Walking with Jesus: 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

For Sunday, September 7, 2025

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


The readings this week continue to stress that as Christians, each person must strive:

• to be more in love with God,
• to be continually grateful for His presence and care each day, and
• to realize He is helping every individual continually to make the right choices — love choices.

That is how much God is in love with you and me — right now, and every moment. How can I get in touch with this love? The readings help us. Thank you, Lord.

The readings bring out a fact of our daily lives — the need we have to make choices. Wisdom puts it bluntly that life is a matter of choices. Paul’s teachings and the Gospel of Luke give us examples of the way Christians should choose. Then Psalm 90 puts it all in perspective: God is eternal; we live day by day: God doesn’t worry about providing a plumber, an electrician, a master repair artist for our problems. His desire and promise is for you and me and all of creation to live forever with Him in heaven. Is that my goal, or am I concentrating on making my life and my loved ones comfortable? If this is my goal, what happens when I see people constantly hurting? Am I my brother’s (or sister’s) keeper?

We live in a world that seems to offer limitless choices. Opportunities for work, living, education, recreation, entertainment, and relaxation are readily available for us here in this country. I cannot say the same for far too many places in the world. Am I my brother’s (or sister’s) keeper? Discipleship demands that I be a person of love and that this love is to permeate my daily life. We must keep our priorities straight. In choosing Jesus, we choose other things — new relationships with the people with whom we are already committed. In choosing Jesus we also choose the cross. We are called to live in a way that is very demanding yet not necessarily rewarding to the world. In choosing Jesus we are choosing heaven — living in love — caring, forgiving, helping those most in need and those I stumble upon who are desperate for the person of love living within me. Jesus gives me the grace to stop and help. Do I? What’s holding me back? Am I getting in the way of God’s love? Reflect on this. Am I aiding God — am I turning in on me — am I realizing that I have a role to play?

Wisdom today declares in various ways the limitations of human wisdom. It recognizes the distinction between God’s divinity and the limits of human knowledge. In verses 13-16 the author writes that we are unable to know God’s plans. Why? Because of human nature. Even Jesus’ disciples could not understand that Jesus had to die to show God’s love and redeem us. So how do we get to know God? God has taken the initiative to reveal Himself and make known the hidden purpose of His Will. Jesus promised this: Heaven is assured if we love, follow the commandments and care for the needy. What gets in the way of me doing this?

Paul is writing from prison where he apparently has converted Philemon’s slave, Onesimus. And Paul sends him out — not as a slave but as a Christian, to love, teach love and be love. How do I treat the people I encounter each day — family members, friends, students, sports teams, coworkers, people in stores who service me, people I hear about in the news and online — who are slaves to society’s inhumanity? Am I called? How am I to be a person of love?

Luke tells us that Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem. Biblical scholars note that the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke only have Jesus going to Jerusalem once — to His suffering, death and resurrection — so the journey tells us about our journey as Christians. John treats this theme differently. Today Jesus delivers varied teachings on discipleship with His main point being placing one’s relationship with Jesus above even the most intimate familial relations, and being willing to take up one’s cross. Jesus finds fault with the arrogant attitude of those who think they are more important than they really are: The question is, do I have my priorities upside down? Where is Jesus in my life? Is He only present when I am praying or in church at services? Or is He present in the passenger seat while I’m driving? Is He present at family arguments where fear and anger reign supreme? Do I realize He is there, helping me? Or am I missing what He is showing me ... telling me … and how He is loving me?

So I reflect on:

• I look at a day … and how I talked about God. What did I learn about God? Was I aware of His love through others? Did I show gratitude? Why was I open to learning? That’s God!
• Where and when do I find it easy to trust God’s wisdom and the Holy Spirit while I seek answers that are puzzling? Where do I go for help? What if I don’t ask? The questions could be from God, drawing me closer to His love!

Sacred Space 2025 states:

“Clearly the words ‘hate your father and mother,’ etc., are not to be taken literally. It is a Semitic way of making a strong point. Discipleship does, of course, cost everything. ‘The one who loses his life for My sake will find it.’ God must always come first in our lives. This is our yes to God in the commitment of faith. The reward is eternal life. We pray for the grace of perseverance.”