Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 129
Lectionary: 129
Who can know God’s counsel,
or who can conceive what the LORD intends?
For the deliberations of mortals are timid,
and unsure are our plans.
For the corruptible body burdens the soul
and the earthen shelter weighs down the mind that has many concerns.
And scarce do we guess the things on earth,
and what is within our grasp we find with difficulty;
but when things are in heaven, who can search them out?
Or who ever knew your counsel, except you had given wisdom
and sent your holy spirit from on high?
And thus were the paths of those on earth made straight.
or who can conceive what the LORD intends?
For the deliberations of mortals are timid,
and unsure are our plans.
For the corruptible body burdens the soul
and the earthen shelter weighs down the mind that has many concerns.
And scarce do we guess the things on earth,
and what is within our grasp we find with difficulty;
but when things are in heaven, who can search them out?
Or who ever knew your counsel, except you had given wisdom
and sent your holy spirit from on high?
And thus were the paths of those on earth made straight.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14-17
R. (1) In
every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
You turn man back to dust,
saying, “Return, O children of men.”
For a thousand years in your sight
are as yesterday, now that it is past,
or as a watch of the night.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
You make an end of them in their sleep;
the next morning they are like the changing grass,
Which at dawn springs up anew,
but by evening wilts and fades.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
And may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
You turn man back to dust,
saying, “Return, O children of men.”
For a thousand years in your sight
are as yesterday, now that it is past,
or as a watch of the night.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
You make an end of them in their sleep;
the next morning they are like the changing grass,
Which at dawn springs up anew,
but by evening wilts and fades.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
And may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Reading 2PHMN 9-10, 12-17
I, Paul, an old man,
and now also a prisoner for Christ Jesus,
urge you on behalf of my child Onesimus,
whose father I have become in my imprisonment;
I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you.
I should have liked to retain him for myself,
so that he might serve me on your behalf
in my imprisonment for the gospel,
but I did not want to do anything without your consent,
so that the good you do might not be forced but voluntary.
Perhaps this is why he was away from you for a while,
that you might have him back forever,
no longer as a slave
but more than a slave, a brother,
beloved especially to me, but even more so to you,
as a man and in the Lord.
So if you regard me as a partner, welcome him as you would me.
and now also a prisoner for Christ Jesus,
urge you on behalf of my child Onesimus,
whose father I have become in my imprisonment;
I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you.
I should have liked to retain him for myself,
so that he might serve me on your behalf
in my imprisonment for the gospel,
but I did not want to do anything without your consent,
so that the good you do might not be forced but voluntary.
Perhaps this is why he was away from you for a while,
that you might have him back forever,
no longer as a slave
but more than a slave, a brother,
beloved especially to me, but even more so to you,
as a man and in the Lord.
So if you regard me as a partner, welcome him as you would me.
AlleluiaPS 119:135
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Let your face shine upon your servant;
and teach me your laws.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Let your face shine upon your servant;
and teach me your laws.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 14:25-33
Great crowds were traveling with Jesus,
and he turned and addressed them,
“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother,
wife and children, brothers and sisters,
and even his own life,
he cannot be my disciple.
Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me
cannot be my disciple.
Which of you wishing to construct a tower
does not first sit down and calculate the cost
to see if there is enough for its completion?
Otherwise, after laying the foundation
and finding himself unable to finish the work
the onlookers should laugh at him and say,
‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’
Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down
and decide whether with ten thousand troops
he can successfully oppose another king
advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops?
But if not, while he is still far away,
he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms.
In the same way,
anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions
cannot be my disciple.”
and he turned and addressed them,
“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother,
wife and children, brothers and sisters,
and even his own life,
he cannot be my disciple.
Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me
cannot be my disciple.
Which of you wishing to construct a tower
does not first sit down and calculate the cost
to see if there is enough for its completion?
Otherwise, after laying the foundation
and finding himself unable to finish the work
the onlookers should laugh at him and say,
‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’
Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down
and decide whether with ten thousand troops
he can successfully oppose another king
advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops?
But if not, while he is still far away,
he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms.
In the same way,
anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions
cannot be my disciple.”
23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle C
Note: Where a Scripture text is underlined in the body of this discussion, it is recommended that the reader look up and read that passage.
1st Reading - Wisdom 9:13-18b
The Book of Wisdom is unique in the Bible as being the product of a Greek frame of mind, for the author is a Hellenized Jew, thoroughly familiar with Greek culture, writing probably at Alexandria in about 50 B.C.
Against the background of Egyptian worship of animals and mockery of Jewish trust in God, the author devotes much of the first part of the book to the ineffectiveness of such mockery when God has promised immortality to those who remain faithful. Using Greek modes of thought, he is the first to express the hope of after-life in terms of immortality of the individual soul. In the 2nd section of the book Solomon, the master of wisdom (to whom authorship of the book is conventionally attributed), speaks in praise of Wisdom. This reaches its high point in the descriptions of Wisdom as God’s own power at work in the world. The third section of the book is devoted to a rather flowery history, concentrating chiefly on the ineffective opposition of the Egyptians to God’s people at the time of the Exodus. Using Jewish legends and other amplification of the biblical account, the author points a contrast between the wonders God worked for Israel and the adverse effect of the same wonders on the Egyptians, stressing constantly the folly of Egyptian worship of animals and idols.
