23rd Sunday of the Year (C)

Paraphrasing the Sunday Readings

Author's note: Paraphrasing the Sunday gospel is a method I learned from Maryhill School of Theology. The method I used is only an adaptation of the original, which was formatted on a blackboard. The method by our theology professor was for exegetical purposes. My purpose is to format it in poetic/prosaic form for clarity of reading and reflection. Formatting this way makes the gospel easy to digest for one's thoughts.

Sunday Readings for Your Reflection: Liturgical Years 2011 (A), 2012 (B), and 2013 (C)

23rd Sunday of the Year (C), September 8, 2013

Liturgical readings
Wisdom 9:13-18
Psalm 90
Philemon 9-10, 12-17
Luke 14:25-33

"...He will send a delegation...asking for terms of peace."


On one occasion
when a great crowd was with Jesus,


he turned to them and said,


"If anyone comes to me
without turning his back
        on his father
        and mother,
        his wife
        and his children,
        his brothers
        and sisters,
        indeed his very self,


he cannot be my follower.


Anyone who does not take up his cross
and follow me
cannot be my disciple.


If one of you
decides to build a tower,


will he not first sit down
and calculate the outlay


to see if he has enough money
to complete the project?


He will do that
for fear of laying the foundation
and then not being able
to complete the work;


at which all who saw it
would then jeer at him,


saying,


'That man began to build
what he could not finish.'"


"Or


if a king
is about to march
on another king


to do battle with him,


will he not sit down first
and consider


whether,


with ten thousand men,
he can withstand an enemy
coming against him with twenty thousand?


If he cannot,


he will send a delegation
while the enemy is still at a distance,
asking for terms of peace.


In the same way,


none of you can be my disciple


if he does not renounce
all his possessions."

Scripture quotes from the readings:
"In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge." (Psalm 90)
"Teach us to number our days aright, that we may know wisdom of heart." (Psalm 90)
"And may the gracious care of the Lord our God be ours." (Psalm 90)

Reflection: 23rd Sunday of the Year (C) - September 5, 2010 (edited for September 5, 2025)

Liturgical readings

Wisdom 9:13-18b
Psalm 90
Philemon 9-10, 12-17
Luke 14:25-33

"Anyone who does not take up his cross...cannot be My follower."

The gospel for the 23rd Sunday of the Year (C) is a real eye-opener on the cost of discipleship. The structure of the gospel can be divided into three: the first is Jesus demanding full following in His mission (to "turn one's back" on family and self); the second are two parables about building a tower and a king doing battle with another king; and the last is a continuation of the first (to renounce also one's possessions in addition to family and self).

At first, it appears difficult to find the connection between the two parables and Jesus's saying on discipleship. However, Robert J. Karris, in his book, "Invitation to Luke: A Commentary on the Gospel of Luke", gives us a clue. He says that the purpose of the parables' message was to seriously weigh the costs before you embark on a project.

Jesus in the gospel is inviting his hearers to embark on a project, a life project. It is a vocation that requires sage planning so that you will not only be ridiculed or derided as the men in the parables experienced, but by the grace of God, prove yourself faithful in committing yourself to your life's project. The costs of Christian discipleship is not only material (as with building the tower) or strength (as with doing battle with a substantial amount of soldiers), but one's whole life, lifetime: 1) to follow Jesus above family and self; 2) to take up the "crosses" of one's daily tasks and responsibilities; 3) to do one's work faithfully and accomplish what God wills; and 4) to be ready to detach oneself from possessions that can hinder in following Christ.

This passage of the gospel is heard every year and reminds all that the Christian life and its demands are like a "take it or leave it" arrangement. Many of the Saints really did that. Their vocation was really a "take it or leave it". St. Anthony of Egypt gave away all of his possessions and lived in the desert. Another is St. John Paul II. As Jesus never descended from the Cross, St. John Paul II did not resign from his papacy despite his ailment.

