The whole chapter 14 of Luke develops the radical demands of discipleship for those who have joined Jesus on the way to the cross. In today's gospel passage, we hear Jesus speaking of family division that might come because of this demand. Anyone who comes to Jesus without hating every human family relationship and one's own personal life cannot be his disciple. "Hate" in this sense, means "prefer less". It is used here to stress that anyone who stands in the way of whole-hearted commitment to Jesus, even one's closest relations, must be renounced.

The conditions for Christian discipleship are so radical that, symbolically, it is interpreted as the bearing of one's cross in the following of Jesus. It is, as such, a vocation that consumes us totally. This is why it must be accepted with mature deliberation. Jesus himself uses two examples to illustrate this: a wise builder would not begin a project without assessing his ability to complete it; and only a foolish king would go into battle without considering the odds against him. Christian discipleship at its very essence is total renunciation. It is the total self-giving required to follow a mission through to the end.

When a disciple of Jesus holds anything back, discipleship fails to become a true vocation. Indeed, today is a good day to reflect whether you are indeed, living as a true disciple of Jesus.