Perhaps the single-most important contribution of the book consists in its reflections on Wisdom, and especially the personification of Wisdom as God’s agent in the world, yet sharing intimately in His nature. The ground is prepared for the understanding of Jesus as the incarnate Wisdom of God. It is also valuable to see Judaism beyond the frontiers of Palestine, at grips with the varied worship of the Greco-Roman world, and to see it developing such ideas as that of the individual as a child of God. Because it was written after 400 B.C. and in Greek, the Book of Wisdom is not in the Hebrew canon of Scripture, and consequently it does not appear in the Protestant Bibles.
Today we hear the conclusion of Solomon’s prayer for Wisdom.
13 For what man knows God’s counsel, or who can conceive what our LORD intends?
14 For the deliberations of mortals are timid,
Uncertain
and unsure are our plans. 15 For the corruptible body burdens the soul and the earthen shelter weighs down the mind that has many concerns.
This verse is reminiscent of Plato. It has caused the author to be falsely accused of a dualism, which pronounces matter evil. In fact, he simply states that our deliberations are weak and earthbound because of the body and its concerns.
16 And scarce do we guess the things on earth, and what is within our grasp we find with difficulty; but when things are in heaven, who can search them out? 17 Or who ever knew your counsel,
The Greek word boulē, translated here as “counsel,” is probably not the plan of God, but what God wishes people to do (He counsels, but do they listen?).
except you had given Wisdom and sent your holy spirit from on high?
Wisdom is a personification of the functions of Yahweh. In earlier wisdom literature, wisdom was an effect of the spirit of God. Here, Wisdom is identified with the spirit of the Lord and becomes the internal principle of physical and moral life. The Hebrews did not conceive of humans as constituted of a material body and a spiritual soul; the human being was a unity.
18a,b And thus were the paths of those on earth made straight.
2nd Reading - Philemon 9-10, 12-17
Philemon was a wealthy Colossian; a personal friend of Paul, who had converted him to the faith. He had a slave called Onesimus (O-nis-see-mus), who robbed his master and fled to Rome where he hoped to escape capture by disappearing into the large population. The grace of God led the poor runaway slave to the prison-house of St. Paul. The apostle took compassion on him, received him with tenderness, and won him for Christ. Then he sent him back to his master in Colossae with a letter to plead for him – not only to save him from a severe penalty, but to ask for him to be shown sympathy, affection, and Christian brotherhood. It is this appeal that we hear today.
The result of the appeal cannot be doubted. Tradition has it that Onesimus became bishop of Ephesus and suffered martyrdom in Rome about the same time as St. Ignatius of Antioch (AD 109-110).
9 I [ ], Paul, an old man, and now also a prisoner for Christ Jesus.
“Paul has not used ‘prisoner for Christ Jesus’ in any other epistle as a part of his name, though he has used it in Ephesians and in Philippians as a form of proclamation. Thus, I think it of more importance that he says he is a prisoner of Christ Jesus than an apostle. Indeed, the apostles gloried that they were worthy to suffer abuse for the name of Jesus Christ.” [Saint Jerome (A.D. 386}, Commentary on the Epistle to Philemon]
10 I urge you on behalf of my child Onesimus, whose father I have become in my imprisonment;
Saint Paul alludes to Onesimus’s conversion. “Onesimus” means “profitable one” and Paul implies that this slave, now a Christian, will live up to his name.
12 I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. 13 I should have liked to retain him for myself, so that he might serve me on your behalf in my imprisonment for the gospel,
“Paul indicates that had he kept Onesimus, the result would have been that he could serve Paul as an extension of Philemon’s service and thus have been a source of gain for
Philemon.” [Theodore of Mopsuestia (died A.D. 428), Commentary on Philemon]
14 but I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that the good you do might not be forced but voluntary.
Paul acknowledges the master’s right to the slave, but hints that he would like to have him back to work with him.
15 Perhaps this is why he was away from you for a while, that you might have him back forever,
The slave is now returning more faithful than ever – additionally, a new relationship exists between them: both are now Christians, related in a way that not even death can undo.
“Onesimus’ flight has become the source of good things to him.” [Theodoret of Cyr (died A.D. 466), Commentary on Philemon]
16 no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a brother, beloved especially to me, but even more so to you, as a man and in the Lord.
Onesimus, like Philemon, is an adopted child of God through baptism (see Romans 8:15).
17 So if you regard me as a partner, welcome him as you would me.
Gospel - Luke 14:25-33
People are now streaming from all the streets and lanes. The poor and the maimed and blind and lame now cured (v21) form great crowds surrounding Jesus. In last week’s reading Jesus had told the crowd that attendance at the heavenly banquet depends upon an invitation from God, and God invites those who recognize their lowliness and their need of salvation. Jesus now demands total dedication from His disciples.
