Twenty-Third Sunday Year C
Giving up Our Possessions to be the disciple of Christ
Fr. Udoekpo, Michael Ufok
§ Wisdom 9:13-18b;
§ Ps 90:3-6, 12-17;
§ Philm 9-10, 12-17;
§ Luke 14:25-33
In the Gospel
reading of today Jesus says, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father
and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, even his own life he
cannot be my disciple.” And again, “whoever does not carry his cross and come
after me cannot be my disciples.” And lastly, he says, “anyone of you who does
not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciples.”
In all these, we
know Jesus is not recommending hatred of our neighbors, in the literal sense of
hatred. Our Lord is not recommending that we go to a carpenter or furniture
maker to have a cross made for us. Neither is Jesus suggesting that to own a
house, or a car or basic necessities of life are wrong.
Rather our Lord is
reminding us that to be a Christian, to be his follower is a of lot work,
pastorally, and morally. It demands some sacrifices. These sacrifices include
getting rid- of anything that couldhave stood on our ways between the love of
God and the love our neighbors. Excessive possessions of material things could
be one of them. But what about the possession of an ideology or philosophy of
life and worldview that is contrary to the gospel (Christ's worldview) and
mitigate against unity, against oneness? One could be possessed by selfishness,
arrogance, insensitivity to the need of the ones’ community and neighbor. What
about divisive tendencies? Again one could be possessed by ignorance, or bad
habits or by a conscience wrongly formed; or by the refusal to see things
in the eyes of hope, faith and love.
By the time
today’s first reading was written, about fifty years before the coming of
Christ, suffering, persecution and acts of injustices would have been the order
of the day in the community of Jews who had not only experienced exile, but
were returning home from exile. For the author of the Book of Wisdom, we got to
see things in the eye of faith. We also got to see things in the eyes of
justice and God’s mercy, which has always been there from creation, through the
wilderness experience. Furthermore, endurance and perseverance must be part of
our faith community. We must not allow ourselves to be possessed by
faithlessness, despair and selfishness. This is where true wisdom lies.
From a prison in
Rome, Paul pointed this out too in his Letter to Philemon, concerning the
slave, Onesimus. It is most likely that Onesimus had done something wrong, who
knows? He ran away from his master to Paul for safety. Granted that Onesimus
has been converted, obviously through Paul’s preaching, Paul is not interested
in possessing, keeping nor taking advantage of Onesimus. Paul selflessly judges
that Onesimus return to his master. He pleaded that his master takes him back
not just as a slave, but as a brother in the spirit of Christ Jesus.
It is this spirit
of Christ, or doing things in the spirit of Christ that is recommended for each
of us on our Christian journeys; the spirit of oneness. The Spirit to be
able to let certain things go for the sake of peace and love. It is the spirit
of dialogue and not violence; the spirit of peace not war and terrorism; the
spirit of forgiveness not vengeance; the spirit of obedience to the teachings
of the church, the counsels of our mentors, the advice of our parents and good
teachers; the spirit of unity not division; the spirit of tolerance and to
always be able to ask ourselves, “what would Christ have done in this given
situation?”
We must forgive.
We must bear pains of illnesses, and even the pains of the loss of our loved
ones patiently. We must also give up our bad-possessed habits and old ways of
thinking, especially if they are not in line with the gospel of Christ. To do
these could be challenging. And this is where Christ warns us that, “anyone who
does not renounce all his (or her) possessions cannot be my (his) disciple.”
Reflection
Questions
1.
What have learned from today’s readings and worship?
2.
What have we to learn from Saint Mother Teresa?
3.
Are we faithful, compassionate, and prone to reaching out
to the poor and the needy?
Alternate
Twenty-Third Sunday Year C
Like Mother Teresa:
Christ’ Disciple
§ Wisdom 9:13-18b;
§ Ps 90:3-6, 12-17;
§ Philm 9-10, 12-17;
§ Luke 14:25-33
Today
we celebrate the 23rd Sunday of Year C, in the ordinary season. We
gather around the table of the Lord, who in the hymns of the Psalmist, is our
rock and refuge (Ps 90:1). Fortunately, today, our Blessed Mother Teresa of
Calcutta, familiar to all of us (because of her charitable works, simplicity of
life style, compassion for the poor, the sick, the needy and the homeless
children), is recognized as a saint, in the Vatican, in the universal
Church, by Pope Francis. The Life of Saint Mother Teresa, be it, in poverty, in
chastity, in obedience in detachment from riches, power and worldliness, a life
of faith, empathy for the poor, inclusiveness of everyone and total
abandonment to the will of God, echoes also in today’s Bible readings.
By
the time today’s 1st reading, the Book of Wisdom was
written – perhaps fifty Years before the coming of Christ, human wisdom,
ideologies, control and enslavement of others, wealth and power were regarded
as the highest good. Justice, kindness, charitable works, care for the homeless
and orphans, the type that mother Teresa and her missionary sisters embraced
were not common- particularly in the communities of exiled and post exilic
Jews. In these communities there were elements of arrogance, struggle for
power, neglects of spiritual matters, pursuits of false wisdom, corruption, and
oppression of women, children, elderly and the voiceless. For the
author of the Book of Wisdom God’s ways are not our ways. Even though none of
us can fathom the mind of God, one thing we are sure of is that God seeks out
for us. He wishes us well. He is and will always be our refuge. Salvation
History proves this (Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greek Roman.…).
Therefore, we out to always see life through the prism of faith, like Mother
Teresa, and like Saint Paul of today’s 2nd reading.
Writing
from the Roman prison Paul in today’s 2nd reading advises Philemon
his friend to pardon and take Onesimus back as his friend and brother in Christ
Jesus, but no longer as a slave. Even though this seems to be the ancient
practice in the Covenant Code, as recorded in Exodus 21, that is
slavery, maltreatment of women, children and others, it should no longer be the
case in the in the new Law, in the second law. For example, Moses warned the Israelite in Deuteronomy 15:15 to be humane and charitable to others, since
they themselves were once slaves in the land of Egypt. The more reason the same
Paul who wrote to Philemon in the 2nd reading wrote in Galatian 4:7 we are no
longer slaves but adopted sons, daughters, brothers and sisters in Christ.
Detachment
from human control, enslavement of others, power, and material things makes us
brothers and sisters and better Disciples of Christ, like Mother Teresa of
Calcutta. The more reasons Christ says in today’s Gospel “anyone who does not
renounce all his possessions… [friends, parents, material things] cannot be my
disciple” (Luke 14:25-33).
The
question for us then[ in this Year of Mercy, on this very day of the
canonization of Mother Teresa] is: What stops us from following Christ? What
stops us from imitating the footsteps of Mother Teresa of Calcutta? What
prevents us today from reaching out to the poor, the orphans, the needy, and
the less-privileged of our world? What stops us from forgiving those who may
have offended us? What stops us from living our vows of chastity, poverty and
obedience? What prevents us from living our catholic faith? What
prevents us from giving up our old bad habits? What do we possess that
prevents us from doing charitable works like mother Teresa? What prevents us
from being compassionate like Mother Teresa? May we pray for
ourselves, the church and our communities today, and keep these faith
challenges in mind as we proceed to celebrate the Holy Eucharist. Asking Saint
Mother Teresa to intercede for us!
Reflection
Questions
1.
What have learned from today’s readings and worship?
2.
What have we to learn from Saint Mother Teresa?
3.
Are we faithful, compassionate, selfless, and prone to
reaching-out to the poor and the needy?