We need not be heroic to the same degree as St. John Paul II, but we too can do as he did in following Jesus by living the Christian faith in "every area of our lives...[and allow these areas] to enter into the plan of God, who desires these areas as occasions for loving Him and serving others." This was what St. John Paul II wrote in one of his writings. He says that it is by these daily actions of commitment that every Christian learns by faith what discipleship consists of. It is a basic self-denial and taking up of one's crosses in the commitments and responsibilities of one's respective state of life. This is Christian discipleship at its simplest and most basic form and substance.

The substance of following Jesus and practicing Christian discipleship continues to remain the same throughout centuries of history, since its roots are the Words of the gospel, the liturgy of the Sacraments, and the teaching Magisterium of the Church. Only its form differs because of the cultures and historical situation wherein all the abovementioned are contextualized. But Christ, His Person, and His message will always be the same yesterday, today, and forever. He will always be the Vision of Truth, the Way to Salvation, and the Source of Life for all who have faith in Him. What every Christian only needs to remember is to let His Spirit and the gospel permeate every area of one's life, and everyone and everything he lives for or works for. As long as all Christians today faithfully commit themselves to following Jesus by taking up their crosses in all areas of their work and life, then faithfulness in all their actions will ripple and influence others to do the same. That ripple of influence can grow and become a wave of hope to inspire others to also do as Christ did: to give oneself wholeheartedly in the service of God and others.

St. Catherine of Genoa, Widow and Mystic: 1447-1510 A.D.

Author's note: Check the other Saints Commemorated in the Roman Catholic Church for the Month of September.

Birth and early life

St. Catherine, a.k.a. Caterinetta, is the daughter of James Fieschi and Francesca di Negro. Born in Genoa, she was their fifth and last child. She wanted to enter religious life, but then her father died, and she married Julian Adorno at the age of sixteen. Julian was not a faithful husband to Catherine. His extravagance also became a problem, for it led their ten years of marriage to poverty. But in time, Julian was converted and reformed his life. He became a Franciscan tertiary and together with St. Catherine, both led a continent life.

St. Catherine's conversion experience

In 1473 A.D. during Lent, Catherine underwent a conversion experience when she saw a vision of Christ on the cross. She began to live an intense spiritual life. Her follower, Ettore Vernazza, wrote and said that St. Catherine exercised prolonged fasting, enjoyed frequent ecstasies, and lived with a great desire for the Eucharist (which she received every day - a rare privilege during her time).

Assisting the sick and the poor

Since St. Catherine was instrumental in the reform of her husband Julian, she was able to convince him to assist her in her work. In 1479 A.D., both of them moved into the Pammatone Hospital to make themselves more available to assist both the sick and the poor. In 1490 A.D., she became the director of the hospital.

Genoa stricken with a plague

In 1493 A.D., Genoa was stricken with a plague. St. Catherine was very active especially during this time. Because of her contact with the plague-stricken, she almost died. The plague wiped out three quarters of Genoa's residents. St. Catherine was able to recover from the effects of the plague on herself, but she was obliged to resign her position in 1496 A.D., as director of Pammatone Hospital, because of her health. She and her husband Julian continued though to live in the hospital. The following year, her husband Julian died.

The Oratory of Divine Love

St. Catherine met Ettore Vernazza, a wealthy businessman and philantrophist, and together, they were able to form the Oratory of Divine Love, a group of clergy and lay people devoted to achieving a deeper spriritual life through both contemplative prayer and active charity. Vernazza became St. Catherine's follower. It was through the pen of Vernazza that we can read of St. Catherine's intensive spiritual life.

St. Catherine of Genoa's spiritual teachings

Although St. Catherine wrote nothing during her life, her "writings" are from the pen of Vernazza and her confessor, the priest Fr. Cattaneo Marabotta. Both written views of St. Catherine's spiritual teachings reflect on the way of life of a married mystic who was able to combine action and contemplation so effectively. The written works on her spiritual teaching are: "Life", by Vernazza; "Purgation and Purgatory"; and the "Spiritual Dialogue". The latter two writings are outstanding documents in the field of mysticism.

Beatified in 1737 A.D., St. Catherine of Genoa was then canonized by Pope Benedict XIV and added to the Roman Martyrology. The Church celebrates her feast on September 15.

Sources of this blog post:

• Dictionary of Saints, by John J. Delaney
• The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism, by editor Bernard McGinn