Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church (Memorial)

Everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children . . . for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more.

How often do we calculate the cost of something—groceries or a meal out or a trip? We carefully prepare our budget and consider what the items or the experience is worth to us before making the purchase. If the cost is too high, we may choose a less expensive option or postpone the purchase altogether.

But when it comes to calculating the cost of following the Lord, Jesus asks us to count the cost in a very different way. In his kingdom, whatever we give up in order to follow him is promised back to us “a hundred times more” plus the greatest reward of all: eternal life with God in heaven (Matthew 19:29)! So the more we “spend” on Jesus, the more we will receive back.

This cost/benefit analysis can be a stretch for us to wrap our heads around when we are used to thinking in terms of our limited resources! Yet God’s love and generosity far exceed what we can calculate or imagine.

Consider, for example, how he multiplied the sacrifice of one person: St. Teresa of Kolkata. She gave up the security and comfort of her teaching position and her close-knit religious community to embrace God’s call to serve and live among the poorest of the poor. She set out alone, not knowing who would join her or how far and wide her new community would grow. But look what God did with what she “spent” on him! Today more than 5,750 members of the Missionaries of Charity are serving in 139 countries.

Sometimes when God calls us to a new path—perhaps to start a new business or to move to a new city—we only see what we are giving up. We can’t see what awaits us on the other side, and it can be hard to trust him as we move forward. But when God asks us to give up a plan or even a relationship that we hold close, he promises to give back to us even more generously—a hundred times more.

So yes, calculate your grocery budget. But don’t calculate your commitment to follow Jesus. He is worth all that you have.

“Lord, you are so generous! I want to spend everything on you.”

Ezekiel 28:1-10
(Psalm) Deuteronomy 33:26-28, 30, 35-36
Matthew 19:23-30