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23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)

September 07, 2025

Fr. John Colacino C.PP.S.

Introit

Collect

O God, by whom we are redeemed and receive adoption,
look graciously upon your beloved sons and daughters,
that those who believe in Christ
may receive true freedom
and an everlasting inheritance.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Reading Wis 9:13-18b

For who can learn the counsel of God? Or who can discern what the Lord wills? 14 For the reasoning of mortals is worthless, and our designs are likely to fail; 15 for a perishable body weighs down the soul, and this earthy tent burdens the thoughtful mind. 16 We can hardly guess at what is on earth, and what is at hand we find with labour; but who has traced out what is in the heavens? 17 Who has learned your counsel, unless you have given wisdom and sent your holy spirit from on high? 18 And thus the paths of those on earth were set right, and people were taught what pleases you, and were saved by wisdom.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14-17

R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.

Second Reading Phmn 9-10, 12-17

I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus. 10 I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment. 12 I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. 13 I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be of service to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel; 14 but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced. 15 Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back forever, 16 no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother— especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. 17 So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me.

Acclamation before the Gospel Ps 119:135

Gospel Lk 14:25-33

Large crowds were travelling with Jesus; and he turned and said to them, 26 “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, spouse and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 28 “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 “Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. 33 “So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.”

Catena Nova

The tradition of the Fathers and the authority of holy scripture both affirm that there are three renunciations which every one of us must strive to practice. To these let us turn our attention. First, on the material level, we have to despise all worldly wealth and possessions; secondly, we must reject our former way of life with its vices and attachments, both physical and spiritual; and thirdly, we should withdraw our mind from all that is transitory and visible to contemplate solely what lies in the future and to desire what is unseen. (St. John Cassian)

Get rid of everything that does not contribute to the health of your soul or lift your spirit up to God. (St. Hildegard of Bingen)

Jesus does not want us to be attached to possessions, to human honors, to creatures. He asks humility. But His love and His generosity make this detachment less difficult and less cruel to our nature. Nothing else matters to me anymore, nothing has any value for me but Jesus, no place, no thing, no person, no idea, no feeling, no honor, no suffering, nothing that can turn me away from Jesus. For me, Jesus Himself is my honor, my delight, my heart, my spirit, He whom I love, what I love, my home, Heaven here on earth. Jesus is my treasure and my love and Jesus crucified is my only happiness. (St. Bernadette Soubirous)

Possessions are often regarded as a kind of life-threatening drug, impeding the power of judgment. "Sloth and cowardice creep in with every dollar or guinea we have to guard" (William James). Having contributes to rendering the ego dependent. In having dead things the ego approaches being dead itself. Possession occupies those who possess and contradicts the ideal of having life. Even things that make daily life and work easier are seen to be a kind of seduction into the mentality of possessors and the existence shaped by having. Buddhism calls this craving, and the traditions of Judaism and Christianity call it avarice. (Dorothee Solle)

I believe that the root of evil, in everybody perhaps, but certainly in those whom affliction has touched, is daydreaming. It is the sole consolation, the unique resource of the afflicted; the one solace that helps them bear the fearful burden of time; and a very innocent one, besides being indispensable. So how could it be possible to renounce it? It has only one disadvantage, which is that it is unreal. To renounce it for the love of truth is really to abandon all one’s possessions in a mad excess of love and to follow Him who is the personification of Truth. And it is really to bear the cross; because time is the cross. In all its forms without exception, daydreaming is falsehood. It excludes love. Love is real. (Simone Weil)

Jesus’ disciple renounces all his possessions because in Jesus he has found the greatest Good in which every other good receives its full value and meaning: family ties, other relationships, work, cultural and economic goods and so forth.... The Christian detaches him or herself from all things and rediscovers all things in the logic of the Gospel, the logic of love and of service. (Pope Francis)

In promotion of the common good, our social responsibility is grounded in God’s creative act, which gives everyone a share in the goods of the earth. Like those goods, the fruits of human labor should be equally accessible to all.... It is my hope, then, that this Jubilee Year will encourage the development of policies aimed at combatting forms of poverty both old and new, as well as implementing new initiatives to support and assist the poorest of the poor. Labor, education, housing and health are the foundations of a security that will never be attained by the use of arms. I express my appreciation for those initiatives that already exist, and for the efforts demonstrated daily on the international level by great numbers of men and women of good will. (Pope Leo XIV)

Homily

"America's unhealed wound." That's how slavery is referred to sometime. And every so often someone says something to rub salt into it, or at least picks at the scab. That happened a few weeks ago when an executive order called "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History" took aim at the Smithsonian Institution's displays on slavery. The order instructs action be taken to defund exhibitions that the administration and Congress believe "degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race, or promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with Federal law." Such signs of "improper ideology" and "divisive narratives" are thought to highlight “how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been. Nothing about Success, nothing about Brightness, nothing about the Future.”

Now lots of people felt lots of salt in those words "how bad slavery was." If there be any doubt, a 1789 account describes a slave ship as follows:

The closeness of the place, and the heat of the climate, added to the number in the ship, which was so crowded that each had scarcely room to turn himself, almost suffocated us. This produced copious perspirations, so that the air soon became unfit for respiration, from a variety of loathsome smells, and brought on a sickness among the slaves, of which many died … The shrieks of the women, and the groans of the dying, rendered the whole a scene of horror almost inconceivable.