25 Great crowds were traveling with him, and he turned and addressed them, 26 “If any one comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
This does not mean abandoning or ignoring them, but loving them less than they love God.
27 Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
The Greek word used here for “take up” is identical to the one used by John when he describes Jesus on the way to Calvary. Luke here expects a very close – we might even say, literal – following of Jesus in His suffering and death.
28 Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion? 29 Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him 30 and say, ‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’ 31 Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops? 32 But if not, while he is still far away, he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms. 33 In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”
There is a cost to being a disciple of Jesus – you cannot act on impulse, but only on a carefully considered program of involvement.
Note: Where a Scripture text is underlined in the body of this discussion, it is recommended that the reader look up and read that passage.
1st Reading - Wisdom 9:13-18b
The Book of Wisdom is unique in the Bible as being the product of a Greek frame of mind, for the author is a Hellenized Jew, thoroughly familiar with Greek culture, writing probably at Alexandria in about 50 B.C.
Against the background of Egyptian worship of animals and mockery of Jewish trust in God, the author devotes much of the first part of the book to the ineffectiveness of such mockery when God has promised immortality to those who remain faithful. Using Greek modes of thought, he is the first to express the hope of after-life in terms of immortality of the individual soul. In the 2nd section of the book Solomon, the master of wisdom (to whom authorship of the book is conventionally attributed), speaks in praise of Wisdom. This reaches its high point in the descriptions of Wisdom as God’s own power at work in the world. The third section of the book is devoted to a rather flowery history, concentrating chiefly on the ineffective opposition of the Egyptians to God’s people at the time of the Exodus. Using Jewish legends and other amplification of the biblical account, the author points a contrast between the wonders God worked for Israel and the adverse effect of the same wonders on the Egyptians, stressing constantly the folly of Egyptian worship of animals and idols.
Perhaps the single-most important contribution of the book consists in its reflections on Wisdom, and especially the personification of Wisdom as God’s agent in the world, yet sharing intimately in His nature. The ground is prepared for the understanding of Jesus as the incarnate Wisdom of God. It is also valuable to see Judaism beyond the frontiers of Palestine, at grips with the varied worship of the Greco-Roman world, and to see it developing such ideas as that of the individual as a child of God. Because it was written after 400 B.C. and in Greek, the Book of Wisdom is not in the Hebrew canon of Scripture, and consequently it does not appear in the Protestant Bibles.
Today we hear the conclusion of Solomon’s prayer for Wisdom.
13 For what man knows God’s counsel, or who can conceive what our LORD intends?
14 For the deliberations of mortals are timid,
Uncertain
and unsure are our plans. 15 For the corruptible body burdens the soul and the earthen shelter weighs down the mind that has many concerns.
This verse is reminiscent of Plato. It has caused the author to be falsely accused of a dualism, which pronounces matter evil. In fact, he simply states that our deliberations are weak and earthbound because of the body and its concerns.
16 And scarce do we guess the things on earth, and what is within our grasp we find with difficulty; but when things are in heaven, who can search them out? 17 Or who ever knew your counsel,
The Greek word boulē, translated here as “counsel,” is probably not the plan of God, but what God wishes people to do (He counsels, but do they listen?).
except you had given Wisdom and sent your holy spirit from on high?
Wisdom is a personification of the functions of Yahweh. In earlier wisdom literature, wisdom was an effect of the spirit of God. Here, Wisdom is identified with the spirit of the Lord and becomes the internal principle of physical and moral life. The Hebrews did not conceive of humans as constituted of a material body and a spiritual soul; the human being was a unity.
18a,b And thus were the paths of those on earth made straight.
2nd Reading - Philemon 9-10, 12-17
Philemon was a wealthy Colossian; a personal friend of Paul, who had converted him to the faith. He had a slave called Onesimus (O-nis-see-mus), who robbed his master and fled to Rome where he hoped to escape capture by disappearing into the large population. The grace of God led the poor runaway slave to the prison-house of St. Paul. The apostle took compassion on him, received him with tenderness, and won him for Christ. Then he sent him back to his master in Colossae with a letter to plead for him – not only to save him from a severe penalty, but to ask for him to be shown sympathy, affection, and Christian brotherhood. It is this appeal that we hear today.
The result of the appeal cannot be doubted. Tradition has it that Onesimus became bishop of Ephesus and suffered martyrdom in Rome about the same time as St. Ignatius of Antioch (AD 109-110).
9 I [ ], Paul, an old man, and now also a prisoner for Christ Jesus.
“Paul has not used ‘prisoner for Christ Jesus’ in any other epistle as a part of his name, though he has used it in Ephesians and in Philippians as a form of proclamation. Thus, I think it of more importance that he says he is a prisoner of Christ Jesus than an apostle. Indeed, the apostles gloried that they were worthy to suffer abuse for the name of Jesus Christ.” [Saint Jerome (A.D. 386}, Commentary on the Epistle to Philemon]
10 I urge you on behalf of my child Onesimus, whose father I have become in my imprisonment;
Saint Paul alludes to Onesimus’s conversion. “Onesimus” means “profitable one” and Paul implies that this slave, now a Christian, will live up to his name.
