Demands and cost of discipleship
september 7, 2025 | 23rd Sunday in ordinary time, Year C
Wisdom 9:13-18b; Psalm 90; Philemon 9-10, 12-17 Luke 14:25-33
To follow Jesus is not easy. It is a serious and costly decision. It requires denial of self, submission, and radical trust in Jesus.
1) Surrender to God's wisdom.
The Book of Wisdom 9:13 - 18b, we see the limits of human knowledge. Following Christ would consist in acknowledging divine wisdom as the true way of life. We renounce our pride and arrogance in order to understand God's will and counsel. This is a serious challenge to us to choose wisdom over folly, which often offers short-term excitement, yet it leads to long-term regret and death. Dear brothers and sisters, by sacrificing our worldly wisdom, we choose the true wisdom that saves and provides lasting security. No wonder the psalmist in Psalm 90 says, "In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge."
2) Transformative power of grace
The call to discipleship in the second reading from the Letter of St. Paul to Philemon 9-10, 12-17 is an invitation to transform. A change of the heart, which demands sacrifices. Paul, who was a prisoner himself, urges Philemon to forgive and to receive his runaway slave, Onesimus, not as a slave but as a brother in Christ. We are called to transform our human relationships through the grace of the gospel. The cost of discipleship entails allowing the transformative power of God's grace and changing former enemies into a spiritual family. Paul asks Philemon as he does ask us today to willingly act with Christlike love, forgiving any wrongs and treating any "Onesimus" as an equal, and as a brother in Christ. To follow Jesus is to demonstrate to the world that our sharing in the Faith supersedes our earthly social statuses.
3) Discipleship as detachment
In today's Gospel from Luke 14:25-33, Jesus teaches about the radical demands of discipleship. Following Jesus requires a detachment from family, possessions, and even one's own life, ultimately calling for complete trust and surrender to His love.
4) Discipleship as a radical choice for Christ.
I recall the example of St. Thomas More, born on February 7, 1478, died on July 6, 1535. He was a radical disciple of Christ. He thought of joining the monks who educated him, but he realized that he was called to marriage family life. So, he took a job in with the government service to become the chancellor of England under Henry VIII. He was very wealthy and became very famous as he was one the best friends of the king. He was a very religious and prayerful man with a sense of humor and a great relationship with his kids.
It happened that his boss Henry VIII divorced, remarried, and justified it by breaking allegiance with the Pope and making himself the head of the Church of England. He wanted all citizens to take an oath swearing allegiance to his new order. Everyone jumped on the bandwagon. All of the bishops signed as well as all Thomas’s friends. But Thomas More did not. He knew, signing would violate his conscience, compromise his integrity, offend God, and encourage others in the doing of evil. So he lost the esteem of his friends and his king. He resigned his position and lost his income. He ultimately lost his head rather than denying his heart and relationship with Jesus. To express his loyalty to Christ above his duty, he said during his execution: "I die the King's good servant, and God's first."
Are you ready like Thomas More to lose your privileges, your friendships, your fame, and your own life? Dear friends in Christ, our little choices, every day, show us where our true loyalties and priorities lie.
Jesus, I trust in you
Fr. Georges Roger Bidzogo sac
Living the Gospel this week. Discipleship is living like Christ.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta once told her sisters, "We must become holy not because we want to feel holy but because Christ must be able to live his life fully in us." This is true discipleship. It focuses on being fully transformed by Christ. Knowing the life of Mother Teresa and her community, we can understand discipleship is living the life of Jesus through the service to others, particularly the poor, and through faithful action rather than just feeling. She is inviting us this week to be a living offering to Jesus. "Give your heart to God, deliberately, knowingly, willingly. It belongs to Him. " Discipleship means total surrender and ownership of one's life to God's will.
1) Surrender your life to Jesus - Adoration
2)Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior
3) Pray to the Holy Spirit for help.
4) Obey like Mary and "do whatever he tells you" (John 2:5)
Fr. Georges Roger Bidzogo sac
Jesus I trust in you!