The Mysteries of the Rosary, most of which highlight Jesus’ life, includes the Sorrowful Mysteries.

Suffering is essential if we want growth. But it is a means and not the end. Jesus carried His cross to His painful death, but it ultimately led to a new beginning—His glorious resurrection and ascension to heaven, where He sits now as King.

Jesus said we can’t follow Him without carrying our own cross. He doesn’t ask us to suffer for suffering’s sake—unlike how some “religious people” say that Christianity should be all about suffering.

Note that after the Sorrowful Mystery come the Joyful, Glorious, and Luminous Mysteries. So when Jesus tells us to carry our cross to follow Him, He invites us not just to follow Him to suffer and die, but also to rise again and share in His glory. Alvin Barcelona (apb_ayo@yahoo.com)

Reflect:

“The road is narrow. He who wishes to travel it more easily must cast off all things and use the cross as his cane.” (St. John of the Cross)

Dear Jesus, grant us the grace, the strength, and the resolve to carry our crosses as You want us to. May we see that what You ultimately want for us is to share in Your eternal glory. Amen.

St. Joseph Khang, pray for us.

We must take responsibility for our faith and stop relying on others to keep us true to our beliefs. We have to get on with our faith walk without constant supervision. There is a time when we need to be discipled and monitored, but this must end after a certain period to allow those who are discipling us to move on and disciple others. We need to grow and to also disciple others. We know that the Gospel has taken root in our hearts when we foster it in the lives of others.

¹² My beloved, obedient as you have always been, not only when I am present but all the more now when I am absent, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. ¹³ For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work. ¹⁴ Do everything without grumbling or questioning, ¹⁵ 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 like lights in the world, ¹⁶ as you hold on to the word of life, so that my boast for the day of Christ may be that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. ¹⁷ But, even if I am poured out as a libation upon the sacrificial service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with all of you. ¹⁸ In the same way you also should rejoice and share your joy with me.

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14

R: The Lord is my light and my salvation.

¹ The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The Lord is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid? (R) ⁴ One thing I ask of the Lord; this I seek: To dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, That I may gaze on the loveliness of the Lord and contemplate his temple. (R) ¹³ I believe that I shall see the bounty of the Lord in the land of the living. ¹⁴ Wait for the Lord with courage; be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord. (R) 

Gospel | Luke 14:25-33

A prudent person envisions where his commitments will lead him, and this guides him in making decisions in the present. It is about trusting in God's providence. God has given us minds to make sensible decisions. Let us put to good use the gifts and talents that He has given us for the benefit of others as well as of ourselves.

Gospel Acclamation

If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of God rests upon you.

²⁵ Great crowds were traveling with Jesus, and he turned and addressed them, ²⁶ “If any one comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ Whoever does not carry his own cross and come afterme cannot be my disciple. ²⁸ Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion? ²⁹ Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him ³⁰ and say, ‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’ ³¹ Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops? ³² But if not, while he is still far away, he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms. ³³ In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple."

Reflect:

“Prudence is love making wise distinction between what hinders and what helps itself." (Saint Augustine)

Read the Bible in one year! Read HABAKKUK 1 - 3 today.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus addressed the crowd and told them who His disciples are: they are those who love Him more than anyone in their lives. He went further by telling them that discipleship is a full-time relationship. The two parables of the builder and the warrior illustrate Jesus’ point. Never start building or go to battle if you cannot go all the way to build the tower or finish the battle. In the same way, discipleship is a 24/7 relationship. The focus is on the Lord.

This reminds me of the rich young man who wanted to gain eternal life. Jesus gave him that opportunity by telling him to sell his possessions, give them to the poor, and follow Him. Hearing what Jesus required, the young man went away sad. He could not do away with his possessions. I am sure that Jesus was also sad for him. Eternal life and Jesus were not enough for him to let go of his riches.

When Jesus asks us to renounce all our possessions, He means that we should only find our riches in Him. No amount of earthly possessions and even relations should replace Him in our lives. This is because having Him in our lives means having everything, while having everything without Him means, ultimately, having nothing at all. Jesus’ words reverberate: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be given you besides” (Matthew 6:33). “What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?” (Mark 8:36).

When Jesus wanted to designate Peter as head of the Apostles and subsequently the Church, He tried to establish Peter’s love for Him by asking him three times and telling him to tend the sheep and the flock after each answer. Peter denied Jesus thrice before. After the resurrection, Jesus revealed Himself fully to everyone. He wanted a leader who loved Him and whose leadership and service would be based on that love.

Everything is contingent and limited in this world. God, the Omnipotent One, is our best bet. For Him, we can leave everything. For Him, everyone comes second. For Him, we can never be a loser even if we lose everything. Fr. Benny Tuazon

Reflection Questions:

How do you assess your discipleship? Have you established a deep relationship with God?

Help me to focus only on You, my Lord!

Today, I pray for: ________________________