12 I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. 13 I should have liked to retain him for myself, so that he might serve me on your behalf in my imprisonment for the gospel,
“Paul indicates that had he kept Onesimus, the result would have been that he could serve Paul as an extension of Philemon’s service and thus have been a source of gain for
Philemon.” [Theodore of Mopsuestia (died A.D. 428), Commentary on Philemon]
14 but I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that the good you do might not be forced but voluntary.
Paul acknowledges the master’s right to the slave, but hints that he would like to have him back to work with him.
15 Perhaps this is why he was away from you for a while, that you might have him back forever,
The slave is now returning more faithful than ever – additionally, a new relationship exists between them: both are now Christians, related in a way that not even death can undo.
“Onesimus’ flight has become the source of good things to him.” [Theodoret of Cyr (died A.D. 466), Commentary on Philemon]
16 no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a brother, beloved especially to me, but even more so to you, as a man and in the Lord.
Onesimus, like Philemon, is an adopted child of God through baptism (see Romans 8:15).
17 So if you regard me as a partner, welcome him as you would me.
Gospel - Luke 14:25-33
People are now streaming from all the streets and lanes. The poor and the maimed and blind and lame now cured (v21) form great crowds surrounding Jesus. In last week’s reading Jesus had told the crowd that attendance at the heavenly banquet depends upon an invitation from God, and God invites those who recognize their lowliness and their need of salvation. Jesus now demands total dedication from His disciples.
25 Great crowds were traveling with him, and he turned and addressed them, 26 “If any one comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
This does not mean abandoning or ignoring them, but loving them less than they love God.
27 Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
The Greek word used here for “take up” is identical to the one used by John when he describes Jesus on the way to Calvary. Luke here expects a very close – we might even say, literal – following of Jesus in His suffering and death.
28 Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion? 29 Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him 30 and say, ‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’ 31 Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops? 32 But if not, while he is still far away, he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms. 33 In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”
There is a cost to being a disciple of Jesus – you cannot act on impulse, but only on a carefully considered program of involvement.
Meditation: The cost of discipleship
Why does Jesus say we must 'hate' our families and
even ourselves? The expression 'to hate' often meant to 'prefer less'. Jesus
used strong language to make clear that nothing should take precedence or first
place over God. God our heavenly Father created us in his image and likeness to
be his sons and daughters. He has put us first in his love and concern for our
welfare. Our love for him is a response to his exceeding love for us. True love
is costly because it is willing to sacrifice all for the sake of the beloved.
God sacrificed his Son for our sake and for our salvation. God proved his love
for us by sending his only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who offered up
his life for us as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
The cost of discipleship
Jesus willingly embraced the cross, not only out of obedience to his Father's will, but out of a merciful love for each one of us in order to set us free from sin, Satan, and death. Jesus knew that the cross was the Father's way for him to achieve victory and glory for our sake. He counted the cost and said 'yes' to his Father's will. We, too, must 'count the cost' and be ready to follow the Lord Jesus in the way of the cross if we want to share in his glory and victory.
Jesus willingly embraced the cross, not only out of obedience to his Father's will, but out of a merciful love for each one of us in order to set us free from sin, Satan, and death. Jesus knew that the cross was the Father's way for him to achieve victory and glory for our sake. He counted the cost and said 'yes' to his Father's will. We, too, must 'count the cost' and be ready to follow the Lord Jesus in the way of the cross if we want to share in his glory and victory.
What is the 'way of the cross' for you and me? It
means that when my will crosses with God's will, then his will must be done.
The way of the cross involves sacrifice, the sacrifice of laying down my life
each and every day for Jesus' sake. What makes such sacrifice possible and
"sweet" for us is the love of God poured out for us in the blood of
Jesus Christ. Paul the Apostle reminds us that "God's love has
been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit" (Romans
5:5). We can never give more than God. He always gives us more than we can
expect or imagine. Do you allow the Holy Spirit to fill your heart with the
love of God?
The wise plan ahead to avert failure and shame
What do the twin parables of the tower builder and a ruler on a war campaign have in common? Both men risk serious loss if they don't carefully plan ahead. In a shame and honor culture people want at all costs to avoid being mocked by their community for failing to complete a task which they have begun in earnest. This double parable echoes the instruction of Proverbs: "By wisdom a house is built" and "by wise guidance you can wage a war" to ensure victory (Proverbs 24:3-6).
What do the twin parables of the tower builder and a ruler on a war campaign have in common? Both men risk serious loss if they don't carefully plan ahead. In a shame and honor culture people want at all costs to avoid being mocked by their community for failing to complete a task which they have begun in earnest. This double parable echoes the instruction of Proverbs: "By wisdom a house is built" and "by wise guidance you can wage a war" to ensure victory (Proverbs 24:3-6).
