Cycle C - Year I:

8 September 2019: Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Color: Green)

Readings:

First Reading: Wisdom 9:13-18b

Second Reading: Philemon 9-10, 12-17

Gospel: Please Read Luke 14:25-33

Making a choice for God!

Is it a christian attitude to hate someone? An interesting question, because the opposite is true as our Lord Jesus commands us to love one another. For Christians loving one another is the trademark of discipleship. (Jn 13:34)

So then it appears confusing to read or hear the beginning of the Gospel proclamation for this Sunday coming from our Lord Jesus Himself: "If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple." (Lk 14:26) These are very strong words that seem opposite of what we are taught as Christians.

Well, that seems to be the case when we do not want to understand Scriptures in its totality, or take some biblical passages out of context. So how do we deal with this provocative statement from Jesus?

Now in our Catholic religion, there is that branch of theology, called exegesis, which investigates and expresses the true sense of sacred Scriptures. Catholic exegesis has a better grasp of the meaning of the texts in their linguistic, literary, sociocultural, religious and historical contexts, explaining them well through studying their sources and attending to the personality of each of the human "authors" of sacred Scriptures.

So let us understand our Lord's strong language to "hate" our families and even ourselves in their proper context and meaning, according to the official teaching of our Church.

The expression to "hate" is not to be taken literally. The word "hate" in this context often means "to prefer less". Our Lord Jesus used strong language to make clear that nothing take precedence or first place in our lives over God. So Jesus is telling His listeners what is essential in discipleship. First and foremost our Lord Jesus Christ Himself must be first in our lives.

The Gospel then is not merely a preaching to be accepted but a personal choice that we must live in concrete situations. Accepting Christ in our lives is a personal choice, and when we do so our Lord Jesus must be given priority over our other loves and commitments.

Jesus is utterly honest and frank in telling His disciples that it would cost them dearly to follow after our Lord. And to gain all, one must also be willing to give all. This means, there can be no room for compromises with God. We either give our lives over to Him completely, or we keep them for ourselves as we drown in worldly concerns.

But then we also may want to ask: What does Christianity have to offer that is worth giving up everything else, including one's life? Well, in reality more than we can fathom! Because Jesus offers His followers a priceless treasure, which is true happiness, peace, and joy unending with our everlasting Father in the heavenly kingdom.

Thus, Jesus tells us to detach ourselves from things that take us away from experiencing true joy and peace in the Lord. He calls us to walk with Him on His journey to Jerusalem to carry His cross of salvation. We must not be burdened by too many possessions and worldly concerns. And although following Jesus is a difficult and rough journey in life, there is a firm trust and hope in the resurrection that we will share with Jesus in the end. In this journey with our Lord, even our sufferings become our prayer, when we make a choice for God.

Nativity of Mama Mary:

September 8 is also the Nativity, or Birthday, of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The angel Gabriel greeted the young Mary in the Annunciation, thus: "Hail, full of grace. The Lord is with you!"

Indeed, Mary is full of God's grace from the very beginning, since she is the only human without the stain of original sin we inherited from our first parents, Adam and Eve.  Because from the very beginning of creation Mary was chosen by God to be the Mother of His only Son.  Thus, from her womb God the Son became one like us in all things but sins.

The Church celebrates the dawning of the day of Redemption --the moment when Mary who was to be the Mother of our Savior was born. The Blessed Virgin occupies a unique place in the history of salvation. Heaven rejoices at her birth. The Lord reserves for her the highest mission ever entrusted to any creature. We rejoice in the certainty that the Mother of God is our Mother, too.

Happiest Birthday, Mama Mary, Please pray for us and our country.

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!