There is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more. It would appear that Jesus’ reaction to the rich man walking away while downcast left the disciples asking themselves some tough questions. They became anxious about what will become of them, and whether their choice to follow him is worth it. Led by Peter, they demanded a clarification from Jesus. " What about us?" Peter asks Jesus, "we have given up everything and followed you- our careers, family, friends, and most of all, our status in the society! What about us? What do you say about us? Are we better off? Is eternal life already a guarantee for us? If this is our life - a life of homelessness, a life of wandering, a life of begging and dependency - then, what have we gained?" Jesus understood their concern and responded in kind: "You have gained everything! You have gained brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers and homes and careers. You have gained much more than you dared to leave behind!"
A disciple of Jesus has to understand these words of Jesus in the context of his or her calling. For by the virtue of our baptism, one is called to go out of the self to embrace the other as a fellow child of God. Baptism calls me to let go of those attitudes and behaviors that would limit me to my birthplace and instead embrace the whole world as my home. It is only when we take our baptism seriously that we come to understand these words of Jesus as having been fulfilled already. For in baptism, I cease to live for myself. In baptism, I begin to exist and live for the other. In baptism, I begin to realize that I have been tied to every living human person. In baptism, I come to realize that every living human person is my brother, sister, mother, father. In baptism, I begin to realize that I have gained more than I ever let go. " But this is a responsibility!" Peter protests. "Yes Peter. It is responsibility. You are now responsible not only for your immediate family, but for the entire humanity."