20250907 FOLLOWERS OR DISCIPLES OF CHRIST
07 September 2025, Sunday, 23rd Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Wisdom 9:13-18 |
Who can divine the will of God?
What man indeed can know the intentions of God?
Who can divine the will of the Lord?
The reasonings of mortals are unsure
and our intentions unstable;
for a perishable body presses down the soul,
and this tent of clay weighs down the teeming mind.
It is hard enough for us to work out what is on earth,
laborious to know what lies within our reach;
who, then, can discover what is in the heavens?
As for your intention, who could have learnt it, had you not granted Wisdom
and sent your holy spirit from above?
Thus have the paths of those on earth been straightened
and men been taught what pleases you,
and saved, by Wisdom.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 89(90):3-6,12-14,17 |
O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.
You turn men back to dust
and say: ‘Go back, sons of men.’
To your eyes a thousand years
are like yesterday, come and gone,
no more than a watch in the night.
O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.
You sweep men away like a dream,
like the grass which springs up in the morning.
In the morning it springs up and flowers:
by evening it withers and fades.
O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.
Make us know the shortness of our life
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Lord, relent! Is your anger for ever?
Show pity to your servants.
O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.
In the morning, fill us with your love;
we shall exult and rejoice all our days.
Let the favour of the Lord be upon us:
give success to the work of our hands.
O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.
Second reading |
Philemon 9-10,12-17 |
He is a slave no longer, but a dear brother in the Lord
This is Paul writing, an old man now and, what is more, still a prisoner of Christ Jesus. I am appealing to you for a child of mine, whose father I became while wearing these chains: I mean Onesimus. I am sending him back to you, and with him – I could say – a part of my own self. I should have liked to keep him with me; he could have been a substitute for you, to help me while I am in the chains that the Good News has brought me. However, I did not want to do anything without your consent; it would have been forcing your act of kindness, which should be spontaneous. I know you have been deprived of Onesimus for a time, but it was only so that you could have him back for ever, not as a slave any more, but something much better than a slave, a dear brother; especially dear to me, but how much more to you, as a blood-brother as well as a brother in the Lord. So if all that we have in common means anything to you, welcome him as you would me.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn15:15 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I call you friends, says the Lord,
because I have made known to you
everything I have learnt from my Father.
Alleluia!
Or: | Ps118:135 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Let your face shine on your servant;
and teach me your decrees.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 14:25-33 |
Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple
Great crowds accompanied Jesus on his way and he turned and spoke to them. ‘If any man comes to me without hating his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes and his own life too, he cannot be my disciple. Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
‘And indeed, which of you here, intending to build a tower, would not first sit down and work out the cost to see if he had enough to complete it? Otherwise, if he laid the foundation and then found himself unable to finish the work, the onlookers would all start making fun of him and saying, “Here is a man who started to build and was unable to finish.” Or again, what king marching to war against another king would not first sit down and consider whether with ten thousand men he could stand up to the other who advanced against him with twenty thousand? If not, then while the other king was still a long way off, he would send envoys to sue for peace. So in the same way, none of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions.’
FOLLOWERS OR DISCIPLES OF CHRIST
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Wis 9:13-18; Ps 90; Philemon 9-10,12-17; Luke 14:25-33]
How does one decide to become a Christian and receive baptism? For those of us who are cradle Catholics, we rarely think about this question. This is because we are, so to speak, born into the faith passed down to us by our families. Most of us never reflect deeply on our faith because it has been handed to us on a platter. Worse still, some of us may even resent being sent to church and attending catechism classes. We see it as a chore–a boring and tedious experience. Many of us can’t wait to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, just so we no longer have to answer to our parents about whether we go to church or not. As a result, those who have not interiorized their faith or inserted themselves into the life of the Christian community often end up as nominal Catholics. Eventually, they may lapse entirely–and in some cases, even become antagonistic toward the Church.
This is what the Lord is challenging us with in today’s Gospel, where He illustrates His point by citing the example of one who wishes to build a tower, or a king marching to battle. He said, “Which of you here, intending to build a tower, would not first sit down and work out the cost to see if he had enough to complete it? Otherwise, if he laid the foundation and then found himself unable to finish the work, the onlookers would all start making fun of him and saying, ‘Here is a man who started to build and was unable to finish.’ Or again, what king marching to war against another king would not first sit down and consider whether with ten thousand men he could stand up to the other who advanced against him with twenty thousand? If not, then while the other king was still a long way off, he would send envoys to sue for peace.”
