Today’s Gospel is one of the most demanding in the New Testament. Jesus is not asking us to love our families less, but to love Him first, so that we may truly love our family, neighbours and everyone else with His own selfless love. There are moments when following Him demands sacrifice, courage, or even misunderstanding from those we cherish. My first takeaway is that Christ must always be the source of every other love. Secondly, although it is natural to pray for our crosses to be taken away, we should pray above all for the strength to embrace them with Christ. This also changes how we understand vows and promises. They should never be bargains with God: “If You solve my problem, I will do this.” Rather, they should be acts of trust: “Lord, I will walk in this procession because You will walk with me as I carry my cross.”. Loving Christ above all means trusting Him enough to carry our crosses with Him, while humbly accepting support from God and from those He places along our path.
