Homily for the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Radical Detachment And Discipleship

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, September 7, 2025

At the beginning of his public ministry, Jesus declares, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 4:17). What is the kingdom of heaven? It is God’s way of setting things in order. It is a kingdom of love, mercy, genuine friendship, internal and external transformation, and radical detachment from worldly possessions. It is not a physical territory, but God’s active reign over creation and in the hearts of his people. This ordering of things is both a present reality and a future promise. To show that he means business and that the Kingdom of God has truly arrived, Jesus performs great acts of miracles and demonstrates his mastery over the forces of nature. Over time, people began to notice him and pay attention. They began to listen to his teachings and preachings. He also started gathering followers as disciples and apostles. 

In today’s Gospel (Luke 14:25-33), we hear that “Great crowds were traveling with Jesus.” Obviously, among this crowd were his disciples. As they moved, Jesus turned and dropped a spiritual bomb on them: “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” People had been amazed and astonished by him. His life, ministry, and teachings had intrigued them. They had heard his words and seen his great miracles. After hearing his call for repentance, they were willing to turn the page. After listening to his Sermon on the Mount, they were willing to live by it. As they were coming to grips with his teachings and preachings, Jesus said something that his family-oriented Jewish audience might find deeply shocking: if you want to be my disciples, you have to hate people who are very dear to you and even hate your own life. No doubt, people who heard those words probably asked, “Who do you think you are?” “Do I have to hate everyone I love just to follow you?” They might have scratched their heads and wondered, “Didn’t this man preach about love, even love toward one’s enemies? Didn’t he say, “Bless those who curse you and pray for those who mistreat you?" “What’s the problem now?” “I have to hate my parents, my spouse, children, and siblings?” “What is he talking about? Is he crazy or confused?" Most likely, many people who heard Jesus say those words left him and went away deeply disappointed. 

I tell you, this Gospel will be so intolerable to many people, including some Christians. The modern secularistic mind will tag this “religious fanaticism.” Some will say, “This is the problem with religion. Others will say, “Well, religion is a good thing, but let’s not overdo it.” But here is the problem: It is precisely what the devil wants— little religion, but not too much. He wants a mild dose of religion to counter the real thing. Let’s face it, atheism is a problem. But the biggest problem is a little and mild religion that puts the brakes on passionate, real religion. A little religion acts like a vaccine. It slows, calms, hinders, and even kills the real things that are dangerous to the devil. What does the devil hate so much? He hates passionate, absolute, intense, non-negotiable loyalty and faithfulness to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If your religion is mild and little, the devil is pleased. Why? Because you carry within you religious vaccinations. You won’t be swayed by what the Lord said today. 

But what does the Lord mean when he said, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” Jesus is using a figure of speech prevalent at his time, called hyper-exaggeration or hyperbole, to highlight the life and cost of discipleship. Before you frown at his language, remember we all use hyperbole in our speech today. In Nigeria, people use hyperbolic language about death to add drama, emphasize strong emotions, and vividly describe extreme or difficult situations. Here are a few examples: In Nigeria, when someone wants to convey their extreme hunger, they say, Hunger wan kill me, that is, hunger intends to kill me. To express extreme shock surprise, or exhaustion, someone might say, “I don die” “I have died.” When a guy wants to say how much he loves his woman, he may say, “Baby, I go die for you,” which is, “Baby, I will die for you.” So, Jesus is using hyperbole to highlight the cost of following him. In concrete terms, if your love and loyalty to your dad, mom, wife, husband, brothers, sisters, and yourself is blocking or hindering your total surrender to Jesus, Jesus says to you, Hate them. That is, distacco. Detach from them. Hate them in the measure that they have become gods to you. Following Jesus means being prepared to give up anything and everything for him. Jesus has to be everything to us or nothing to us. Not something in between. I tell you, this is a call to radical detachment. And it is in this kind of detachment that true happiness lies. Give him your life, your sanity, your joy, your hope for this life and for the next, your sex life, financial life, home life, recreational life, your body, mind, soul, your feelings, your freedom, your rights, your time, your past, future, and present. Please give it to him. Everything! Remember the song: “It’s all about you, Jesus” by Paul Oakley.  Remember the song, “Jesus is more than gold,” by Judikay. 

But why does the Lord demand so much from us? The answer is simple: He asks so much because He gave us so much. He asks a lot from us because He gave us a lot. In fact, Jesus gave us even more. All the sacrifices we could make as His disciples are just a drop in an ocean compared to what He offered on our behalf. Jesus not only died on the cross for us and then returned to heaven, but He also continues to act as our Advocate before the Father. 

God bless you!