When St. Francis received his vision of the Crucified Lord speaking to him, he heard Him say, “Build my church.” Seeing a dilapidated and falling down building, St. Francis immediately thought that Christ was asking him to restore the place of worship. It was much later that he realized that Christ was asking him to build and restore the body of the Church, which is the people. I think we fall into a similar trap when we hear the parable in this Sunday’s Gospel: Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion?
We think about building a physical tower and that this is good wisdom and teaching. One needs to use prudence and take time to plan out a project to make sure he has enough resources and the ability to complete what he has set out to do. But what does this wisdom have to do with renouncing one’s property and becoming a disciple of Christ?
In the early centuries of Christianity, many of the Fathers of the Church and Bishops used the imagery of a building, most often a tower, as an analogy of ourselves and the spiritual life. In this light, one builds on the foundation of the Prophets and the Apostles, whom themselves rest on the solid foundation of the Son of God. In another way, and at the same time, this building is the Church that Christ built with St. Peter as the rock and foundation, each stone or brick being the life of a saint, and so the church is built by the living stones of the people of God.
In both ways, the description of the building of a tower is not about building a physical thing, but represents the building of our own life. In building one’s self, one needs to calculate and be certain that he has sufficient resources to finish the construction, or it will collapse. If we only convert and transform ourselves, or follow Christ only part of the way; if we only follow some of His teachings, and borrow or adopt plans from another architect; or if we only persevere in the building for a short time, then grow tired and lose interest, then the building will fail and collapse.
To be a disciple of Christ, one must first ask himself if he has the resources and abilities to truly be a follower of Christ. On the surface, this can seem daunting and possibly even impossible. Do I have the resources to become a perfect Christian? Can I take up the Cross with as much grace and virtue as Jesus did? Do I have what it takes to be “perfect as (His) Father is perfect?” Absolutely not. So does this mean, then that I should not begin the journey and set out to be His disciple? Absolutely not! Because we are also reminded of who is the one that provides the resources. By renouncing all that you have, you open yourself to depend on His resources, and His defense. This is the only way that we can complete the tower, or win final victory.