In Jesus' time every landowner who could afford it
walled in his orchard as a protection from intruders who might steal or destroy
his produce. A tower was usually built in a corner of the wall and a guard
posted especially during harvest time when thieves would likely try to make off
with the goods. Starting a building-project, like a watchtower, and leaving it
unfinished because of poor planning would invite the scorn of the whole
village. Likewise a king who decided to wage a war against an opponent who was
much stronger, would be considered foolish if he did not come up with a plan
that had a decent chance of success. Counting the cost and investing wisely are
necessary conditions for making a good return.
We must count the cost if we want to invest in God's
kingdom
Jesus tells his would-be disciples that they, too, must count the cost if they want to succeed as his disciples. Jesus assures success for those willing to pay the price. All it cost is everything we have - the entirety of our lives and all we possess! What does Jesus have to offer that's worth giving up everything else? More than we can imagine! Jesus offers the gift of an abundant joy-filled life and the promise of everlasting peace and happiness with God for ever. (See the parable of the treasure hidden in the field and the pearl of great price in Matthew 13:44-45).
Jesus tells his would-be disciples that they, too, must count the cost if they want to succeed as his disciples. Jesus assures success for those willing to pay the price. All it cost is everything we have - the entirety of our lives and all we possess! What does Jesus have to offer that's worth giving up everything else? More than we can imagine! Jesus offers the gift of an abundant joy-filled life and the promise of everlasting peace and happiness with God for ever. (See the parable of the treasure hidden in the field and the pearl of great price in Matthew 13:44-45).
It's natural to ask what will it require or cost
before a commitment to invest in something of great value. Jesus was utterly
honest and spared no words to tell his disciples that it would cost them dearly
to follow after him and to invest in his heavenly kingdom. There can be no room
for compromise or concession with God and his kingdom. We either give our lives
over to him entirely or we keep them for ourselves. Paul the Apostle says, "We
are not our own. We were bought with a price" ( 1 Corinthians 6:19b,20). That price is the
precious blood of Jesus Christ shed for us upon the cross to redeem us from
slavery to sin and death.
Who do you love first - above all else?
The love of God compels us to choose who or what will be first in our lives. To place any relationship or any possession above God is a form of idolatry. Jesus challenges his disciples to examine what they love first and foremost. Jesus' way to glory and power is opposite the world's way of glory, power, and success. The choice is ours, but the Lord does not leave us alone if we choose to follow him. Does the love of Christ compel you to put God first in all you do (see 2 Corinthians 5)?
The love of God compels us to choose who or what will be first in our lives. To place any relationship or any possession above God is a form of idolatry. Jesus challenges his disciples to examine what they love first and foremost. Jesus' way to glory and power is opposite the world's way of glory, power, and success. The choice is ours, but the Lord does not leave us alone if we choose to follow him. Does the love of Christ compel you to put God first in all you do (see 2 Corinthians 5)?
"Lord Jesus, may your love transform me that I
may truly desire nothing more than life with you. May you always be first in my
thoughts and intentions, and in my words and actions."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: The paradox of the cross and discipleship,
by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"On another occasion, the Lord says, 'Whoever
comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, and wife and children, and
brothers and sisters, and even his own soul, cannot be my disciple' (Luke
14:25). As a rule, this is more upsetting to the mind of new Christians who are
eager to begin at once to live in accordance with the precepts of Christ. To
those who do not fully grasp its meaning, it would seem contradictory... He has
condescended to call his disciples to the eternal kingdom. He also called them
brothers. In the kingdom these relationships are transcended, because 'there is
neither Jew nor Greek, neither male nor female, neither slave nor freeman, but
Christ is all things and in all' (Galatians 3:28, Colossians 3:11). The Lord
says, 'For in the resurrection they will neither be married nor marry, but will
be as the angels of God in heaven' (Matthew 22:30). Whoever wishes to prepare
himself now for the life of that kingdom must not hate people but those earthly
relationships through which the present life is sustained, the temporary life
that begins at birth and ends with death. Whoever does not hate this necessity
does not yet love that other life in which there will be no condition of birth
and death, the condition that makes marriages natural on earth. (excerpt from SERMON ON THE MOUNT 15.3)
WENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN
ORDINARY TIME
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, LUKE 14:25-33
(Wisdom 9:13-18b; Psalm 90; Philemon 9-10, 12-17)
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, LUKE 14:25-33
(Wisdom 9:13-18b; Psalm 90; Philemon 9-10, 12-17)
KEY VERSE: "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple" (v 27).
TO KNOW: As Jesus drew closer to his destiny in Jerusalem, he asked his followers to consider whether or not they were prepared to continue the journey. Were they ready to renounce everything, even personal relationships that might interfere with their following him? Jesus asked his disciples to think carefully about the demands that were ahead of them before they made this commitment. He used two examples to explain the need to be prepared. Before a builder could begin construction, he must make an assessment of his materials; otherwise, he might not be able to complete the job. A ruler should weigh the strength of his army before going to battle, or else he might be defeated. Only those who were fully prepared would be able to follow Jesus to the cross that awaited him.
TO LOVE: Pray for those in ministry who make great sacrifices for the sake of the gospel.
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to examine my spiritual strengths and weaknesses so that I can follow you faithfully.
