A while back, an amazing group of women called “The Little Sisters of the Poor,” dedicated to serving those in need, opened a soup kitchen and bread line for the homeless and hungry in downtown Cincinnati. These nuns receive no salary or benefits; they live simply and carry out their ministry solely on donations. They go from house to house and from business to business, asking for donations for their ministry to the poorest of the poor.

            One day, one of these sisters went to a grocer and asked for the outdated food that couldn’t be sold. The grocer spit in her face. She said, “Thank you, sir; that was for me. Now, may I have something to give to the poor?”

            Following Jesus sometimes requires us to behave in radically different ways from how we might if we were not his disciples.

Following Jesus radically

            In today’s gospel reading, Jesus calls us to be radically different, radically loving, radically forgiving and unhesitatingly obedient to his will. He does this using dramatic language and memorable metaphors.

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