Sunday, September 8, 2019

Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Readings for Today

Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Feast

“Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion?” Luke 14:28

Are you prepared for all that the Lord wants of you? This short rhetorical question above is Jesus’ way of saying that you ought to be prepared. If you were to build a tower you would hopefully be prudent enough to plan ahead, making sure you had enough resources for its completion. So it is with the spiritual life. It is essential that we make sure we have all the resources we need to make the choice to follow Christ.

This raises the question, “What resources do I need to follow Christ?” The answer is simple. Jesus says at the end of this Gospel, “In the same way, anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33). In other words, if we want to have all that we need to fulfill the will of God in our lives, we must surrender everything to God.

Being a disciple of Christ is not something we can do halfheartedly, even though there are many who attempt this. When we choose to follow Him, it must be wholehearted. We must be “all in,” so to speak. Otherwise, we will never be able to accomplish all that our Lord asks of us. He is a demanding God in the sense that He wants everything from us. But this demand on the part of our Lord is completely for our own good. We need to give Him everything if we want happiness and fulfillment in life.

Reflect, today, upon how ready and willing you are to give every last part of your life to Christ. Are you willing to say “Yes” to Him no matter what? Are you willing to hold nothing back and “renounce all your possessions” if He were to ask? You may possess many things, and even though our Lord may not call you to give up all possessions in a literal and physical way, you must still surrender everything you have and everything you are to Him. Only then can He give you what you need to accomplish His most glorious will.

Lord, my life is Yours. Please give me the grace to surrender everything that makes up my life to You without reserve. I surrender to You my life, my finances, my possessions, my family, my labors and my entire future. All is Yours, dear Lord. Do with me what You will. Jesus, I trust in You.

More Gospel Reflections

Divine Mercy Reflections

Saint of the Day – Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary