DAILY- HOMILY

September 8, 2013
Feast, Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary
23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – C
 
Wis 9:13-18 / Ps 90: 3-4. 5-6. 12-13. 14-17 / Phlm 9-10,12-17 / Lk 14:25-33
 
READINGS
Wisdom 9:13-18
Indeed, who can know the intentions of God? Who can discern the plan of the Lord? For human reasoning is timid, our notions misleading; a perishable body is a burden for the soul and our tent of clay weighs down the active mind. We are barely able to know about the things of earth and it is a struggle to understand what is close to us; who then may hope to understand heavenly things? Who has ever known your will un less you first gave him Wisdom and sent down your holy spirit to him? In this way you directed the human race on the right path; they learned what pleases you and were saved by Wisdom.
 
Philemon 9-10,12-17
I prefer to request you in love. The one talk ing is Paul, the old man, now prisoner for Christ. And my re quest is on behalf of Onesimus, whose father I have become while I was in prison. In re turning him to you, I am sending you my own heart. I would have liked to keep him at my side, to serve me on your behalf while I am in prison for the Gospel, but I did not want to do anything without your agreement, nor impose a good deed upon you without your free consent. Perhaps Onesimus has been parted from you for a while so that you may have him back forever, no longer as a slave, but better than a slave. For he is a very dear brother to me, and he will be even dearer to you. And so, because of our friendship, receive him as if he were I myself.
 
Luke 14:25-33
One day, when large crowds were walking along with Jesus, he turned and said to them, "If you come to me, unwilling to sacrifice your love for your father and mother, your spouse and children, your brothers and sisters, and indeed yourself, you cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not follow me, carrying his own cross, cannot be my disciple. Do you build a house without first sitting down to count the cost, to see whether you have enough to complete it? Otherwise, if you have laid the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone will make fun of you, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.' And when a king wages war against another king, does he go to fight without first sitting down to consider whether his ten thousand can stand against the twenty thousand of his opponent? And if not, while the other is still a long way off, he sends messengers for peace talks. In the same way, none of you may become my disciple, if he doesn't give up everything he has.
 
Reflection
It is easier to be a fan of Jesus, rather than to be his true follower. Fans are here today and gone tomorrow. Following Jesus takes commitment. It takes sacrifice. Unfortunately the Church today is filled with fans of Jesus rather than followers. They have never made the transition to become a follower of Jesus. There are several truths that will help us understand what it takes to become a follower of Jesus rather than a fan.
 
We must realize that there is a cost to following Jesus Christ. It begins with a supreme commitment. Jesus said that if we wish to be his disciples, then we must hate our near and dear ones. This seems to be the complete opposite of what Jesus says elsewhere that we must love one another as he has loved us. Yet, here we have Jesus telling us that we must hate in order to follow him. What does Jesus mean that we are "not worthy" of him if we do not hate those who should be some of our closest relationships?
 
Jesus is not contradicting himself. We are to love God and also one another. After all, love is the summation of all of the laws of God. However, Jesus is saying here that when you compare your love for him and your love for anyone else, it should appear that your love for him so outshines your love for anybody else that it seems that you hate them in comparison to your love for him.
 
God is serious about our commitment to Him. If we want to be followers of Jesus rather than fans, we must make the supreme commitment to put God first in our lives. Being a follower of Jesus comes with a cost. If we want to be followers rather than fans of Jesus, we must make the supreme commitment and the supreme sacrifice to turn from sin and self so that we can be fully committed to God. It is easy to be a fan of Jesus, but it takes total commitment to be a follower of Jesus. Jesus is looking for followers not fans. Followers of Jesus are God's children who are assured of an eternal home in His Kingdom. Which are you today, a fan or a follower of Jesus?
 
Prayer Requests
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of Joy Droke
… for the personal intentions of
Isdore
Veronica Yap
… In Memoriam (+): Bernardo Santiago Jr.
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
Birthday: Bellie Reyes Villanueva
Birthday: Vino Nañagas
Birthday: Fr. Rodney Hart, S.J.
In Memoriam (+): Esperanza U., Que (May 5, 1919 - Sept 8, 2002)
… for families who are in need of healing
… for world peace and reconciliation.
 
Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.
 
Have a good day!

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