Readings for the Twenty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Wis 9:13-18b
The author asks the ancient question; “Who can divine the will of the Lord?” It is asked rhetorically in that the question is answered. We mortals alone cannot understand God's will. We are not pure spirit nor in communion with God. Our only salvation is that God sent the Holy Spirit that shows us what pleases God and leads us on the right paths. (The Jerusalem Bible version of this reading is much clearer than the NAB.)
Responsorial Psalm Ps 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14-17
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
The psalm in its entirety is a communal lament. The strophes in this selection reflect on the mortality of humanity and the brevity of human life. (It is also an example of the human understanding that God’s immortal view of time is not like ours.) The sense of human mortality links nicely to the first reading as does the questioning nature of the strophes.
Reading II Phmn 9-10, 12-17
The passage from St. Paul’s Letter to Philemon is his plea for the runaway slave (and perhaps thief), Onesimus. Here the evangelist, in the strongest possible terms let’s the slave’s former master know that he (St. Paul) considers him (Onesimus) to be a brother in the Gospel of Christ rather than a slave and encourages the community at Colossae, to which the letter is directed, to accept his return on that basis.
Gospel Lk 14:25-33
In this passage from St. Luke’s Gospel, Jesus tells the great crowd following him around what kind of dedication is required to be his disciple. They had seen his recent miracles of healing and were no doubt hoping to learn wisdom from him. He tells them that they must place their love of God first, in front of family and even their own lives. Using two examples he exhorts them to think carefully about their choices because the path may be more difficult and require more than they are willing to sacrifice.
Reflection:
How much do we have to give in God’s service? How will we know what to do in God’s service? These two questions are reiterated in Holy Scripture for us. The first question is answered in general terms in the Gospel. St. Luke’s Gospel gives us a series of saying from the Lord, one of these parables or vignettes was presented in the Mass readings last Sunday (Guests at the dinner seeking places of honor.)
In today’s Gospel we see Jesus “thinning the ranks”. It is actually something we as ambassadors of Christ should think about. Not everyone can take up the cross. All are invited to do so, but we must remember it is difficult and we are asked to place the Lord first in our lives. That means we sacrifice much for him and the world still will not accept his reward as something of greatest value.
No, even those we hold most dearly may not wish to accept the invitation we have grasped and held so firmly. Does that mean we should not continually invite them to join us? No, it means that we should not look at them with condescension because they cannot or will not. Does that mean we should badger them or think poorly of them because we have done something they have nor or could not? No, the loving hand of Christ is always extended and we follow His example of humility and love; that’s part of the way we have chosen.
And how will we know what to do or how to go about understanding what God wants us to do? That question was asked and answered in the first reading from the Book of Wisdom. (It seems that some things never change. From centuries, even millennia before the Messiah walked the earth that same question has been asked.) While we are encumbered by this mortal body living in a confused world, we shall never be able to understand even a fraction of what God intends. His designs and desires are infinitely more complex that our minds can comprehend. It is only through the guide he left us, the Holy Spirit, that we make any progress toward salvation.
On this, our holy day, we pray especially for all those who have not been able to accept the difficult way of Christian life and service. We pray also that we, as Disciples of Christ, remember always that He must be foremost in our thoughts and so guide us through his Holy Spirit on the path to which he has called us.
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture used today is Christ Carrying the Cross by Cecchino del Salviati, 1540s
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Wis 9:13-18b
The author asks the ancient question; “Who can divine the will of the Lord?” It is asked rhetorically in that the question is answered. We mortals alone cannot understand God's will. We are not pure spirit nor in communion with God. Our only salvation is that God sent the Holy Spirit that shows us what pleases God and leads us on the right paths. (The Jerusalem Bible version of this reading is much clearer than the NAB.)
Responsorial Psalm Ps 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14-17
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
The psalm in its entirety is a communal lament. The strophes in this selection reflect on the mortality of humanity and the brevity of human life. (It is also an example of the human understanding that God’s immortal view of time is not like ours.) The sense of human mortality links nicely to the first reading as does the questioning nature of the strophes.
Reading II Phmn 9-10, 12-17
The passage from St. Paul’s Letter to Philemon is his plea for the runaway slave (and perhaps thief), Onesimus. Here the evangelist, in the strongest possible terms let’s the slave’s former master know that he (St. Paul) considers him (Onesimus) to be a brother in the Gospel of Christ rather than a slave and encourages the community at Colossae, to which the letter is directed, to accept his return on that basis.
Gospel Lk 14:25-33
In this passage from St. Luke’s Gospel, Jesus tells the great crowd following him around what kind of dedication is required to be his disciple. They had seen his recent miracles of healing and were no doubt hoping to learn wisdom from him. He tells them that they must place their love of God first, in front of family and even their own lives. Using two examples he exhorts them to think carefully about their choices because the path may be more difficult and require more than they are willing to sacrifice.
Reflection:
How much do we have to give in God’s service? How will we know what to do in God’s service? These two questions are reiterated in Holy Scripture for us. The first question is answered in general terms in the Gospel. St. Luke’s Gospel gives us a series of saying from the Lord, one of these parables or vignettes was presented in the Mass readings last Sunday (Guests at the dinner seeking places of honor.)
In today’s Gospel we see Jesus “thinning the ranks”. It is actually something we as ambassadors of Christ should think about. Not everyone can take up the cross. All are invited to do so, but we must remember it is difficult and we are asked to place the Lord first in our lives. That means we sacrifice much for him and the world still will not accept his reward as something of greatest value.
No, even those we hold most dearly may not wish to accept the invitation we have grasped and held so firmly. Does that mean we should not continually invite them to join us? No, it means that we should not look at them with condescension because they cannot or will not. Does that mean we should badger them or think poorly of them because we have done something they have nor or could not? No, the loving hand of Christ is always extended and we follow His example of humility and love; that’s part of the way we have chosen.
And how will we know what to do or how to go about understanding what God wants us to do? That question was asked and answered in the first reading from the Book of Wisdom. (It seems that some things never change. From centuries, even millennia before the Messiah walked the earth that same question has been asked.) While we are encumbered by this mortal body living in a confused world, we shall never be able to understand even a fraction of what God intends. His designs and desires are infinitely more complex that our minds can comprehend. It is only through the guide he left us, the Holy Spirit, that we make any progress toward salvation.
On this, our holy day, we pray especially for all those who have not been able to accept the difficult way of Christian life and service. We pray also that we, as Disciples of Christ, remember always that He must be foremost in our thoughts and so guide us through his Holy Spirit on the path to which he has called us.
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture used today is Christ Carrying the Cross by Cecchino del Salviati, 1540s
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