Daily Readings - Wed Nov 05 2025
Romans
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.
Luke
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—but then sums them up in one simple principle: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." This love, he says, does no harm to others and is the very essence of living a life pleasing to God.
In the Gospel, Jesus takes this idea a step further, challenging us to consider the cost of following Him. He says that to be His disciple, we must be willing to "hate" even our closest family members and our own lives. This doesn’t mean literal hatred, but rather a willingness to prioritize our relationship with God above all else. Jesus uses two parables to drive this point home: the builder who must calculate the cost of constructing a tower and the king who must assess his chances of winning a war. Both examples emphasize the need for discernment and commitment before embarking on the journey of discipleship.
These readings are connected by the theme of love and sacrifice. Paul shows us that love is not just a feeling but a way of life that fulfills God’s law. Jesus, however, reminds us that this love requires radical commitment and sacrifice. To love God and neighbor as ourselves means being willing to let go of everything else for the sake of the Kingdom. In our daily lives, this might mean making difficult choices, putting others’ needs before our own, or being willing to endure challenges for the sake of our faith. The moral lesson is clear: true love is not cheap or superficial; it demands our whole heart, mind, and soul. Let us ask ourselves today: am I willing to pay the price of discipleship, trusting that God’s love will guide and sustain me?