Daily Readings - Sun Sep 08 2019

⁹yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you--I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus--¹⁰I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment.¹²I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart.¹³I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel,¹⁴but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own free will.¹⁵For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever,¹⁶no longer as a slave but more than a slave, as a beloved brother--especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.¹⁷So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me.

Luke

Chapter 14

²⁵Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them,²⁶"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.²⁷Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.²⁸For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?²⁹Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him,³⁰saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.'³¹Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?³²And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.³³So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

Sermon

In today's readings, we are invited to reflect on the nature of wisdom, compassion, and commitment in our journey of faith. The first reading from the Book of Wisdom reminds us of the limitations of human understanding and the necessity of divine wisdom. It highlights our frailty and the need for God's guidance to discern His will, emphasizing that true wisdom comes from Him. The second reading from Philemon illustrates this wisdom in action through Paul's compassionate plea to Philemon. Paul's appeal for Onesimus, a former slave, demonstrates the transformative power of faith and love. It calls us to see others through the eyes of Christ, embracing them as brothers and sisters, and to act with forgiveness and kindness. In the Gospel, Jesus challenges us to consider the cost of discipleship. He teaches that following Him requires total commitment, willingness to sacrifice, and trust in His plan. The parables of the tower and the king remind us to evaluate our readiness to embrace this commitment fully. These readings connect by showing that wisdom leads to compassionate action and radical commitment. In our daily lives, we are called to seek God's wisdom, practice forgiveness, and trust in His plan, even when it demands sacrifice. Let us reflect on our commitment to Christ, trusting in His guidance and living out our faith with compassion and courage.