FIRST READING
“Work out your own salvation ; God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians (Philippians 2: 12-18 )
My beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labour in vain. Even if I am to be poured as a libation upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.
The word of the Lord.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 27:1.4.13-14 (R. 1a)
R/. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
whom should I dread? R.
There is one thing I ask of the Lord,
only this do I seek:
to live in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord,
to inquire at his temple. R.
I believe I shall see the Lord’s goodness
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord; be strong;
be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord! R.
ALLELUIA 1 Peter 4: 14
Alleluia. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of God rests upon you. Alleluia.
GOSPEL
“Whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Luke 14:25-33)
At that time: Great multitudes accompanied Jesus; and he turned and said to them, “If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build, and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an embassy and asks terms of peace. So therefore, whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Today’s Reflection
A true disciple is one who happily puts into practice what he learns from the master irrespective of whether the master is present or absent. Anyone who wants to follow Jesus or to be his disciples must announce worldly power and glory. This entails renouncing giving up and forfeiting things that are very dear and precious to us – for example, our father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters and even one’s own life. This implies that our love for Jesus should supersede our love for every other thing or person. A true disciple must follow the footsteps of his/her master. Hence as Christians, we must love even to the point of death after the example of our master Jesus Christ.