The Catholic Calendar for Sunday, September 5, 2004
Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Wisdom 9:13-18
Psalm 90:3-6,12-17
Philemon 9-10,12-17
Luke 14:25-33

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

In today's Gospel Jesus reminds His followers of the price of discipleship. Renouncing family members may seem pretty harsh yet we must understand that without willingness to take leave of what even by nature we are attached to, we may not be fit to enter the Kingdom of God. It doesn't mean that we ignore our families and their needs, but that we understand that entrance into the Kingdom demands that we establish some priorities about how we live our lives and relate to the people and goods of this world.

How will we go about discerning what behaviors and practices are compatible with discipleship? Shall we use our own sometimes faulty judgment or shall we submit ourselves in docility to the Holy Spirit who will illumine for us the correct path?

Figuring out ahead of time what works, seems to be what Jesus is encouraging us to do. Let us take His suggestion to heart and seek the wisdom of the ages found in Holy Scripture and the teachings and practices of His Church.

“Or who every 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.”
(Wisdom 9:17-18)

- Donna Raye Nelson, ocds
(drn3rd at hotmail dot com)

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posted by joachim at 5:23 AM