26th Week in Ordinary Time
04th October 2023 (Wednesday) Readings and Reflection
Psalter: Week 2
Reading of the Day
First Reading: Nehemiah 2:1-8
In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid. I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' graves, that I may rebuild it.” And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.
Psalm 041:1-2, 3-4, 6-7 (R. see Psalm 69:33)
R/. You who are poor seek God, and your hearts will revive.
Alleluia
V/. Alleluia R/. Alleluia
V/. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
R/. Alleluia
Gospel : Luke 9:57-62
As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Daily Gospel Reflection
Highlight: Surrender and follow!
Guidlines: Whatever may happen in our life, good things or bad things, right things or wrong things, positive or negative, there is only one right thing that should guide us and that is priority to God{alertSuccess}
1. Today’s word of God places before us three essential features or conditions of a true follower of God, a disciple of Christ. They are namely, focus, detachment, and commitment. The gospel text presents before us three men at the threshold of discipleship.
2. All three encounter the invitation to follow Jesus but all three fail because they lack the three essential prerequisites. They were not focused, not detached, and committed. Hence no discipleship.
3. Now let us test this first man in the light of the three conditions and features of discipleship. He fails in all three: he is not focused on the goal of being with the Lord. He was not clear on the priorities, namely following the Lord and proclamation of the kingdom. There was no detachment, as he was not ready to detach/part from securities. He was not committed to the following of the Lord and the life, the work/mission of the Lord. He declines the call, is not ready to follow the demands of Jesus, and thus fails to be a disciple.
4. Now let us also test this second man in the light of the three conditions and features of discipleship. He too fails in all three: he was not focused on the goal of being with the Lord. He was not clear of the priorities, namely following the Lord and proclamation of the kingdom. He was not prompt in his acceptance of the call. There was no detachment, as he was not ready to leave the family attachments and obligations. He was not committed to following the Lord, readily living with him, and working for his kingdom. He declines the call, and the demands of Jesus, and fails to become a disciple.
5. Now here too, we shall test this third man in the light of the three conditions and features of discipleship. He too fails in all three: he was not focused on the goal of being with the Lord. He was not clear of the priorities, namely following the Lord and proclamation of the kingdom. Laying hands on the plough and looking behind shows there is no focus but is attached to what was left behind (the past). He did not give the first place to follow the Lord and did not see the urgency in it. He was not prompt in his acceptance of the call. There was no detachment, as he was not ready to leave the family ties or attachments. He was not committed to following the Lord, belonging to the spiritual family, and working for his kingdom. He declines the call, and the demands of Jesus, and fails to become a disciple, and Jesus too declares him to be “not fit” for the kingdom.
Practice: Following the Lord is not a part-time job. It is not one option among many others. It demands a clear and wholehearted priority to Jesus and his mission{alertSuccess}