One hot Arizona summer afternoon my car ran out of gas. I phoned the parish office and begged for help. My secretary came and helped me fill the gas tank. She chided me, “If you can’t manage getting your car from A to B, how can we expect you to guide the parish where it needs to go?” Point taken, Julie. I vowed to always make sure I have plenty of gas in my car. The Lord Jesus chides us in this week’s Gospel, too. He uses the two images of a man building a tower and a king marching soldiers into war to make this single point: acquire what is needed to follow him or look ridiculous. We rightly mock the builder who lacks money for his tower and the king with a short-handed army. But our mocking boomerangs back on us. How do we expect to follow Jesus to the end with insufficient detachment from our possessions and divided hearts? The good news is, there is still time. Jesus is building a great tower to heaven–his own body. So we renounce all and give ourselves to him as his precious stones. Jesus is waging a battle against our enemy. So we forsake all and swear allegiance and march under his banner. In this way, we will finish what has begun in our discipleship. Or better put, our Lord will have the stones and soldiers required to see his great work through. — Father John Muir
