(Please read the Scripture passage before reading the homily.)
Consider well what you are doing. If you are a candidate for public office, can you defeat your opponent? If you have a business, can you pay for the special equipment you need or will the bank repossess it? If you are building a house, can you afford it, or will you lose it? If you are going to war, can you defeat your enemy with the resources you have or will you have to beg for peace?
We are not talking about elections, business deals or international politics. We are talking about the kingdom of God, about being a disciple of Jesus, about relationships that matter. We are talking about the Kingdom of God here among us and our membership in it. What is this worth to us?
To put it in black and white, or in the ultimate of choices, in yes or no, love or hate: are we for the kingdom with all we have and are? If we are not against we have to be for: there is no in between. This is how the ancient Near Eastern mind worked: if one loved somebody less than another, in effect that one hated the other. They did not conceive of loving more or loving less, but only of loving or not loving.
We can make the distinction and see the grey areas between black and white. This is useful in many situations. When it comes to the kingdom of heaven, however, the grey areas disappear and we must choose for it or not for it. We cannot vote for two candidates for the same office; we cannot wage peace and war at the same time. We cannot love family more than we love God, although we can love family in God.
Here are the plans and costs for the house we want to build, or the car we want to drive, or the equipment we need in our business. Can we afford this or will we end up giving up before it is half finished? Here are the costs of membership in the kingdom of God: will we spend wisely or give up in the process. The wise disciple calculates the costs and spends wisely. How wise are we?