In our first reading Wisdom describes the body as a tent – but one made of clay that weighs down the soul.  Only God’s gift of wisdom can enable us to penetrate beyond our minds teeming with every day concerns to the things of heaven.  In the Gospel Our Lord invites us to reflect on our priorities and plans.  What do we need to do and what do we need to leave behind in order to come closer to God?  Being a disciple means making hard choices – taking on a cross.  In the Hebrew perspective the contrasting values of loving and hating are not so much about emotions as choices and preferences.  Each of us is called to holiness in the context of our everyday life, our family relationships, friendships and work.  We cannot become holy by ignoring these.  Equally we must not lose sight of God’s call to holiness in and through them.  How are we to balance these values?  This is why we need to pray for wisdom and discernment in the concrete decisions we make each day and in our longer term planning.