When the Roman Empire was at the summit of its strenght,  a powerful army marched into battle in the woods in Germany. There were 3 legions, and they were much stronger than their opponents, the German tribes. But Varys, the general in charge, made several mistakes. He was overconfident,  and his calculations were mistaken. The result was, a  resounding defeat for the Roman army,  perhaps the worst defeat in its history;  and all because a Roman general was overconfident and his calculations were mistaken. We are not Roman generales; but we do have our spiritual combats. We need to learn the art of  spiritual combat.  In today’s Gospel, Jesus is surrounded by great crowds. Many are following Him – some out of curiosity, others out of excitement at His miracles, and some in genuine faith. But Jesus turns to them with words that are difficult and demanding: “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” He speaks of hating father and mother, wife and children, even one’s own life. Of course, Jesus does not call us to despise our families or reject love; rather, He is using strong language to make His point. Our love for God must come first, above all other loves, if we are to truly follow Him. Only then can our love for others be rightly ordered and authentic. Jesus then gives two images: a man building a tower and a king going to war. Both must sit down first and count the cost. Following Christ is not something to be taken up lightly, as a hobby or passing interest. It requires thought, decision, sacrifice. It requires us to ask: Am I willing to put Christ before everything else? This Gospel challenges us to examine our own discipleship. It is easy to follow Christ when the crowd is cheering, when faith brings comfort. But what about when faith costs us – when it asks for forgiveness we don’t want to give, generosity we’d rather not show, or courage when fear is easier? For a christian, it is not how strong I am, but who is the one giving me strength. If it is Jesus, then we will win.