What Jesus says here is so obvious that it seems like common sense. Who would be so foolish as to start building something or initiating a war without calculating the cost? If this is true in daily life, what about our spiritual life? Have we considered the cost of following Jesus? Many behave as if they are club members in the Church, picking and choosing the activities and programs they like, coming and going as they please. But following Christ demands total commitment. He turned to the great crowds accompanying Him and said: “If any man comes to me without hating his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes and his own life too, he cannot be my disciple. Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. None of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions.'”
In other words, there is a difference between followers and disciples. Many people follow Jesus, but they are not truly disciples. Like the crowd, they accompany Him only when it suits them – when they can get what they want. They enjoy being in His company, watching Him perform miracles, but they are not ready to commit their lives to Him. Discipleship entails a personal commitment. It requires us to put Him above everyone and everything else. This does not mean we cannot love our families or own possessions. On the contrary, loving the Lord above all else gives us the capacity to love others rightly–in the same way God loves us–and to use our possessions for the good of all, rather than letting them possess us and distort our perspective on life. We must not imagine that our love for Christ will compete with our human loves. On the contrary, it purifies, strengthens, and empowers us to love truly, fully, and freely.
Consequently, being His disciples means seeking direction from Him in all that we say and do. We must take His Gospel and teachings seriously. A personal commitment to Jesus means accepting Him as Lord and Teacher–of what is right and wrong. We no longer decide based on personal preference; our judgment becomes aligned with Christ’s. As King David says in the Psalms: “You are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment. Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.” (Psalm 51:4f) He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Therefore, we must examine our value system to see if it aligns with the Word of God. Our faith in Christ should impact every area of our lives: relationships, family, fidelity in marriage life, morals, business practices and contracts, the language we use, the kind of entertainment we indulge in, our use of our wealth, and how we practice justice, compassion, and charity. A Christian faith that ignores Gospel teaching and aligns itself with worldly values is a contradiction. The world demands absolute freedom, even at the expense of the common good. It promotes moral relativism–no objective right or wrong–and indulges in whatever brings pleasure, regardless of its impact on health, relationships, family, or human dignity.
So Jesus’ warning about a cheap, easy faith must be taken seriously. We risk deceiving ourselves into thinking we are disciples of our Lord when we are merely followers. The message is clear, we must count the cost of discipleship. It is not about avoiding risk, but about honestly considering what is required and whether we are ready to commit ourselves to it. Being a Christian is a serious matter. It requires a deliberate, conscientious decision. It demands that we take ownership of our decision. It calls for us to act as Christ would act – carrying our cross and following after Him. In the process, we must be ready to suffer martyrdom – not necessarily through physical death, but through being marginalized, misunderstood, criticized, and perceived as foolish and unrealistic. As St Paul recounts, “We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see – we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.” (2 Cor 6:8-10) Isn’t this also true for many of our saints – like St Francis of Assisi, Ignatius of Loyola, and modern saints like St Teresa of Calcutta?
Today, we are called to learn from the example of Onesimus and Philemon. Onesimus was a runaway slave. But Paul took him into his service and taught him the Christian faith. Over time, Onesimus became a believer and his life changed. And so when it was time for Paul to return Onesimus to his master, Philemon–who was also a Christian–Philemon faced a difficult decision: to accept Onesimus back as a brother in Christ, or to punish him as a runaway slave. Being a Christian, Philemon had to see Onesimus differently – and Onesimus had to see Philemon differently. As St Paul reminded the Colossians: “Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, for you know that you also have a Master in heaven.” (Col 4:1) And he told Christian slaves: “Obey your earthly masters in everything, not only while being watched and in order to please them, but wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord. Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters, since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ.” (Col 3:22-24)
But this transformation is only possible if we encounter the Risen Lord in our lives. Carrying His cross is difficult without an experience of the Resurrection. As it is said, the cross reveals the love of God, but it is the Resurrection that reveals the power of love. Without encountering the Risen Lord, it is difficult for anyone to commit totally to Christ. He is recognized as Lord and God because He rose from the dead. After encountering the Risen Lord, the apostles were empowered to proclaim the Gospel boldly. Before that, they were timid, afraid, and lacked the power to proclaim Christ. So too for us – it is in hearing the Word of God, receiving Him in the Eucharist, being healed and forgiven in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, strengthened in Confirmation, empowered for love in the Sacrament of Matrimony, and comforted in the Anointing of the Sick – that we meet the Risen Lord and are strengthened to be missionary disciples of our Lord. We must keep this contact with the Risen Lord always in our lives, even as we contemplate on His love and Passion for us on the Cross. This is where we draw our strength. As St Paul says, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” (Phil 3:10f)
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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