Daily Meditation: Thursday, July 16, 2009

‘Whoever loves his father or mother more than me is not …

07/16/2009

‘Whoever loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.’ Some people have interpreted these words of Christ as an invitation to leave their family without worrying about the suffering they would inflict on them. They felt justified: they were following Christ. All human beings have a duty towards their parents, and if they have a family they have a duty towards their husband or wife and their children. Christ has never asked us to transgress the laws of kindness and generosity in order to love and serve him, or to make those close to us suffer through neglect. So, what does it mean to love Christ more than your father, mother, son or daughter? It means being able to extend your love beyond your family, not putting your family’s material and social conditions first to the detriment of your spiritual life. If we are to love Christ more than our family in order to be worthy of him, we must remember that our roots are not on earth but in heaven.