The fact is that to choose anything means also not to choose something else, something that may also be good, and attractive and satisfying.

In the two images in the Gospel of the man who carefully plans out the building of a tower, or the waging of a campaign against another city, Christ urges us to enter into our relationship with him precisely as hard-nosed realists, with our eyes wide open, not deceiving ourselves about the kinds of demands that discipleship will make on us.

Nothing, no value, no good, no good, can be preferred to discipleship.  If we should ever find ourselves in a situation in which the practice of the virtues of discipleship conflicts with the influence, the example, the goals of any other value, even friends, even family.  Then as we hope for salvation, we must be ready to reject that influence and example, even if that means, as it may well, placing ourselves at odds with or bearing the ill-will of others, even friends, even family.

That can mean setting aside some things, some attitudes, some ideas that we value pretty highly.  Part of the cost of discipleship must be a readiness to centre our lives around what Christ tells us is valuable and good rather than the values of the world, rather even perhaps than the values proposed to us by our own experience.

St Paul gives us a graphic example of this in the Second Reading.  Philemon was a well-to-do influential member of the Church at Colossae, one of Paul’s earlier converts.  The person to whom Paul refers in this reading as his own child was another convert of his, a young man named Onesimus, who was one of Philemon’s slaves.  Paul is writing to Philemon because Onesimus had ran away and had come to Paul in Rome.  Now, according to the law, according to all accepted standards of the time, Philemon would have been perfectly justified in pursuing Onesimus, recapturing him, and punishing him, even killing him if he so wished.

But rather than hide Onesimus and send him through some underground railway to freedom, Paul sends him back to Philemon, to his master.  But he does so, sending along with the slave a letter demanding of Philemon that, if he considers himself a disciple of Christ, he must reject the standards of society, and act instead on those of Christ.  There must be no reprisal, no punishment for Onesimus, only acceptance, forgiveness and understanding.

Realistic, conscious awareness of the implications, the cost of discipleship, what it will demand of us, a willingness to pay that price – if we achieve that, then we have already taken up the Cross.

Fr Andrew