Love Beyond Measure: What Jesus Meant by ‘Hate

09-07-2025Weekly ReflectionFr. Albert

The first words we hear from Jesus in this Sunday's Gospel passage might almost startle us. They are spoken by the Lord to convey without the shadow of a doubt, a very important message to his followers. The words of Jesus are these: '' if any one 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.'' Those are very tough words and what are we to make of them? Why does Jesus say we must ''hate'' our loved ones and even ourselves? The strong language used by the Lord stems from his setting and times, what we would now call a Sematic worldview, where very strong language was used to convey a teaching in no uncertain terms. so, without a doubt we can say the term ''hate,'' as we normally understand the word, is not to be taken literally but what is the underlying message?

Jesus wanted to make clear the vital point that for those who wish to follow him, namely, that nothing and no one other than God should take precedence or first place in our lives. That place is reserved for God alone. should we actually hate those who are not God? No, for the law of love is clearly at the heart of the Gospel teaching. Another way to express the words of Jesus in our daily life is that we are to prefer God to everything and everyone else and at the same time never neglect the supreme law of love for one another. In fact, that is one of Jesus' parting words to his chosen band: ''Love one another as I have loved you''

Handing over our lives to God is going to entail all our effort but it is truly worth it. Jesus wishes to give us lasting and true happiness, peace and joy unending and everlasting life, but it comes at a price. we must be willing to give all we have to possess what in fact is everything we will ever need. this is what has been called, ''The Gospel with compromise.'' It is not about dollars and cents, though, but spiritual riches, awaiting those who will carry their cross and actually find themselves being cared for and carried by God. In comparison with the love of God has for us, clinging to any earthly treasures and pleasure is like walking in utter darkness without a flashlight, when we are meant to be walking in the full light of a sunlit day. God is to hold first place in our life. Jesus told his followers elsewhere in the Gospels that to do so, to strive to do God's will, qualifies such ones as brothers and sisters of Christ. Jesus goes on in the Gospel today to make a comparison. If someone wishes to construct a tower, he or she must calculate the cost to determine the go ahead. no one wants to be laughed at for a barely-begun or half-finished project.

In the same way, our commitment to belong completely to Christ must not be half-hearted, but one hundred per cent, knowing we have sufficient funds, namely God's active grace, alive and at work in hearts that belong fully to God. our decision to follow Christ is to be serious, permanent and definitive and Jesus promises we will not be disappointed in our expectations. we live in times when commitment to anything and anyone is not fashionable or easy. nevertheless, in the depths of our hearts we are all seeking something that will last and offer us hope in a world asphyxiated by strife, unhappiness, brokenness and despair.