“Whoever does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:25-33)
Biblical reflections by Mauro Leonardi*, priest and writer
The prerequisite for becoming a disciple of Christ is poverty: because only by stripping oneself can one put on Christ to be witnesses of his boundless love.
From the Gospel according to Luke 14:25-33
At that time, as many people were going with him, Jesus turned and said: «If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father, his mother, his wife, his children, his brothers, his sisters, and even his own life, do not he can be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his cross and does not come after me cannot be my disciple. Who among you, wanting to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, if he has the means to complete it? Lest, if he lays the foundation and is unable to finish the work, all who see it begin to mock him, saying: This man began to build, but was not able to finish the work. Or what king, going out to war against another king, does not first sit down and consider whether he can with ten thousand men meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? If not, while the other is still far away, he sends him an embassy for peace. So whoever of you does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple."
*Mauro Leonardi (Como 1959) has been a priest since 29 May 1988 and has lived in Rome since then. He spends many hours of his day as a priest and prefers building bridges rather than raising walls. For years he has been writing stories, articles, essays and books that revolve around the relationship between man and God. Author of the blog Like Jesus. Abelis (Lindau) is his latest novel. The volunteers of the Gionata Project thank him for wanting to share these reflections on the Word with us.
