23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time

Sunday, September 7, 2025

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/090725.cfm

203. CHRISTIAN CONDITIONS (LK 14:25-35)

“But above all things maintain peace of heart which surpasses every treasure. For maintaining this peace nothing is more effective than to renounce one’s own will and to set in its place the will of the Sacred Heart...”

- St Margaret Mary Alacoque

Luke 14:25-35

Great crowds accompanied him on his way and he turned and spoke to them. ‘If any man comes to me without hating his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes and his own life too, he cannot be my disciple. Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. And indeed, which of you here, intending to build a tower, would not first sit down and work out the cost to see if he had enough to complete it? Otherwise, if he laid the foundation and then found himself unable to finish the work, the onlookers would all start making fun of him and saying, Here is a man who started to build and was unable to finish. Or again, what king marching to war against another king would not first sit down and consider whether with ten thousand men he could stand up to the other who advanced against him with twenty thousand? If not, then while the other king was still a long way off, he would send envoys to sue for peace. So in the same way, none of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions. Salt is a useful thing. But if the salt itself loses its taste, how can it be seasoned again? It is good for neither soil nor manure heap. People throw it out. Listen, anyone who has ears to hear!’

CHRIST THE LORD We easily become familiar with Christ; we lose our sense of wonder and amazement of him. But the people of his time knew that it was no ordinary man who walked among them – rather, they knew that he was an ordinary man who at the same time was extraordinary. Thus we run into brief phrases like “great crowds accompanied him on his way” strewn throughout the Gospels. Try to picture that. A rabbi walking the dusty streets of Palestine, drawing thousands of people in his wake.... Even if later some of the people in these crowds were also in the crowd that convinced Pilate to crucify him on Good Friday, we should credit them with recognizing that Christ was more than a name in one of Western culture’s great books – indeed, he was and is the Lord.

CHRIST THE TEACHER At this point in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus is steadfastly making his way to Jerusalem, where he knows that he can expect nothing but betrayal, condemnation, humiliation, torture, and death, but he knows that on the third day he will rise again. He also knows that everyone who wants to be his follower, everyone who has tasted the incomparable meaning and deep joy of his Kingdom and wants its fullness, will have to follow the same path – every Christian has to die with Christ in order to rise with him. (cf. Romans 6:8) Death in this sense will not necessarily take the form of physical crucifixion, although for many of his closest followers (the martyrs) it did. But whatever form the cross

takes in a particular Christian’s life, it will require a painful renunciation of things dear to us. Like a good surgeon, Christ has to cut away whatever holds us back from him, and that can hurt. The Church has always understood that Christ’s exhortation to hate father and mother and brothers and sisters simply points out that a true Christian can prefer nothing to Christ.

Jesus also teaches us that following him involves more than feelings and inspirations. We are meant to use our minds. The builder and the warring king had to channel their enthusiasm through the cool filter of reason. Christians must do the same. The emotional excitement that comes from a retreat or a pilgrimage or a special grace-filled encounter with the Lord is like the blossoms on a cherry tree. They bloom quickly and fill our souls with a sweet aroma, but then the long summer comes, and we have to persevere patiently, following an intelligent plan of spiritual and apostolic work, before the fruit matures. Love is often born amidst intense emotions, but it matures through suffering and sweat, and these are only endured through the aid of reason and conviction. Following Christ is more than following a whim; it is a long-term project that engages the whole person.

CHRIST THE FRIEND Jesus didn’t want his followers to be under any illusions. Perhaps some people in that crowd were hoping for a sweeping political victory to overthrow the hated Roman yoke as soon as they would arrive in Jerusalem. Perhaps some were entertaining fanciful illusions about effortless prosperity – after all, hadn’t Jesus multipliedfive loaves so as to feed more than five thousand people? Jesus knew that his Kingdom was of a different stripe. He knew that it was much greater, much better than anything they could imagine, but he also knew that attaining it would be more demanding than they thought. If they would be his friends, then, he would tell them right from the outset what such a friendship would entail. “None of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions...” Jesus isn’t advocating delay or hesitation in following him, but he is advocating firm resolution. Salt that loses its flavor is good for nothing, just so a disciple who loses his fervor when fidelity to Christ gets tough. Jesus is no fair-weather friend, and he’s looking for more than fair-weather followers.

St Luke doesn’t tell us what tone of voice our Lord used when speaking these words, nor does he say how the crowds reacted, but we don’t really need him to. As always, Jesus was inviting these people to trust in him, and in his eyes was the fire of love and the warm hope of a heart that longs to give.

CHRIST IN MY LIFE Open my eyes, Lord. I want to know you better. I fall into routine so easily. Grant me the grace to perceive your majesty, your goodness, and your wisdom. If you don’t let me see your beauty, I will be turned aside by the passing fancies of this world. Open my eyes, Lord; increase my faith...

I want to be your follower, cross and all. But it’s hard for me to recognize my crosses. The contradictions and struggles of every day seem so petty – where is the redemption in them, Lord? I know it’s there somewhere, but where? Teach me to see my crosses, so that I can bear them, united to yours, with faith, hope, and love...

I know that following you will be costly. It’s much easier to go with what’s popular, easy, and pleasurable. But as long as you walk beside me, I would never desire another path. What would life be like without you? A tumbleweed, a passing cloud, a firecracker. You plug my life into eternity, and I know in my heart that’s where I belong...

QUESTIONS FOR SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION

1. What struck you most in this passage? What did you notice that you hadn’t noticed before?

2. What are the hardest sacrifices we face in following Christ on a day-to-day basis? Why are they hard?

3. If God really wants us to follow Christ, why doesn’t he make it easier?

4. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:30) How can we reconcile that statement with, “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple”? After all, crosses are not exactly easy and light.

Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 409 and 2015 on the difficulties of Christian discipleship