Eighth Tuesday of Ordinary Time

Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.

Jesus promises us that no matter what we give up to follow him, we shall be rewarded a hundred times more. The worldly things which we place so much importance on are as nothing compared to the boons of eternal life in the age to come. Of course, he also warns us that along with giving everything up, we will also suffer persecutions from others who do not understand why we turn our backs on worldly things. Sometimes those who oppose and tempt us will be family, other times friends, and still more will be our neighbors and those whom we meet each day. We should take heart in Jesus’ call to give everything up and follow him because if we don’t, we risk losing not only our purpose, but also our lives. We just have to be patient and mild, doing God’s work until the day He calls us home and rewards us for our good and faithful service to Him and His children.

Are we willing to give up everything for God? What are those things we have the most trouble letting go of? How can we sacrifice them to God for the forgiveness of our sins, the resurrection of our bodies, and life ever-lasting?

O Lord, we give up everything to you.

Amen.