“Jesus said to his apostles:

‘Whoever loves father or mother 

more than me is not worthy of me,

and whoever loves son or daughter 

more than me is not worthy of me;

and whoever does not take up his cross

and follow after me is not worthy of me.

Whoever finds his life will lose it,

and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.’”

In my homily last Sunday at St. Pats, I talked about a big idea. That is, to live a fully human life and in response to God’s love for us, we need to order our lives to the love of God and the love of neighbor. Love is what we are made for and we are all part of God’s story, the story of his love for each and every human being on the face of the planet. In the midst of our trials, sufferings, conflict, and, even, the sin that pulls us away from God, in the midst of the face of death, no less, loving God and loving neighbor orient us to a wider horizon and greater freedom, to peace, and to the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love. Our hearts expand. Our minds open. Our souls rejoice. Our spirits soar. It is what we we made for. None of us, no human being on the planet, is an accident. We are all meant to be here, for such a time as this. We are essential to the story unfolding. We each have a part to play. God trusts us with his mission. All of our struggles are temporary. Victory is eternal and we are destined for communion with God. Love is our life, our meaning, and our destiny.

To choose otherwise, we limit our horizons, constrict our hearts, stray from our purpose, and betray our true identity. It is nonnegotiable. We can’t reserve a part of our life away from God. There are no nooks or crannies that are off limits. We must integrate. We must become whole. It is not that God is just a part of our lives or that he wants to be first in our lives, but that God desires to be in every part of our lives. Love of God is not reserved to Sunday mornings, serving at a soup kitchen, or prayer before meals. We cannot domesticate God, like a pet dog. We cannot train him to obey our commands. An old saying goes like this, “Biden or unbidden, God is present.” God comes to us. The love of God, both God’s love for us and our love for God, is expansive. It is abundant. It is consuming. It is overflowing. His love is transformative. Every day, I struggle, fight, resist, and fail in this love, but God’s love is relentless. He never gives up. His mercy never fails. It is new every morning! 

It is from this foundation that today’s Gospel reading makes sense. Do I really have to love God more than father or mother? Yes. The love of God, God’s love for you and your love for God, allows you to truly love father and mother. More than daughter or son? Yes. The love of God allows you to truly love daughter and son. Do I have to take up my cross and follow Jesus to Golgotha? Yes. The love of God leads us from death to new life. Do I have to lose my life? Yes. Let go. The love of God allows us to die to self to live in Christ. God is not our pet and the love of God is not constrained. Lose yourself in him to find your true self. It is the one that God made on purpose. It is your identity. It is your calling. You are more than you can imagine. You are loved by God! You are a child of God. You are an heir to eternal life. See beyond the veil of this life. Peer into eternity. Both God’s love of you and your love of God are preparation for what is to come. It is the taste of heaven now. Be reconciled. Be changed. Be loved. Be your true self. Lose your life and find it!