Greetings on this the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings: Wisdom 9:13-18b; Psalm 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14 and 17; Philemon 9-10, 12-17; Luke 14:25-33
Summary
The 4:00 PM Saturday Mass is on Saint Mark FaceBook page and YouTube. The 7:30 AM Mass is not video taped (I think). But provided here as a post separately.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=792726969842025&t=1276
Our gospel portion today is titled Sayings on Discipleship. A concise summary of the gospel saying is in four points:
Sayings on Discipleship
- Total dedication.
- No attachment to family (Lk 14:26) or possessions (Lk 14:33) can stand in the way of the total commitment demanded of the disciple.
- Acceptance of the call to be a disciple demands readiness to accept persecution and suffering (Lk 14:27).
- A realistic assessment of the hardships and costs (Lk 14:28–32).
Cross reference the NABRE Commentary on the Sayings on Discipleship: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/lk/14?25#50014025).
the risk of aVoiding the Depth
Yes, it would be a disservice to the Lord to reduce this gospel portion to such a simple expression of his meaning and purpose into a mere list. Let me set the stage for you so you can appreciate the magnitude of Jesus’ words.
The Tension for the Elite
In the gospel passage just prior to the Sayings on Discipleship Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees (LK 14:1). While there he explained three serious errors in the thinking of the Insiders, the Elite.
- Curing on Sabbath. Jesus spoke to the scholars of the law and Pharisees in reply, asking, “Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not?” (LK 14:3).
- Sharing and Humility. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind” (LK 14:11, 13).
- Accepting the Invitation to Peace. The master then ordered the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedgerows and make people come in that my home may be filled (LK 14:23).
Leaving the Banquet
After Jesus dined with the Pharisees, he left the house and outside the house were the Outsiders. The very people who were NOT invited to dine with the leadership. The antithesis of those who were present. Great crowds were traveling with him, and he turned and addressed them (LK 14:25).
We can say the setup up to the address to the large crowd is first tempered with the instructions to the Elite: (1) Curing over rigid legalism, (2) Sharing/Humility over status, inviting the poor and marginalized; and (3) Peace over war.
Jesus chooses to describe being a Blessed Peacemaker (carry his own cross) as more substantial an effort in relation to the massive efforts we put into making war. He uses a description of the items of warfare to contrast the articles of faith and peace.
Dedication to War-making
A tower has two distinct military purposes. 1. to protect, alert the city to dangers. 2. to project power and subject others. Towers follow troops into war. Similarly, a king marching into battle with ten thousand troops is a significant commitment of kingdom, resources and people.
Jesus uses two war-making examples for the crowds to consider when deciding this very important question: To what shall I dedicate my life’s thoughts, resources and work to between the choices of War-making or Peace-building? What is the cost of living a life of war-making or peace-building? What is the true cost of each path?
Jesus challenges us: If we can commit so fully to destruction, how much more should you commit to peace, to the gospel, to life with God?
- Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost (LK 14:28)?
- And again, what king marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops (LK 14:31).
The Tension for the Crowds
How do ordinary people—peasants, fishermen, laborers—really grasp these metaphors of war strategy and building costs? What does the great crowd actually hear?
War: Most of the crowd would never be kings, but they all lived under the shadow of war and empire. They knew what it meant when armies clashed — it meant taxes, conscription, and destruction of their lands. And most importantly, the loss of sons and daughters. So even if they didn’t think like kings, they felt the weight of kings’ decisions on their daily lives and loss of the beloved. The cost! The Loss!
So while the elite might understand the metaphors on a technical or strategic level, the ordinary people likely understood them on an existential level. They knew the seriousness, the stakes, and the cost — maybe even more deeply, because they lived with the consequences.
- Towers – More deeply (cojoined to the Army example) is a terrifying war tool.
- Armies – My children die. Their children die. We all die.
For the crowds, reminded of the destructive commitment to war can be compared to the need for a more substantial commitment to peace, and to carry his own cross.
The Folly
- What battles do we seek?
- You cannot build enough towers.
- The numbers of army troops cannot ever be large enough.
- A life of grievance can never be satisfied.
Dedication to Peace-building
Following Jesus is not casual or sentimental; it requires the same kind of sober reckoning as nations do before they go into battle. But unlike war, the “end” here is peace, reconciliation, and life. From slavery to friend. From gasping and grasping to serenity.
Paul’s Letter to Philemon echoes the personal and social dimension of change: Perhaps this is why he [Onesimus] was away from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a brother, beloved especially to me, but even more so to you, as a man and in the Lord. So if you regard me as a partner, welcome him as you would me (Phil 1:15-17).
The Book of Wisdom reminds us Scarcely can we guess the things on earth, and only with difficulty grasp what is at hand; but things in heaven, who can search them out (Wis 9:16)?
Jesus presents the sayings that is understandable to both the Elite and the Commoner alike. How much more so the extraordinary peace of the Lord, beyond comprehension but worth of all our efforts! Some things we can calculate. Some things are infinite and beyond even the imagination.
Refactoring our lives in light of the gospel
The questions are in the comparison.
- How is my life spent – for war or peace?
- How is my family growing – for war or for peace?
- What are possessions used – for war or peace?
Eucharistic Hope
Our hope is in Jesus. He shares himself so we can think anew the realities of the choices and consequences we face. Let us do so in the confidence of the Love of the Father, the Friendship of the Son and the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit.
Sacred Readings Full text: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/090725.cfm
Peace be with you,
Deacon Gerry