Wednesday of the Twenty-Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
My Country And My God
Other Celebrations for this Day:
Liturgical Cycle: C | Lectionary Cycle: I
Introduction
In the Old Testament, too, we find enthusiastic, dedicated leaders, giving the best of themselves to God and country. Nehemiah has a good, secure function at the court of Artaxerxes, as butler – often a confidential job. Hearing alarming reports about the disorganized Jews in Palestine after the exile, he does not want to keep his administrative competency to himself or to serve at a pagan court. He asks the king for permission to give the best of himself to his people and country. He goes to Jerusalem, rebuilds the walls of Jerusalem and the Jewish community, works for social justice, and gets the city and country of God’s people going again.
Jesus gave himself totally to his mission. He asks the same radical commitment to the kingdom of God of justice and love not only of his apostles but also of all who “follow” him – of us. A “radical” commitment is asked, that is, going to the roots in the depths of our being; it must be consistent, it is a commitment that does not look back but that has its eyes on both the present and the future.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
your Son Jesus was born of a Jewish mother;
he loved his people and his country
and wept over Jerusalem.
We pray you today for men and women
willing to give the best of themselves
to our people and country
and capable of building community.
Help them to use their potentials
for bringing out the best in others
to the benefit of all.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.
First Reading
The king asked me:
“Why do you look sad? You don’t look sick. Is there something that bothers you?”
And I said:
“May the king live forever! How could I afford not to be sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins and its gates are burned down?”
The king said to me:
“What do you want, then?” I asked for the help of God from heaven, and
said to the king, “If it seems good to the king and if he is pleased with my work, then may he send me to the land of Judah, to the city where my ancestors are buried, that I may rebuild it.”
The queen sat beside the king, and the king asked me:
“How long will you be gone? When will you be back?”
I told him the date, and he allowed me to leave.
And I said to the king:
“If it pleases the king, may you give me letters for the governors of the province at the other side of the River that I may travel to Judah;
and also a letter to Asaph, the caretaker of the king’s forest, for I will need wood for the gates of the citadel near the temple, for the walls of the city and for the house where I shall live.”
The good hand of God supported me so that the king could give me what I asked for.
Responsorial Psalm
R. Let my tongue be silenced if I ever forget you!
By the streams of Babylon
we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
On the aspens of that land
we hung up our harps.
R. Let my tongue be silenced if I ever forget you!
Though there our captors asked of us
the lyrics of our songs,
And our despoilers urged us to be joyous:
"Sing for us the songs of Zion!"
R. Let my tongue be silenced if I ever forget you!
How could we sing a song of the LORD
in a foreign land?
If I forget you, Jerusalem,
may my right hand be forgotten!
R. Let my tongue be silenced if I ever forget you!
May my tongue cleave to my palate
if I remember you not,
If I place not Jerusalem
ahead of my joy.
R. Let my tongue be silenced if I ever forget you!
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I consider all things so much rubbish
that I may gain Christ and be found in him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
As Jesus and his disciples continued their journey, a man said to Jesus:
“I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus responded:
“Foxes have dens and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”
To another, Jesus said:
“Follow me!”
But he replied:
“Let me go back now, because I want to bury my father first.”
And Jesus said to him:
“Let the dead bury their own dead; as for you, leave them behind and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Another said to him:
“I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say goodbye to my family.”
And Jesus said to him:
“Whoever has put his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God.”
Prayers of the Faithful
– For our public officials, that they may respect God’s laws, work for the well-being of all citizens and guests, and commit themselves to justice and integrity, we pray:
– For all our people, even the humblest, that they take an active interest in public affairs, vote for honest, responsible and capable leaders, respect just laws and promote peace, we pray:
– For our beautiful country, so rich in human and natural resources, that all may fully use their talents to make us great and be good stewards of nature’s bounty, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
you give us your Son Jesus Christ
as the model and source
for being ourselves in his image.
Make us aware of our riches,
of our potentials and also our liabilities,
that we may mobilize all our energies
to commit ourselves to the adventure
of becoming and being a people.
And may we be your people, Lord,
now and for ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
we dream of authenticity,
of our identity as a people,
of seeing our human aspirations fulfilled.
May our values and hopes
be in conformity with yours;
perfect and surpass them in Christ
and keep us open to all that is great and good,
that we may take with dignity
our place in the concert of nations
and in the unity in diversity
of your people on earth.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.
Blessing
We are not only citizens of heaven but also citizens of our own country. We love it. May also you serve it as best as you can, with the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTIONS
1 October 2025
St Therese of Child Jesus
Now is the time to follow the Lord
In today’s Gospel, Jesus challenges three would-be followers with words that cut to the heart of discipleship. To the first, He makes clear that following Him means embracing insecurity: “The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To the second, He urges immediacy: “Let the dead bury their dead,” reminding us that God’s call cannot be postponed. To the third, He warns against looking back, for the Kingdom demands a heart set firmly on the road ahead.
“Let the dead bury their dead.” This was not a rejection of family duty but a challenge against procrastination. The man was likely saying, “I will follow you later—after my father has died.” But discipleship cannot be postponed indefinitely. When the heart is stirred by grace, that moment must be seized.
These words might seem severe, but they speak of a love that calls for total trust. Few saints embody this better than St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, the “Little Flower.” She lived the Gospel by giving herself completely to Christ through her “little way” of love, not by heroic feats, but by embracing small sacrifices with great love—smiles when she was tired, patience when she was irritated, prayers when she felt dry.
Like the man in the Gospel tempted to delay, Thérèse did not wait for a “better time” to follow Christ. In her illness and weakness, she responded daily to the grace of the present moment. And kept her gaze forward, fixed on Jesus who awaited her.
Her life teaches us that discipleship is not about dramatic gestures, but about fidelity in the ordinary. The Kingdom of God advances not only by great preachers and missionaries, but also by hidden souls who give everything in love. Today, may St. Thérèse inspire us to follow Jesus here and now, with undivided hearts, walking forward in trust and simplicity.
God First
While I was doing my studies in theology, we had a professor of the treatise on Grace who tried to drive home the primacy of God thus: “If you do not mention the phrase ‘primacy of God’ in the final examination, I will fail you.” It goes without saying that during the examination, I mentioned the phrase as many times as I could and passed with flying colors! The vocational narratives in today’s gospel underline this primacy and priority of God in life. You cannot respond to the call of God in piecemeal fashion. Once we choose to respond, it must be absolute and irrevocable, with all other commitments and relations coming a distant second. Once we embrace the call, we must burn the bridges behind. Once we put our hands on the plough, we must not look back or turn around – unless we have been ploughing in the opposite direction to God!
Reflection taken from Bible Diary 2022; written by Fr. Paulson Velyannoor, CMF