First Reading - Genesis 11:1-9
Gospel - Mark 8:34-9:1
The first reading narrates the story of the building of the Tower of Babel. This story is built around the striking remains of stepped towers or ziggurats that can still be seen all over Mesopotamia. It is well-known and offers an explanation for the origin of the diversity of languages. Naturally, we may wonder how multiple languages came to be. The author of Genesis provides an explanation through this story, attributing the diversity of languages to divine intervention.
However, the deeper message of the story is about human ambition—the desire for fame and an easy path to heaven. When we closely examine the plot, we see that the people sought to build a tower reaching up to heaven in order to make a name for themselves. In other words, they believed that by constructing a tower that reached heaven, their names would be remembered and honored forever. Another striking aspect of the story is that the Tower of Babel was meant to be a one-time investment—a human effort to gain direct access to heaven on their own terms. This reflects human arrogance, the desire to reach heaven not according to God's will but according to their own. Ultimately, the story reveals an innate desire in every person to be recognized and glorified by others. It also highlights the tendency to seek an easy path to heaven rather than submitting to God's plan.
In the Gospel passage, Jesus speaks about the cost of discipleship. The fact that this teaching follows immediately after His prediction of His Passion serves as a reminder to His followers: to follow Jesus means to follow Him even in suffering. If the Messiah must suffer, so too must His disciples. However, Jesus' invitation to discipleship contains two specific challenges.
First, the challenge to "deny oneself." This is not mere asceticism, self-rejection, or self-hatred, nor is it simply about avoiding particular sins. Rather, it means renouncing the self as the dominant force in life and placing God-in-Christ at the center. It calls for replacing self-will with divine will.
Second, the challenge to "take up one's cross." This requires a willingness to give up everything dear in life—even life itself—to suffer for Jesus and for others. Such demands of discipleship call us to follow Jesus radically, never compromising with worldly values but keeping our eyes fixed on God and His kingdom.
Dear friends, as Christians, we are called to follow Christ. According to the statistics of the Pontifical Yearbook, the number of Catholics increases every year. As of 2020, there were approximately 1.36 billion Catholics worldwide. This is a great number! However, we are reminded today that faith is not just about increasing in numbers but about living it daily. Jesus has set clear conditions for following Him: self-denial and the willingness to carry our daily cross. These conditions shape us into Christ-centered people in all aspects of life—our behavior, actions, work, piety, and spirituality. There is no room for anything else but Christ. This is why Jesus calls these conditions "the cost of discipleship."
The first reading reminds us that our pursuit of self-glory, personal ambition, and self-will stands in contrast to true discipleship. Discipleship is a path that calls us to live a life centered on Jesus and His teachings.
Let us pray that we may become true disciples of Jesus, not just in words but also in deeds.
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