Daily Catholic Mass Readings for November 6, 2019
First Reading: Romans 13.8-10
8Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.9The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet," and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."10Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Psalm 112
1Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments!2His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.3Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.4Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.5It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice.6For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever.7He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.8His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.9He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn is exalted in honor.10The wicked man sees it and is angry; he gnashes his teeth and melts away; the desire of the wicked will perish!
Gospel: Luke 14.25-33
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
The readings today invite us to reflect on the nature of love and discipleship. In the first reading from Romans, St. Paul reminds us that love is the fulfillment of the law. He lists several commandments—against adultery, murder, theft, false testimony, and coveting—and then sums them up in one simple principle: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." This is not just a suggestion but the very essence of living a Christian life. Paul emphasizes that love does no harm to others, and therefore, it is the plenitude of the law.
In the Gospel, Jesus presents a stark and challenging message about the cost of discipleship. He says that to follow him, one must be willing to "hate" even their closest family members and their own life. This does not mean literal hatred but rather a willingness to prioritize God above all else. Jesus uses two parables to drive home his point: the builder who must calculate the cost of constructing a tower and the king who must assess his chances of winning a war. Both parables emphasize the need for discernment and commitment. Jesus is not asking us to renounce our families or our lives out of hatred but to recognize that following him requires a radical reordering of our priorities. We must be willing to let go of everything that stands in the way of our relationship with him.
These readings remind us that love and discipleship are deeply intertwined. Love, as St. Paul teaches, is not just a feeling but a choice to put the needs of others before our own. At the same time, Jesus calls us to a radical commitment, one that requires us to examine our lives and priorities. In our daily lives, this means asking ourselves: Are we willing to love even when it is difficult? Are we willing to let go of attachments that keep us from following Christ more closely? The moral lesson is clear: true love and true discipleship require sacrifice, but they also bring us closer to God and to one another. Let us strive to live out this love and commitment in our everyday lives.