4 November 2026 · Latin Rite
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“Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:27
Large crowds are following Jesus, and he turns and speaks to them plainly: discipleship costs everything. To “hate” father and mother is a Semitic way of saying “to prefer less”; no love, however good, may come before him. Then two short parables: the man building a tower and the king going to war. Both sit down first and count the cost. Jesus wants disciples who know what they are choosing.
Paul tells the Philippians to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you”. Grace and effort are not rivals: God gives both the will and the work. Then we shine “like stars in the world”. St Charles Borromeo, Archbishop of Milan after the Council of Trent, counted the cost: he reformed his diocese, founded seminaries, and stayed with his people through the plague of 1576, when many fled.
Theme: “Count the cost.”
Jesus wants disciples who choose him with open eyes; God's grace makes the choice possible.
“Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.” Genesis 22:2
“Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:27
Apply: Accept one cross today without complaint.
“Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain.” Psalm 127:1
“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it?” Luke 14:28
Apply: Renew one promise you made to God.
“Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” Daniel 12:3
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16
Apply: Do one good work today for God's glory, not your own.
Discipleship costs everything, and Christ is worth it.
God who calls also gives the strength.
Take-home resolution: Read Luke 14:25–33 again tonight and examine your priorities.
Dear friends, large crowds were following Jesus, and he turned and spoke plainly: whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:27). He does not want admirers; he wants disciples who know what it costs.
Two short pictures make the point. A man about to build a tower first sits down and counts the cost. A king about to go to war first sits down and considers whether he can win (Luke 14:28–31). Faith is not a sudden feeling; it is a decision taken with open eyes.
Paul tells the Philippians to work out their salvation with fear and trembling, because it is God who is at work in them, and to shine like stars in a crooked world (Philippians 2:12–15). We count the cost, but the strength to pay it comes from God.
Today we remember St Charles Borromeo, a rich young cardinal who counted the cost and gave everything for the reform of the Church and the care of the sick in time of plague. Tonight, let each of us ask: what comes before Christ in my life? Amen.
Children, following Jesus is like building a tower: we plan, we pray and we never give up. Shine like little stars by being kind and honest!
Lord Jesus, you call me to carry my cross and follow you. Give me courage to count the cost and to choose you above all, and let me shine in the world like St Charles, faithful to the end. Amen.
Paul tells the Philippians to work out their salvation, knowing that God is at work in them, and to shine like stars. Jesus tells the crowds that following him means carrying the cross and counting the cost. Today the Church remembers St Charles Borromeo, a bishop who did both.
Setting.
Right after the hymn of Christ’s self-emptying, Paul draws the practical lesson with “Therefore”. The Philippians must live out their salvation in a hostile city, without grumbling, while Paul himself may soon die in prison.
Structure.
Key words.
Verse by verse.
“work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (2:12–13)
The two halves belong together. We work because God works; our effort is the fruit of his grace, not a rival to it. “Fear and trembling” is reverence before God at work, not anxiety.
“children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world.” (2:15)
Paul takes the words of Deuteronomy 32:5, where a “crooked and perverse generation” described unfaithful Israel, and gives the believers the opposite calling: to be blameless children of God.
How the Church reads it.
St Augustine often quoted Philippians 2:13 to teach that God works in us both the willing and the doing, so that our good works are at the same time his gifts and truly ours (in substance). The Church teaches that grace does not take away our freedom but heals and raises it: the grace of Christ is not a rival of our freedom (CCC 1742).
Setting.
Large crowds are now walking with Jesus toward Jerusalem, where the cross awaits him (9:51). He turns to them and tells them plainly what being his disciple will cost.
Structure.
Key words.
Verse by verse.
“Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” (14:27)
“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it?” (14:28)
Jesus does not want enthusiasm that dies halfway. Discipleship is a decision made with open eyes.
“So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.” (14:33)
How the Church reads it.
The Catechism quotes this verse: Jesus enjoins his disciples to prefer him to everything and everyone and to renounce all that they have for his sake (CCC 2544). This detachment takes different forms in religious, priests and lay people, but it is asked of all: nothing may come before Christ.
Does Jesus really want us to hate our parents?
No. He commands us to honour them (Luke 18:20). “Hate” here is a Semitic idiom for choosing one thing over another. When love for family and love for Christ conflict, Christ must come first.
St Charles Borromeo (1538–1584), Archbishop of Milan, was a nephew of Pope Pius IV and helped bring the Council of Trent to its conclusion. He worked on the Roman Catechism, founded seminaries for the training of priests, visited every parish of his huge diocese, and stayed with his people during the plague of 1576, caring for the sick and selling his goods for the poor. His motto was Humilitas, humility. He shows what today’s readings ask: a life poured out, and the cost counted and paid.