LABOR DAY (USA) First
Monday in September
Labor Day is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as a "workingman's holiday." The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.
On May 15, 1891, Pope Leo XIII issued his encyclical Rerum Novarum ("Condition of Labor"), the Church's position on modern day labor. Although the Encyclical follows the lines of the traditional teaching concerning the rights and duties of those possessing property and the relations of employer and employee, it applies the old doctrines specifically to modern conditions. As the years go by, an increasing number of persons look upon this statement of Leo XIII as the most fruitful and effective principle of industrial justice that has ever been enunciated.
Saint Teresa of Calcutta
Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu was born in Albania of a Catholic family although the majority of Albanians were Muslims. In 1928 she joined the Sisters of Our Lady of Loreto, who were very active in India. She took her religious name of Teresa in honor of St. Therese of Lisieux. She became a teacher and had very good communication with the children who loved her as a mother. She worked close to the slums of Calcutta, and became aware of the needs of the poor. On the 10th of September she left for a retreat, "the most important journey of my life" she said afterwards. It was then that she heard God's voice to leave the convent to help the poorest of the poor and to live with them. In March 1949 she received the first volunteer and more girls joined her until she started her own community, the Missionaries of Charity. The community grew into a congregation and she obtained papal approval in October 1950. Nowadays there are hundreds of sisters all over the world serving the poor. Mother Teresa traveled around the world to give talks, therefore obtaining help for her work and new sisters for the congregation. Mother Teresa died on September 5, 1997. Teresa was beatified by Pope John Paul II on October 19, 2003 with the title Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. Pope Francis will canonize Mother Teresa on September 4, 2016
Sunday 4 September 2016
Sun 4th. 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Wisdom 9:13-18. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge—Ps 89(90):3-6,
12-14. Philemon 9-10, 12-17. Luke 14:25-33.
'Speaking with the Lord'
Gerard Manley Hopkins, early in his
priesthood, stepped away from his passionate love of writing. He renounced
those skills and burnt his poetry. Subsequently, wise superiors advised him to
return to his creations and he produced some of his finest poems. One of them
is a daily prayer for my friend. Naturally we love our families and friends and
we praise and thank God for their presence in our lives. Jesus asks that we
step back from these relationships and speak to him about the cares and
concerns that eat up much of our attention. Illnesses, addictions, loss of
income cloud a clear vision of Jesus, waiting quietly, waiting to share in the
troubles. Being able to speak with him, eases the anxious heart. This spring determine
to celebrate and use your gifts to give joy to someone less able.
MINUTE
MEDITATIONS
|
To Be Holy
|
The words “I want to be holy” mean: I will divest myself of
everything that is not of God; I will divest myself and empty my heart of
material things. I will renounce my own will, my inclinations, my whims, my
fickleness; and I will become a generous slave to God’s will
September
4
St. Rose of Viterbo
(1233-1251)
St. Rose of Viterbo
(1233-1251)
Rose achieved sainthood in only 18 years of life. Even as a
child Rose had a great desire to pray and to aid the poor. While still very
young, she began a life of penance in her parents’ house. She was as generous
to the poor as she was strict with herself. At the age of 10 she became a
Secular Franciscan and soon began preaching in the streets about sin and the
sufferings of Jesus.
Viterbo, her native city, was then in revolt against the pope.
When Rose took the pope’s side against the emperor, she and her family were
exiled from the city. When the pope’s side won in Viterbo, Rose was allowed to
return. Her attempt at age 15 to found a religious community failed, and she
returned to a life of prayer and penance in her father’s home, where she died
in 1251. Rose was canonized in 1457.
Comment:
The list of Franciscan saints seems to have quite a few men and women who accomplished nothing very extraordinary. Rose is one of them. She did not influence popes and kings, did not multiply bread for the hungry and never established the religious order of her dreams. But she made a place in her life for God’s grace, and like St. Francis before her, saw death as the gateway to new life.
The list of Franciscan saints seems to have quite a few men and women who accomplished nothing very extraordinary. Rose is one of them. She did not influence popes and kings, did not multiply bread for the hungry and never established the religious order of her dreams. But she made a place in her life for God’s grace, and like St. Francis before her, saw death as the gateway to new life.
Quote:
Rose's dying words to her parents were: "I die with joy, for I desire to be united to my God. Live so as not to fear death. For those who live well in the world, death is not frightening, but sweet and precious."
Rose's dying words to her parents were: "I die with joy, for I desire to be united to my God. Live so as not to fear death. For those who live well in the world, death is not frightening, but sweet and precious."
LECTIO DIVINA: 23RD SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (C)
Lectio Divina:
Sunday, September 4, 2016
Conditions of
discipleship of Jesus
Luke 14:25-33
Luke 14:25-33
Opening prayer
Shaddai, God of the mountain,
You who make of our fragile life
the rock of your dwelling place,
lead our mind
to strike the rock of the desert,
so that water may gush to quench our thirst.
