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Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time Mass Readings
First Reading: Wisdom 9:13-18
Responsorial: Psalm 90:3-6, 12-14, 17
Second Reading: Philemon 9:10, 12-17
Gospel: Luke 14:25-33
Hate your parents? Hate your own life? Carry your cross? What is Jesus talking about?
Jesus is not saying that to follow him you must hate your family. In today’s Gospel (Luke 14:25-33), Jesus knows that the crowd that is traveling with him are not all disciples – not yet, anyway. Some were on the fence while others were just curious to see what he would do next. Jesus knew just how far each person was willing to go.
Does that sound familiar? How far are we willing to go? What obstacles prevent us from discipleship – from drawing closer to Jesus? I remember when my family first moved to central Texas. I walked into the sacristy to help set up for mass, but first I wanted to introduce my family to the priest. We had a retired priest who would help our pastor cover the weekend masses. Now he was quite a character. He was a vet of World War II the Korean War, serving in the army in one and the navy in the other. Now, his experiences gave him a colorful vocabulary, if you catch my meaning.
After I introduced my family to him, he asked me if I was discerning to becoming a deacon. I told I couldn’t because my children were so young. He shook his head and yelled, “That’s BS!” only he used the actual words. The next thing he said cut me to the core. He said, “Don’t use your family as an excuse!”
Was I using my family as an excuse? I think that’s the point of Jesus’ first parable. He is not saying we need to hate our families, but he is saying that we can make all sorts of excuses which keep us from living as disciples.
You see, what could hold us back might not only be the comforts of home, but sin or a grudge or a lack of trust. Maybe we are so caught up in something sinful that we think we are not worthy. Or maybe we relish in some grudge that we just can’t let go of. I know that might sound odd, but I’m sure I’m not the only one whose heard someone say, “remember that time when you did whatever?” Then you find out that “whatever” is something that happened ten, twenty, thirty or forty years ago. Many people talk the talk, like forgive and forget, but they can’t walk the walk. They cling to old hurts and grudges like some sort of security blanket.
I think the theme is excuses. I suspect there are many different kinds of excuses we are willing to make, like “I’m too busy”, “I don’t have time”, “I don’t have extra money”, “I’m too old”, “I can’t get over what she did or he said.” All of these sorts of excuses are obstacles that block our path and prevent us from being the disciples we are meant to be. Whether it’s worldly goods, or relationships, sin or grudges, if we’re not willing to detach from these things and repent, we may not be able to commit to discipleship. Letting go and moving on – these are the costs of discipleship.
Whether it’s these readings or another scripture reading, do get the feeling sometimes that Jesus is trying to shine a light on something in your life? I encourage you to reflect on that even if it’s only for a few minutes. It could be something Jesus is trying to point out to help you in your journey. And that leads us to our homework today.
Homework! After listen to the readings and receiving the Eucharist, I encourage you to reflect on the following two questions this week.
- First, does anything in today’s readings stand out to you? What is it and why?
- Are you holding on to a grudge or some past hurt that you’ve refused to revisit and let go of?
I think that if we do our homework, if we are willing to acknowledge the obstacles in our life, acknowledge them and let them go, we will be able to grow in our discipleship with Jesus Christ. Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! +Amen!