Let’s examine some of the themes that we discover in the Mass readings for the 23rd Sunday of the Year.

1st Reading – Wisdom 9:13-18b

• Human lives are mortal, limited, and comprehend with difficulty.
• God’s counsel in heaven transcends our reach.

Psalm – 90:3-6,12-17

• “In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.”
• We call upon the Almighty, for we are dust and merely a moment in God’s sight.

2nd Reading – Philemon 1:9-10,12-17

• Paul, an old man and a prisoner, sends Onesimus back to Philemon.
• Although Onesimus was a slave, Paul asks that he be received as a beloved brother.

Gospel – Luke 14:25-33

• Jesus speaks to the crowds, reminding them that to follow him means putting aside one’s own life.
• The Lord offers the examples of waging war and a construction project in order to make it clear that they must know the cost of discipleship before they commit to Christ.

Mass Readings – 23rd Sunday of the Year (#129)

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