Today's Message: 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time C

Wisdom 9: 13-18; Philemon 9-10, 12-17; Luke 14; 25-33

The readings today focus in on each person’s ability to listen to God.  Perhaps one of the most frequent phrases we hear when we are in disagreement with someone we have a love relationship with is:  ‘You just are not listening to what I am saying!’  The response is most often, ‘Yes I am’  Do we really hear what the other person is saying?  Am I hearing what I want to hear?  Or am I hearing exactly what the other person is saying?  The bottom line:  since someone makes this statement, there is evidently miscommunication going on.  Often we apply this to our religious journey:  ‘God isn’t listening to me…My prayers are not being answered…Maybe it’s just because God doesn’t care about me?’  Could it be that I am not giving God a chance to talk?  Am I more concerned with getting the answer that I want that I refuse to be open to listening to anything else?  So the deeper question could be ‘Am I listening to God?’  or even ‘Do I know how to listen to God?’   

The first reading is taken from the Book of Wisdom.  Traditionally it has been ascribed to Solomon, David’s son.  The period of the monarchy ran from 1120—587 BC:  Saul’s time was from 1020—1000 BC  David’s from 1000—960 BC and Solomon’s reign from 960—930 BC  Scholars tell us that Wisdom was actually written in Alexandria, Egypt some fifty years before Christ’s coming.  In the persona of Solomon the narrator describes the pursuit of Wisdom; recognizing that ONLY GOD could give true wisdom. We hear this today, “…scarce do we guess the things on earth…but when things are in heaven, who can search them out?”  (Wisdom 9:16)  This is referred to as the kings’ prayer for wisdom.  The bottom line concerns how superior God’s wisdom is to any human wisdom.  Why?  All our endeavors are limited and unsure.  Our bodies are dependent and always vulnerable to diseases and the damaging effects of time.  Our minds are preoccupied with just maintaining our bodies.  So how can we know the things and beauty of heaven when we don’t even know about ourselves?  We need the wisdom from God…the wisdom of God’s love to stay focused on my own individual path that leads me to God’s life in heaven forever.  I can’t let the world drag me down and away from the Lord and His way.  Wisdom even uses the phrase, “Or who ever knew the counsel, except You had given wisdom and sent your holy spirit from on high?”  It is the Holy Spirit who enables us to know the things of heaven  AND  God wants us to know this.  Have I ever prayed for God’s wisdom?  I have prayed for so many things but what about wisdom?  If I look at my life to this point, it has been loaded with a number of individuals who I call:  Wisdom Figures.  They shared their treasures of living life to the fullest by incorporating love, God’s love, which includes the kindness, care, forgiveness, mercy, compassion needed to get in touch with an understanding of God’s love.  This is exactly what Jesus showed us and how He lived. 

Paul shares this shortest of his letters to three individuals.  Paul is in a Roman prison during the years 63-65 AD  One of the prisoners is Onesimus who is a slave who probably ran away from his owner.  He might have been involved with some theft.  Paul brought Onesimus into the Church and sent him back to his master with an unusual letter.  Paul wants the master to accept this slave back but wanted him to come back and work with Paul on spreading the gospel.  Now human slavery was accepted all throughout the world of that time.  Paul wasn’t going against this practice, but Paul is hinting that when Jesus returns He will break down all barriers of division so that all are one.  Do I realize that there is divisions that I live with and maybe encourage?  Do I treat all people as my brother and sister?  Paul is encouraging this slave’s owner to treat Onesimus just exactly as he would treat Paul.  How am I doing in this?  Do I pre-judge people into classes that rank them as inferior or unimportant to me?   Do I ask for the wisdom of the Holy Spirit in this matter?  

Luke is emphasizing that being a disciple of Jesus has a definite set of conditions and expectations.  Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem.  He will shortly encounter anger and hatred and be put to death on the cross.  All authentic discipleship is a like journey that requires a focus on living and on carrying my crosses.  How committed am I to being a disciple?  The demands are really shocking!  Jesus uses the word HATE which had a different meaning than today.  It meant that the followers of Christ must PREFER IT LESS.  That means that all family commitments must be subordinated to the claims of Jesus.  Am I serious about the challenges that following Jesus entails.  He uses two examples; one from military strategy and the other from construction.  One must plan ahead or the results could be tragic.  Luke then encourages followers to renounce one’s passions.  This is not limited to the things we own and use daily. Possessions symbolize power and control.  Msgr. Chet Michael repeatedly taught that the big evil of our society is the pursuit of power…possessions…pleasure…and Fr. Richard Rohr adds prestige.  I am not in control, God is…all my gifts are given for this purpose: to live and surrender to God’s control.  This gospel certainly has a rough edge to it…seemingly making discipleship by putting Jesus first in everything.  Are my priorities God first?  

Connections, the newsletter of ideas and images for preaching the Sunday Gospel tells us today, “In today’s parables of the king and the tower, Jesus challenges us to embrace the role of discipleship with the same total dedications and commitment:  letting go of whatever attitudes and agendas, possessions and objects that distract us from seeking God in all things.  Faith demands our full attention and engagement in following Jesus with committed integrity; to be an authentic disciple of God’s Beloved requires living the Gospel principals of justice and mercy and peace not in words alone but in the values we live and the works we take on.”  

I reflect on:

• When and where do I take the time to hear the voice of God?
• How actively do I listen for God’s voice in daily events?
• Do I take time at the end of the day and see where I saw Christ?  
• Do I find that many people who profess Christianity seem to be lukewarm about living the gospel?  Am I?  
• Why do I think that bad things happen to good people?
• How can I make Jesus a real part of my family?  My friends?

Sacred Space 2019 states:

   “This passage about the cost of discipleship presumes that following Christ is demanding:  do I find it demanding?  If so, in what ways?  Is giving up ‘all your possessions’ realistic, and, if not, what does the passage mean for me?  I speak to the Lord about the points of difficulty in this passage.

   Carry the cross reminds us of Good Friday and Jesus stumbling under the weight of His cross.  For most of us, the cross is not inflicted from outside us but is part of our makeup:  the body’s and mind’s infirmities, the addictions, temptations, and recurrent desires that rob us of our freedom.  Carrying my cross means not so much solving these problems as learning to live with them, humble and not easily thrown off the path.”