Counting the cost… Any wise person interested in starting his or her own business will, first of all, come up with a good business plan. They will sit down and, with their accountants and others, try to calculate the risks involved and make sure they have all their costings right. They will want to leave nothing to chance. Otherwise, their business will flop. They will face failure and inevitable bankruptcy.

We all know that this is the sensible approach. If we want to start a business, we have got to have a plan, we have got to work out what’s at stake, no matter how troublesome that might be or how long it might take.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that this is also the way in which we are to approach the task of being disciples. If we want to be followers of Jesus, then we need to be fully aware of what’s involved. We need to know exactly what being a disciple means – the costs, the risks and the demands attached to it. We must be prepared to live it out.

Following Jesus is not for the faint hearted, especially in an increasingly secular society. We must be fully committed. We must be in there for the long haul. Otherwise, we will fail. We won’t be true disciples at all.

This week we might reflect on the following questions… Do you consider yourself to be a true disciple? What do you need to change in order to be a more faithful follower?