Jesus laid before the three amigos? At the root of those challenges is a basic question: is my relationship with God, with faith, with Jesus the most important value in my life? Do I treat faith like the chicken in the story; something which contributes to my life but doesn’t cost me anything or am I committed. Let me use an analogy from my life because it might be similar to your experience. I like being a Catholic. It adds richness and meaning to my life. It offers me consolation in times of grief and direction when I am feeling lost. But I like a lot of other things as well. I like being with my family. I like eating a good meal. I like the Baltimore Orioles (which has really helped my growth in patience.) I like taking a walk. I like many things. The question: is my faith, my relationship with God, my connection with Jesus what matters most to me? Isn’t that what lies beneath the challenges Jesus proposes in the Gospel for today? St. Paul says “I consider everything as garbage because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Garbage! Strong words. Jesus throws down the gauntlet: to be a genuine disciple I must judge everything in light of the Gospel, in light of following him.
I’m not there yet but I know what will get me there – a second honeymoon. That is the image the Old Testament prophets used. Our relationship with God is like being in love. Think about falling in love. When you are in love you think about your beloved all the time. When you are not together you wish you could be together. You imagine little ways of connecting. You give little gifts as a sign of the love you have. Falling in love is all-consuming. But the very intensity of that experience means it will fade over time. The beloveds start to take each other for granted. They know the other is there and that is enough. To enkindle the experience of love, to get over the Meh-feeling, a second honeymoon is often the solution. Being able to just focus on one another without the distraction of house, family or job can remind a couple of the love that is of fundamental importance in the relationship.
Something similar must happen in the spiritual life if we are to put Christ back at the center. We have to re-kindle, or maybe just kindle, the personal relationship we have with Jesus. We do this by building time for personal prayer into our schedule. We do this by sharing the faith with others in joyful worship. We do this by “serving one another through love,” as the epistle puts it. We do this by feeding the hungry and giving drink to the thirsty because we see in them the face of Christ. That’s what makes us fit for the kingdom. That’s what equips us to live the good news. That’s what a second honeymoon with Jesus will look like.
