Wednesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Know Your Commitment
Alternative Celebration: Learn more here.
Other Celebrations for this Day:
Liturgical Cycle: C | Lectionary Cycle: I
Introduction
St. Augustine said: “Love and do what you want,” not to declare that in the name of love anything goes, but that if we truly love, then, we are ready to give our all to God and our neighbor. We will know what is right. And when love is no longer authentic, we will know too, and do what is to be done to remain faithful. This genuine love must be ready to follow Jesus without reservations.
Jesus stresses that Christians must follow Jesus radically and consistently. They must know what they are doing. They may not stop halfway, but must look ahead. They must take their Christianity seriously.
Opening Prayer
God our Father,
we have accepted your invitation
to follow your Son Jesus, as his disciples.
We do not know what the future has in store
yet we are willing to live in hope and joy.
without fear or discouragement.
Give us the strength of your Spirit
to take our faith seriously
and to accept our task in life
with all its consequences.
For we are certain Jesus will lead us to you,
our loving God, for ever and ever.
Responsorial Psalm
R. ( 5a) Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commands.
His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;
the upright generation shall be blessed.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He dawns through the darkness, a light for the upright;
he is gracious and merciful and just.
Well for the man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Lavishly he gives to the poor;
his generosity shall endure forever;
his horn shall be exalted in glory.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you,
for the Spirit of God rests upon you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
One day, as large crowds were walking with Jesus, he turned and said to them,
“If you come to me, unwilling to sacrifice your love for your father and mother, your spouse and children, your brothers and sisters and indeed yourself, you cannot be my disciple.
Whoever does not follow me, carrying his own cross, cannot be my disciple.
Do you start building a house without first sitting down to count the cost to see if you have enough to finish it?
Otherwise, if you’ve laid the foundation and can’t complete it, everyone will laugh at you:
‘This fellow started to build and was not able to finish.’
And when a king wages war against another king, does he not first sit down to consider whether his ten thousand can stand against the twenty thousand of his opponent?
And if not, while the other is still a long way off, he sends messengers to arrange peace negotiations.
In the same way, none of you may become my disciple if he does not give up everything he has.
Prayers of the Faithful
– For all those who are seeking God with a sincere heart, that they may find him and do generously what God wants them to do, we pray:
– For those called by the Lord to special ministries of service in the community, that they may put no limits to their generosity, we pray:
– For all of us, that we may be disciples of Jesus, our Lord, and follow him resolutely, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
in these gifts of bread and wine,
we bring ourselves before you
and you let your Son give himself to us.
May we learn from him
to make ourselves free
for people and for you
and to seek your will in all we do.
May we follow your Son
in his trials and in his glory,
now and for ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
in this Eucharist, you have enlightened us
with the word and the wisdom of your Son
and let him give us his bread of strength
to make us follow him without hesitation.
Fill us with the wisdom and strength of your Spirit
to go with Jesus,
through the desert of pain and the cross,
for the sake of bringing life and joy
to our brothers and sisters in need
and for giving glory to you,
our God, for ever and ever.
Blessing
We don’t love crosses and trials and we do not have to. But we love Jesus and he loves us. He says: if you love me, follow me, also when the road is rough, when our integrity as Christians demands sacrifices. May Almighty God bless you, the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTIONS
5 November 2025
Zechariah and Elizabeth – Parents of John the Baptist
Luke 14: 25-33
Today, we celebrate Zechariah and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist. Their lives remind us of patience, trust, and fidelity to God’s plan, even when it seemed impossible. Though they waited long in barrenness, they never stopped serving the Lord. In their old age, God blessed them with John, the great forerunner of Christ.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks to the crowds about the cost of discipleship. They followed him, thinking he was on the way to earthly power, but Jesus made it clear: to be his disciple is to walk the road to the cross. His words are stark—placing loyalty to him even above family ties and possessions. This is not a call to despise, but to love rightly: to put Christ first, so that every other love finds its proper place in him.
Zechariah and Elizabeth lived this truth. They surrendered their lives to God’s will, even when it asked for costly faith. Zechariah lost his voice until he could speak in trust again. Elizabeth bore the weight of long years of disappointment, yet she rejoiced when the Lord fulfilled his promise. Both learned that following God demands sacrifice, patience, and the willingness to let go of self for something greater.
Jesus tells us also to “count the cost.” Discipleship is not a passing enthusiasm; it requires endurance. Like building a tower or preparing for battle, it demands commitment. Yet the good news is this: Christ never asks us to carry the cross alone. The One who calls us also walks beside us, giving strength and joy along the way.
May Zechariah and Elizabeth intercede for us, that we too may remain steadfast in faith, counting the cost but never losing sight of the reward—the eternal banquet of God’s kingdom.
God alone suffices
To be like God is to act like God. Jesus reveals what God is like through his self-emptying. He calls us as disciples to follow the same path.
We plan to fail when we fail to plan. Beloved, the beauty of a building is the strength of its foundation. If the edifice of life is to be beautiful, it must be well founded on God. So it is, neither relationships nor possessions but only God who sustains us to the end in an uncertain life. He is our foundation. Because this discipleship that takes shape in us is planted by Godand we are fully submerged in Him alone.
While a dead fish moves effortlessly along the current, swimming against the current is the sign that the fish is alive. On encountering strong winds or slightly changing weather conditions, all the birds fly towards their nests, except the eagle, because no nesting bird is spared from the weather except the high-flying eagle. Our lively discipleship demands to us like the fish and the eagle to break all ties and chains of earthly life in all forms.
Birth and death are beyond our control but what we make of the space between these proves whether they are mere events or epochs. There is someone in the world who is achieving those that we think are impossible. Discipleship is a heroic act, possible only for those who dare and choose the truth for themselves responsibly. Such total dedication is the fruit of undivided love for Christ and His people.
The journey of discipleship is not to stand on top of the world but to dwell in God’s love. The love of God makes one brave and a brave dies only once but a coward dies every second of his life. Knowing this, St. Paul says in Philippians 1:21 To me life is Christ, and death is gain.
To uphold love as the supreme good in life will urge us in the midst of adversity. Therefore, since God is the source of all good and faith, love for God and neighbour should rule the hearts of those who follow Him. Therefore, prioritizing God’s love in discipleship is not a choice but a way of life. God who began the loving discipleship in us will reach it to completion.
6 November 2024
Luke 14: 25-33
Following the Lord is a war against evil
In today’s Gospel, Jesus shares the cost of discipleship: loving Him above all, taking up our cross, and letting go of all other attachments. Many people wanted to follow Jesus, especially after witnessing His miracles and the authority He exercised over the evil powers. But Jesus was clear—His path was one of sacrifice, leading to the Cross. His mission was to forgive sins and bring mercy to the world, and He invites us to join Him in this mission.
Discipleship isn’t a call to glory and success but to share in Jesus’ love, which often involves suffering and sacrifice. Jesus, full of mercy, knew that true mercy and forgiveness would require the Cross. He asks us to walk this path with Him, to be messengers of mercy and forgiveness in the world. Just as He forgave, we too are called to offer forgiveness, for this is the heart of our faith: God’s love transforming us to live for others.
Jesus uses two parables, about building a tower and a king going to war, to emphasize the commitment and sacrifice required to follow Him. He wants us to understand that following Him requires a “profound war” against the evils within ourselves and the world—against hatred, lies, and violence. This battle is not about external conflict but an inner struggle to choose good over evil, to reject self-interest, and to embrace peace and compassion.
We are called to say "no" to evil and "yes" to Christ, carrying our cross with courage so we may serve in love and be instruments of God’s peace and mercy.While initial enthusiasm and impulses can spark a journey, cultivating constancy and perseverance is crucial for successful discipleship. Unless you surrender everything to the Lord, you do not surrender anything!