May the poverty of our feelings
cover us as with a mantle in the darkness of the night
and may it open our heart to hear the echo of silence
until the dawn,
wrapping us with the light of the new morning,
may bring us,
with the spent embers of the fire of the shepherds of the Absolute
who have kept vigil for us close to the divine Master,
the flavour of the holy memory.
Shaddai, God of the mountain,
You who make of our fragile life
the rock of your dwelling place,
lead our mind
to strike the rock of the desert,
so that water may gush to quench our thirst.
May the poverty of our feelings
cover us as with a mantle in the darkness of the night
and may it open our heart to hear the echo of silence
until the dawn,
wrapping us with the light of the new morning,
may bring us,
with the spent embers of the fire of the shepherds of the Absolute
who have kept vigil for us close to the divine Master,
the flavour of the holy memory.
1. LECTIO
a) The text:
25 Now
great multitudes accompanied him; and he turned and said to them, 26 "If
any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and
children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my
disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be
my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit
down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise,
when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin
to mock him, 30 saying, 'This man began to build, and was not able to finish.'
31 Or what king, going to encounter another king in war, will not sit down
first and take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who
comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a
great way off, he sends an embassy and asks terms of peace. 33 So therefore,
whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
b) A moment of silence:
Let us allow the voice of the Word to resonate within us.
2. MEDITATIO
Let us allow the voice of the Word to resonate within us.
2. MEDITATIO
a) Some questions:
- If any man comes to me without hating . . . . he cannot be my
disciple: Are we convinced that we must get to the point of separating
ourselves from all that ties our hearts: affection received and given, life
itself, in order to follow Jesus?
- Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple: Do I possess the logic of the cross, that is, the logic of love freely given?
- The means to fulfil this: does my capability to think inform my life of faith or is it just an interior impulse that dissolves with time and slips by the events of my daily life?
- To avoid having onlookers make fun of something started: does the reward of someone who started to follow the Lord and then did not have the human resources to go on, that is, derision for inability, apply to me?
- None of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions: am I convinced that the key to discipleship is the poverty of non-possession and the beatitude of belonging?
- Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple: Do I possess the logic of the cross, that is, the logic of love freely given?
- The means to fulfil this: does my capability to think inform my life of faith or is it just an interior impulse that dissolves with time and slips by the events of my daily life?
- To avoid having onlookers make fun of something started: does the reward of someone who started to follow the Lord and then did not have the human resources to go on, that is, derision for inability, apply to me?
- None of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions: am I convinced that the key to discipleship is the poverty of non-possession and the beatitude of belonging?
b) A key to the reading:
We are among those who follow Jesus, with all our baggage of the
past. One among so many, our name can be lost. But when He turns around and his
word strikes the pain of the ties that strongly bind the pieces of our life,
questions roll in the most ancient valley of echoes and one single humble reply
comes forth from the ruins of unfinished edifices: Lord, to whom shall we go?
You alone have the words of eternal life.
v. 25-26. Great crowds accompanied
him on his way and he turned and spoke to them: «If any man comes to me without
hating his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes and his own
life too, he cannot be my disciple”. The Lord is not
interested in counting those who come to him. His words are strong and are free
of all illusion. Is there anyone who does not know what it means to hate? If I
hate a person, I stay away from that person. This choice between the Lord and
affection for parents is the first demand of discipleship. To learn from
Christ, it is necessary to find once more the nucleus of every love and
interest. The love of a follower of the Lord is not a possessive love, but a
love of freedom. To follow someone without any guarantees such as blood
relationship can give, namely, family ties and one’s own blood, that is, one’s
life, is discipleship, a place where life is born of divine Wisdom.
v. 27. Anyone
who does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. The
only tie that helps us follow Jesus is the cross. This symbol of love that
cannot be taken back, capable of being word even when the world silences
everything by condemnation and death, is the lesson of the Rabbi born in the smallest
village in Judea. .
v. 28. Which of you here,
intending to build a tower, would not first sit down and work out the cost to
see if he had enough to complete it? To build a tower
requires a large sum for someone who has limited resources. A good intention to
build is not enough, it is necessary to sit down, calculate expenses, seek the
means to bring the project to completion. Man’s life is incomplete and
unsatisfied because the larger the project the larger the debt! A project made
to measure: not to know how to calculate what is within our means to accomplish
is not the wisdom of those who after having ploughed wait for the rain, but the
lack of awareness of those to expect flowers and harvest from seed thrown among
stones and brambles, without making the effort to loosen the soil.
v. 29-30. Otherwise if he laid the
foundation and then found himself unable to finish the work, the onlookers
would all start making fun of him and saying: “Here is a man who started to
build and was unable to finish”. The derision of others which
grates like sand on one’s the feelings of hope of the person who wanted to
reach high on his own, is the reward of one’s own arrogance clothed in good
will. How many humiliations do we not carry with us, but what little fruit do we
reap from these painful experiences! Putting down foundations and then not
finish the building is useless. Shattered desires sometimes are good tutors to
our naïve self-affirmation… but we fail to understand them so long as we try to
cover up our failures and the delusion of our waking up from the fairytale
world of the dreams of our childhood. Yes, Jesus does tell us to become
childlike, but a child will never pretend to build a “real” tower! The child
will be happy with a small tower on the beach, because he/she knows well
his/her capacity.
