Wednesday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Following Jesus’ Ideals
Other Celebrations for this Day:
Liturgical Cycle: A | Lectionary Cycle: II
Introduction
Year II. To the reasoning of his friends that God must be punishing him for his sins, Job answers that he is innocent, that he cannot answer why he suffers, but that God is wise and that he, Job, can only appeal to him for mercy.
Gospel. 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
God our Father,
we have accepted your invitation
to follow your Son as his disciples.
Let your Spirit give us the wisdom and the strength
to take our faith seriously
and to accept our task in life
with all its consequences.
Let the Spirit help us to go your Son’s way
without fear or discouragement,
for we are certain that Jesus will lead us to you,
our loving God forever and ever.
First Reading
Job’s Response to Bildad
Then Job answered:
Very well, I know that it is so. But how can a mortal be justified before God?
If someone tried to engage with him, he wouldn’t respond more than once in a thousand attempts.
His power is immense, his wisdom deep. Who has challenged him and survived?
He moves mountains before they are aware; he overturns them in his rage.
He makes the earth tremble and its pillars quake.
He commands the sun, yet it refuses to shine; he seals off the light of the stars.
He alone stretches out the skies and treads on the waves of the seas.
He made the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and every constellation.
His wonders are beyond all reckoning, his miracles too numerous to count.
He passes by, but I do not see him; he moves on, but I do not notice him.
If he snatches away, who can stop him? Who can say to him, “What are you doing?”
How can I then answer him and find words to argue with him?
If he does not answer when I am right,
Even if I appealed and he responded, I don’t believe he would truly hear me.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 88:10bc-11, 12-13, 14-15
R. (3) Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
Daily I call upon you, O LORD;
to you I stretch out my hands.
Will you work wonders for the dead?
Will the shades arise to give you thanks?
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
Do they declare your mercy in the grave,
your faithfulness among those who have perished?
Are your wonders made known in the darkness,
or your justice in the land of oblivion?
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
But I, O LORD, cry out to you;
with my morning prayer I wait upon you.
Why, O LORD, do you reject me;
why hide from me your face?
R. Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
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 the Church, that Christ may become more visible in its will to serve God and people in its loving concern for the poor and its continuous conversion to the gospel, we pray:
– For all Christians who claim to follow Christ, that they may live up without fear to the demands of the gospel and bear witness to the crucified Lord, we pray:
– For those who suffer in their bodies and their hearts, for those who work for justice in the world and for peace among people, that they may find strength in their unity with Christ in his passion and his death, 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 and available
to people and to you
and to seek your will in all we do.
Help us to follow your Son
in his trials and in his glory,
now and forever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
in this Eucharist you have enlightened us
with the word of wisdom of your Son
and given us the bread that gives us the strength
to follow him without hesitation.
Keep breathing on us
the wisdom and strength of your Spirit,
that we can 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 forever and ever.
Blessing
Jesus tells us today: “Follow me.” We have accepted his invitation. Then we also have to accept the consequences. We have to learn to love without end, to forgive without delay, to give ourselves also when it is not pleasant. May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTIONS
Luke 9:57-62
Following Christ Without Delay
Luke presents three would-be disciples, and Jesus answers each. To the volunteer, he explains that the Son of Man has nowhere to rest. Discipleship offers no guarantee of security. Barclay observes that Jesus never recruits under false pretences.
The second man asks to bury his father. Barclay suggests that the father was likely alive; the request meant postponing discipleship until later. Jesus’ reply stresses the decisive moment. A good intention delayed can become a substitute for action. When grace stirs the heart, response cannot wait for circumstances.
The third man wants to say farewell. Jesus answers with the image of a ploughman. A straight furrow requires eyes fixed ahead; backward glances ruin the work. For Barclay, the Christian moves not toward sunset but dawn. God’s kingdom accepts no divided commitment.
Pope Francis names three demands: itinerancy, promptness, and decision. Jesus is not condemning family duties. He establishes the priority of following him and proclaiming the kingdom. Disciples must remain ready to move, respond without delay, and continue without being imprisoned by the past.
Saint Jerome illuminates this through his “living and tender love” for Scripture. He did not admire God’s word; he studied, translated, and obeyed it. Scripture became the road by which he followed Christ.
The question is whether Christ takes first place. Are we counting the cost, delaying a response, or looking backward? May Saint Jerome teach us to hear Christ in Scripture, rise, and follow him with undivided hearts forward.