First Reading: Wisdom 9:13-18b
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 earthly 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.
Reflection: The Book of Wisdom reflects on human limitations in understanding God’s counsel. Mortal plans falter under the weight of earthly concerns, but God’s wisdom and Holy Spirit guide us. Only through divine revelation can we discern heavenly truths, straightening our paths. This invites believers to seek God’s wisdom, trusting His Spirit to lead them in faithful discipleship.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14-17
Reflection: This psalm acknowledges human frailty and God’s eternal nature, seeking His refuge and wisdom to number our days. Pleading for God’s kindness, it asks for joy and prosperity in our work. God’s enduring care offers hope, guiding believers to live wisely, trusting in His mercy across all ages, as they follow His path.
Second Reading: Philemon 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.
Reflection: Paul, imprisoned, pleads for Onesimus, a runaway slave, now a brother in Christ. Urging Philemon to welcome him voluntarily, Paul highlights Christian love’s transformative power. This separation may have led to eternal brotherhood, reflecting God’s plan. Believers are called to embrace others as brothers, fostering unity and love in Christ’s name, choosing voluntary acts of kindness.
Alleluia: Psalm 119:135
Reflection: The psalmist seeks God’s favor and guidance to learn His laws, preparing for the Gospel’s call to discipleship. This plea for divine teaching reflects the need for wisdom to follow Christ fully, as Jesus challenges His followers to count the cost of discipleship, trusting God’s shining presence to guide their path.
Gospel: Luke 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.”
Reflection: Jesus challenges the crowds to prioritize discipleship above all, even family and possessions, emphasizing the cost of following Him. Using parables of a tower and a king, He urges careful consideration of commitment. Carrying one’s cross requires total surrender, inspiring believers to renounce worldly attachments, choosing Christ with wisdom and unwavering dedication to His mission.
