Jesus’ words in today’s gospel seem at first sight to be very harsh. Are we being asked to put aside the fourth commandment, “Honour thy father and thy mother?” Jesus spent thirty years as part of a family. In the society of his day family and kinship were the bedrock of society, perhaps to the exclusion of everyone else. The parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) illustrates Jesus’ concern for the wider community.
When we put God first he leads us to take the best action possible. He is not asking us to abandon our families, and often he will lead us to look after and care for them: after all, the family is the basis of society. Very often, however, people are called to give service that means leaving family to pursue a particular vocation.
Jesus came to rescue us from the burden of sin. Carrying the cross in his time meant utter humiliation. Jesus accepted this path; and if we are to be his followers we must accept it too. That, however, does not mean that suffering is good in itself. Jesus spent his public life going out of his way to alleviate suffering. Carrying the cross means denying self and putting others first. St Joan of Arc, when she faced the corrupt, politically-motivated Bishop Pierre Cauchon, spoke these words: “God must be served first.”