Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today's Mass Readings

Who can know God’s counsel, or who can conceive what the Lord intends? (Wisdom 9:13). The first reading is from the Book of Wisdom, which sounds pretentious—until you start reading it from the beginning. It is certainly inspired. It was composed in Greek about 50 years before the birth of Christ, most likely by a Jewish sage living in Alexandria of Egypt. The author finds humility to be the key to wisdom. Who can know the mind of God? It is those who know that they do not know who are wise; it is those who think they know who are foolish.

I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you (Philemon 12). The second reading is from St. Paul’s letter to Philemon, a brother in Christ and coworker for the gospel. Philemon’s slave, Onesimus, ran away and was imprisoned alongside Paul, who converted Onesimus to Christ. The slave is now a brother in Christ. Paul is letting Philemon figure out that he can no longer consider Onesimus as just a slave; he is a brother in Christ. Elsewhere Paul writes, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal. 3:28) Paul is offering the path of humility to Philemon to accept Onesimus as a brother in Christ, not as his slave.

Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:27). The Gospel reading today is about discipleship, its cost, and the wisdom it takes to do it. It is a cross to bear, it’s humbling, but Jesus promises great reward: abundance of life, life eternal. It is the path of wisdom. We are free from the corruption of sin and death when we commit to Christ, become slaves of Christ, so to speak.

Are we humble enough to know that we do not know the mind of God? Are we humble enough to let go of control over other people and our own life? Are we humble enough to place family and possessions second to the Lord?

Let us pray for the grace to be humble and let God be in charge: In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge (Ps. 90:1).

Reflection by Br. Luke Kral, OSB