by Father Patrick Longalong
Have you ever wanted something so deeply that you were willing to face criticism, discouragement, and even failure to reach it? That kind of perseverance, that willingness to pay a price for what matters most, is very close to what Jesus means when he speaks about the cost of discipleship.
I think of a friend of mine who dreamed of becoming a teacher. For many, this may seem like an ordinary and reasonable goal. But for him, it was a costly and difficult one. In his family, the highest educational attainment was a high school diploma. When he told his parents and older siblings he wanted to go to college, they discouraged him. They insisted it was better to find a job than waste time and money on something they believed he could not finish.
But he decided to try anyway, despite the criticism. He worked while he studied, renting a small room so he could have the quiet needed to rest and focus. Eventually, he graduated. Yet even then, the struggle was not over.
When he applied for a teaching position, he was rejected, despite his qualifications. He came home devastated, and instead of receiving comfort, his family reminded him that his degree had been a waste of time.
I remember speaking with him at that point. It broke my heart to see him so defeated after years of perseverance. I encouraged him to trust in God and place everything in his hands. I told him: “You’ve done your part — now allow God’s grace to work.” A few days later, he received a call from the very school that had rejected him. They admitted a mistake in processing his application. He was accepted. His perseverance, despite the cost, bore fruit.
That is what Jesus speaks of in today’s Gospel. He warns the crowds that whoever does not carry his cross and follow him cannot be his disciple. Following Christ comes at a cost — not only in dramatic sacrifices, but also in the daily perseverance of ordinary life.
But here’s the key: the cost of discipleship is not only measured in great, visible sacrifices. It is just as real in the perseverance of ordinary life. When you wake up early to pray, though you’d rather sleep in, you pay the cost. When you forgive instead of holding onto a grudge, you pay the cost. When you choose integrity even if it costs you advancement, you pay the cost. When you carry illness or loss with hope instead of bitterness, you pay the cost. These daily “yeses” may not make headlines, but they are the hidden foundation of a disciple’s life.
The Book of Wisdom reminds us that our reasoning is weak and limited — we need God’s spirit to guide us, even when his path seems unclear. St. Paul, in his letter to Philemon, asks his friend to see Onesimus no longer as a slave but as a brother. That was costly, requiring Philemon to rethink the world through Christ’s eyes. In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of calculating the cost of a tower or a battle. To follow him is to count the cost, and still say yes.
The cost of discipleship is real, but so is its reward. Each small surrender becomes a seed of grace. And when we trust in God, even what seems like loss can become a victory in his hands.
Father Longalong is the pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes, Queens Village, and coordinator of the Ministry to Filipino Immigrants.