September 8th, 2019 - 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

We cannot understand the will and the wisdom of God except for the Holy Spirit which gives us wisdom and understanding to discern the will of God. Being a Christian disciple is not easy, it is difficult and it requires we make choices every day, and many times in a day. God commands us to love Him with all our heart, all our soul, and all our being. We must love God more than anything or anyone else. We must be willing to step away from that which is in opposition to God, or that which draws us away from God.

Our first reading from the Book of Wisdom is a poetic prayer for wisdom that was placed on the lips of King Solomon by the Holy Spirit. How can we, who are so burdened by our mortal bodies and concerns, know the will of God without the Holy Spirit to enlighten us with understanding?

Jesus shares the parable of the builder who doesn’t plan well and ends up not having enough materials to finish what he started and thus ends up being laughed at for his foolishness. Being a Christian disciple is much like this man and his poor plan. We have to have a well formed plan to follow so that we do not end up like the poor builder in the parable. We struggle, sacrifice and prepare for so many things in our lives and it seems reasonable, indeed wise, to do so. Jesus asks for nothing less in our discipleship or apostleship. Jesus counsels us to rid ourselves of distracting possessions as a means to strengthen ourselves and to develop a oneness with Him.

This means making conscious decisions in our lives. We must have a plan to begin with, which is following Christ Jesus, and each day, many times a day, we must make choices that keep us following that plan. We must be prepared before we begin the plan to cast aside anything which does not fit into the plan, which ruins the plan or distracts us from its completion. If we understand our human weakness and our tendency to do what is easy vs. what is right we are prepared to do the real work of being a Christian disciple and apostle. Understanding our human nature will undoubtedly lead to understanding the difficulty we will have in making decisions that keep us within the plan to follow Christ. Praying for wisdom, and understanding and praying for spiritual guidance and support will make our job easier.

The Psalm this week is Psalm 90: In Every Age

May God bless you with the Holy Spirit to grant you wisdom and understanding that empowers you to make decisions in your daily lives that keep you ever on the path set for us by Christ Jesus!