By Msgr. Joseph Prior • Posted September 4, 2025

(See the readings for the 23nd Sunday in Ordinary Time)

In 1997 Gary McPherson studied 157 randomly selected children as they picked out and learned a musical instrument. Some went on to become fine musicians and some faltered. McPherson searched for the traits that separated those who progressed from those who did not. IQ was not a good predictor. Neither were aural sensitivity, math skills, income, or a sense of rhythm.

The best single predictor was a question McPherson asked the students before they even selected their instruments: How long do you think you will play? The students who planned to play for a short time did not become very proficient. The students who planned to play for a few years had modest success. But there were some children who said, in effect: “I want to be a musician. I’m going to play my whole life.” Those children soared. (cf. David Brooks, The Social Animal)

In the study mentioned above, commitment is the decisive factor to becoming a good musician. Dedication and determination were key elements to achieving the goal. Though not exactly the same, there are some similarities to living a Christian life. The goal is having the Kingdom of God realized in our lives. Ultimately that is a grace given by God; however, grace also builds on nature. Our participation is necessary. This is one of the points Jesus is making in the Gospel for this Sunday’s liturgy.

He speaks to the great crowd about discipleship. We have been following the Gospel according to Luke this year in the Sunday readings during Ordinary Time. We have seen that the Kingdom is a gift to which one is invited. One does not “take” the gift; one “receives” it.

The offer is of the greatest import. It is worth more than any possession, position or power. God is the one who invites through Jesus. A disciple is one who accepts the gift. This teaching goes further into the act of acceptance. Accepting the gift entails a commitment to the giver and the gift – to Jesus and the Kingdom.

The three instructions in this passage hit on different aspects of the commitment. The first deals with the priority of this gift over all others. The Kingdom of God is the gift of life in its fullest sense. There is no greater gift nor greater gift-giver. This being the case, there is no relationship that is more valuable than our relationship with God, through Christ Jesus.

Jesus makes this point by using the human relationships that are the most important, the family. Family is the bedrock of human society. In a healthy family these relationships are loving, forgiving, reliable, trustworthy, secure and stable. They form a firm foundation for the joys and challenges of life. So Jesus shocks us by saying: “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.”

He is not speaking here about family relationships in and of themselves; rather he is speaking of them in terms of discipleship and our relationship with God. Family life and its inherent relationships are a gift from God and find their fulfillment and perfection in him. So our relationship with him is not only paramount to all others but will only find their completion in him and his Kingdom. He concludes this part with a direct reference to the cross: “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”

The commitment to God entails sacrifice. Perhaps Jesus says this after using the family image because we all know that family relationships entail sacrifices that bring life. Parents readily make sacrifices for their children. They are willing to suffer for their children, and many would even put their lives on the line for their children. Children, in various ways according to maturity, would likewise do the same.

So for the children of God and citizens of the Kingdom, sacrifice is necessary. The cross comes in different shapes and sizes but entails a willingness to offer oneself in love. In this sense, even the most fundamental human relationship, that with ourselves, finds its fulfillment in our relationship to God and his Kingdom.

The second and third instructions deal with dedication to our discipleship. Commitment is not just an attitude; it is an investment. An athlete, musician, artist, craftsman, academic and so forth, if they are to excel, need to spend time, effort, thought and energy on their skill, trade or profession. They need to learn, seek advice, receive mentoring and coaching as well.

Such is the case of the person constructing a tower or a king marching into battle. They have to invest themselves in the endeavor otherwise they will not be able to complete the project or win the war. So it is with discipleship. Investment of oneself in living as citizens of the Kingdom is necessary. We do this by following the Teacher, learning from him and living accordingly.

The final piece of the instruction seems to relate to the second and third but the connection is somewhat enigmatic. “In the same way,” Jesus says, “anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”

“In the same way” seems to point to the three instructions regarding priorities. The Kingdom has to have the highest priority if it is going to reach its fullest expression in the disciple. This leads to one’s renunciation of possessions. The renunciation is not an abandonment of possessions in the sense of living in poverty but rather a practical renunciation of their value in relationship to the Kingdom. Viewing any and all of our possessions as a gift from the One who gives all, is a good step in the direction of renunciation.

The 1997 study mentioned above shows a clear relationship between commitment and excellence. Discipleship demands such a commitment if we are to bear the fruits of the Kingdom. Today, Jesus urges us to be committed disciples and to embrace the life that he, and he alone, offers.

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Msgr. Joseph Prior is pastor of Our Lady of Grace Parish, Penndel, and a former professor of Sacred Scripture and rector of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. Read more reflections by Msgr. Joseph Prior here.