vv. 31-32. Or, again, what king
marching to war against another king would not first sit down an consider
whether with ten thousand men he could stand up to the other who advanced
against him with twenty thousand? If not, then while the other king was still a
long way off, he would send envoys to sue for peace. No
one can win a war without first sending envoys of peace. To fight for royal
supremacy over every other is in itself a lost battle, because man is not
called to be a ruling king, but the lord of peace. Approaching the other while
still a long way away is the most beautiful sign of victory where no one wins
and no one loses, but all become servants of the one true sovereignty in the
world: peace and fullness of the gifts of God.
v. 33. So, in the same way, none
of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions. If
we examine the capital sins, we shall discover them in the manner of possessing
that Jesus speaks of. A person who bases his/her life on possessions is a
dissolute person who pretends having power over all things (pride), enjoying a
life of pleasure (lust) going beyond the limits as a personal right (anger),
being hungry for material goods (gluttony), stealing from others (envy),
keeping things for him/herself (avarice), spoiling him/herself apathetically
without committing to anything (sloth). The disciple, on the other hand,
travels on the rails of the living virtues of the gifts of the Spirit: he/she
is a person who has a sense of the things of God (wisdom) and shares it without
keeping it to him/herself, and delves deep into the essential meaning of all
that is Life (knowledge), who listens to the voice of the Spirit (counsel), and
reflects on every discernment (counsel), who allows him/herself to be protected
by the limitations of his/her being (fortitude) and does not give in to the
allurement of sin, who knows the secrets of history (knowledge) to build
horizons of goodness, who does not take unto him/herself the right of making
sense, but who welcomes the source of divine intervention (piety) who springs
from the abyss of silence and is thankful for the marvels of grace of his
Creator (fear of God) without being afraid of his/her smallness. Thus a
disciple is another Jesus.
c) Reflection:
Our hearts are nets made of chain. We have ties of tenderness
and gratitude, ties of love and dependence, endless ties with everything that
touches our feelings. Jesus speaks of ties of consanguinity: father, mother,
wife, children, brothers, sisters, and of ties with life itself which in the
Semitic mentality is symbolised by blood. But the heart must be free of these
ties in order to go to Him and create a new tie that gives life because it
gives the person freedom to be his/her authentic self. Every disciple has but
one task: to learn and not to depend. Blood ties create dependence: how often
does affective blackmail stop people from building the tower of their
existence? How often do the words: If you love me, do this! Or: If you love me,
do not do this…? Life itself can imprison you when it ties you to that which
does not suit you physically or mentally thus influencing your complicated
story, or when it ties you to that which you choose haphazardly by a will made
weak by a thousand grids of events and blackmail. The cross does not tie, it
urges that all that you have may be shed, blood and water, even to the last
drop: your whole life as a gift that does not expect any reward. To belong
rather than to possess is the secret of the gratuitous love of the Master and
of the disciple. Anyone who follows Jesus is not just any disciple who learns a
doctrine, but is one who becomes a beloved disciple, capable of narrating the
wonders of God when the fire of the Spirit will turn him/her into a flame on
the candlestick of the world.
3. ORATIO
Psalm 22
The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want;
he makes me lie down in green pastures.
I shall not want;
he makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
he restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil;
for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
I fear no evil;
for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou prepares a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows.
in the presence of my enemies;
thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my
life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
4. CONTEMPLATIO
Lord, as you turn around and look at me, your words go through
my mind and challenge me with everything that is my life. It is as though a
pair of scissors unhesitatingly but sweetly cut the umbilical cords that
nourish me to keep me going. And this certain and necessary action restores my
full breath and my freedom. Scripture says in its first pages of the human
race: Man will leave his father and mother and will go towards a new fullness,
all his, towards the unity of one person, capable of bearing fruit and new
life. But we have not grasped the key word of this magnificent project, a word
that inconveniences because it is like the waves of the sea where you cannot
let yourself go with no security, the word: movement. Life does not stop. A
love and a life received from a father and a mother. Yes, a full love, but one
that does not limit horizons. Man will leave… and will go… A man and a woman,
two in one, children who will be the face of their meeting of love, but who tomorrow
will leave to go in their turn… if you stop to grasp life, life dies in your
grasp. And with life also your unfulfilled dream dies, the dream of a full love
that is never exhausted. Lord, grant us to understand that to love is to
follow, to listen, to go, to stop, to lose oneself in order to find oneself in
a movement of freedom that fulfils every desire for eternal possession. Let me
not, for the sake of possessing a part of life, lose the joy of belonging to
life, to that divine Life that comes and goes in me for others and from others
to me to make of the days that go by waves of Freedom and of gift from God
within the limitations of each life. Grant that I may always be the beloved
disciple of your dying Life, capable of welcoming in inheritance the sonship
and guardianship, in your Spirit, of every authentic motherhood.
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