Twenty Third Sunday of the Year (Year C)

 Twenty Third Sunday of the Year September 07, 2025

Wisdom 9:13-18; Philemon 9b, 12-17; Luke 14:25-33

(Image courtesy: Google)

Each year, in the fall or the summer, many young boys aspire to become football players. However, only a few will make it to the high school or university teams. A coach challenges the hopefuls every year, explaining the cost involved: “Your muscles will ache from callisthenics. We'll run you till you think you can run no more. We will drill you and drill you, then drill you again, every day, after school. There'll be no drugs, no alcohol. Only if you work hard will you make the team. If you don't, you won't.” The personal, economic, and emotional cost of becoming an Olympic or professional athlete is still higher. Young children spend hours a day practising their skills and submitting themselves to rigorous diet and exercise programs to become great gymnasts or dancers. Others accept the cost of dedicating years to study and hard work to become outstanding doctors, lawyers, scientists, or writers.

Today’s readings call us into a deeper conversation with our hearts. This isn't a gentle invitation. It’s a call to assess, surrender, and fully commit.

In the first reading from the Book of Wisdom, we hear the humble cry: “Who can know the intentions of God? To us, living, the end of our life is uncertain.” We’re reminded that human wisdom alone falters; it fails to grasp God’s grand design or to steady our wavering hearts. We need divine insight. We need the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide our decisions and show us how to live wisely within the short span of our days.

The Gospel can be jarring. Jesus speaks of hating one’s family, of carrying a cross, of renouncing possessions. But these are not literal demands; they are hyperbolic expressions to jolt us into clarity. He calls us to prioritise Him above all else: relationships, status, comfort, nothing can take His place. 

He illustrates his ideas with two metaphors. First, a builder counts the cost before laying the foundation, or the project will fail and invite mockery. Secondly, a king considers whether his army can confront a powerful enemy, or he seeks terms of peace while still able.

The message is clear to us. Following Jesus means thinking deeply, preparing our hearts, and embracing the cost, not half-heartedly but wholeheartedly. 

Life often feels urgent and full. We’re pulled in many directions: family, work, and social pressures. Today’s first reading bids us to slow down. To pause. And to ask: Are my choices rooted in God’s wisdom or human instinct?

God invites us into divine clarity. When we rely on our own strength, our vision is limited. But we begin to see more clearly when we lean on Him through prayer, Scripture, and silence. We start building not on shaky ground, but on the firm rock of God’s truth.

Jesus doesn’t mince words: to follow Him means serious commitment, even sacrifice. He speaks of carrying crosses, of radically reordering love priorities. 

The mark of a great leader is the demands he makes upon his followers. The Italian freedom fighter Garibaldi offered his men only hunger and death to free Italy. Winston Churchill told the English people that he had nothing to offer them but "blood, sweat, toil, and tears" in their fight against the enemies of England. Jesus demanded that his followers carry a cross—a sign of death.

Andrew died on a cross.

Simon was crucified

Bartholomew was flayed alive

James (son of Zebedee) was beheaded

The other James (son of Alphaeus) was beaten to death

Thomas was run through with a lance

Matthias was stoned and then beheaded

The sword slew Matthew

Peter was crucified upside down

Thaddeus was shot to death with arrows

Philip was hanged

And here’s the truth: possessions, relationships, ambitions. None of them is evil. But none are allowed to be the centre of our lives above Jesus. We see it in the lives of these great apostles. 

Let us ask ourselves today, what are “my towers” and “my battles”?

Is it comfort that I cling to? Is it ambition or approval I trust in more than God? Relationships are essential, yes, but are they rivals to the love of Christ? Counting the cost isn’t about guilt. It’s about clarity. It’s about choosing well, intentionally, and obediently.

So how do we live this reflection? Let’s walk through a simple yet meaningful path:

a) Let us pray for Wisdom daily. Let us ask the Holy Spirit: Teach me what to say yes to and what to let go.

b) Let us look for God in our Relationships. Who in our life needs to be seen not as an obligation, but as a beloved child of God? Where can I extend reconciling, welcoming love?

c) Let us Embrace Sacrifice, Big or Small. Genuine discipleship isn’t always dramatic. It might mean choosing presence over perfection. Generosity over ease. A phone call over an excuse. Even when we’re tired, these small acts are echoes of the cross.

May this reflection resonate gently in our hearts as we enter the week. 

Happy Sunday