An account from 1857 notes how, once the captives arrived

After the men were all sold they then sold the women and children. They ordered the first woman to lay down her child and mount the auction block; she refused to give up her little one and clung to it as long as she could, while the cruel lash was applied to her back for disobedience. She pleaded for mercy in the name of God. But the child was torn from the arms of its mother amid the most heart rending-shrieks from the mother and child on the one hand, and bitter oaths and cruel lashes from the tyrants on the other. Finally the poor little child was torn from the mother while she was sacrificed to the highest bidder.

(Cf. Clint Smith's, "Actually, Slavery Was Very Bad," The Atlantic; August 22, 2025)

Now enter St. Paul and his plea on behalf of Onesimus, an escaped slave. Among the shortest books of the Bible — yet perhaps the most revolutionary — our second reading shows how from its beginning Christianity has been a subversive force when it comes to established and unquestioned social realities. When Paul writes elsewhere how in Christ Jesus there is no longer slave or free person — nor Jew or Gentile, nor male or female — well, those were revolutionary words. Barriers were starting to come down as people who joined the church could no longer look upon fellow believers in the same way they might have before. Distinctions based on class, religion and gender no longer served, said Paul, to keep one group subordinate to another or “far off” from each other. No wonder then that Christianity made its earliest inroads among marginalized persons. And even if later writings of the New Testament were more accepting of the status quo — even with respect to slavery — the new religion maintained its appeal to such people.

Or at least it did until Constantine legalized the outlawed and persecuted sect centuries later and the subversives all of a sudden became insiders, indeed, the establishment. Thus was born “Christendom” along with all the temptations that come with power, influence and wealth. The heroism of the martyrs, the risk to one’s life baptism posed, were gone as the faith was more and more mainstreamed in the populace — except of course for recalcitrant Jews and the practitioners of the traditional religions who, as expected, became in turn the objects of discrimination and persecution.

So how might the church regain its edge? Well, it seems to me by renouncing what remains of its claims to status and privilege. For as history shows, the union of throne and altar — or Church and State — will inevitably corrupt both secular and religious leadership, turning the faith into a parody of itself. After all it was a Catholic, Lord Acton, who coined the famous dictum after the First Vatican Council defined the dogma of papal infallibility: “Power tends to corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” He needn't have worried too much as Garibaldi was at the Vatican’s doorstep and the Papal States were about to become history!

So I would like hearing this from the author of the executive order who once praised the Smithsonian museums, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which he toured during his first term as president:

I’m deeply proud that we now have a museum that honors the millions of African American men and women who built our national heritage, especially when it comes to faith, culture and the unbreakable American spirit…[The museum] tells of the great struggle for freedom and equality that prevailed against the sins of slavery and the injustice of discrimination.

I would also welcome the years when he issued proclamations on Juneteenth — marking the end of slavery in the United States — and even made a campaign promise to make it a federal holiday. Though this year there was no proclamation, just a tweet to complain there are "too many non-working holidays in America." Alas, more picking at scabs on the unhealed wound.

So as we pray this day for "true freedom and an everlasting inheritance" (Collect) we are reminded of the Wounds by which we have all been healed — Wounds from which flowed the Blood of redemption. May we drink it worthily.

Intercessions (cf. Joe Milner; The Sunday Web Site)

For the Church: that we may strive to open our hearts to God each day and be vigilant against allowing anyone or anything to displace God as the center of our life.

For all who are suffering for their discipleship or who are imprisoned or persecuted for their faith: that God will heal their pain, strengthen their spirit, and make strong and effective their witness to Christ.

For a true appreciation of all of our possessions: that we may accept them as gifts from God, use them to serve God and others, and never be possessed by them.

For an end to terrorism: that all who feel trapped and burdened by life may seek new ways to address their pain and come to a new understanding of the dignity of human life.

For all who have no food: that God will touch the hearts of those with abundance to share their bounty so that all may experience the reign of God.

For all who are recovering from wildfires, hurricanes or other disasters: that God will ease their suffering, give them hope, and strengthen all who working to assist them.

For all who are held in slavery or human trafficking: that God will break their bonds, heal them, and reconnect them with their loved ones.

For refugees and those who have fled violence, particularly children: that God will open the hearts of many to recognize them as sisters and brothers, help them find places of safety, and be welcomed into communities of faith.

For preservation of our common home: that God will inspire leaders to develop policies and practices that will preserve the natural systems that God designed for the earth so that all may benefit from earth’s resources.

For all living in the midst of violence and civil discord: that God will open opportunities for peaceful resolution to these conflicts, protect each person from harm, and bring forth justice in these communities.

God of the ages, you call the Church to keep watch in the world and to discern the signs of the times. Grant us the wisdom which your Spirit bestows, that with courage we may proclaim your prophetic word and complete the work you have set before us. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen. (ICEL; 1998)

Offertory Antiphon

Offertory Hymn (Bernadette Farrell)

Restless is the heart until it comes to rest in you. All the earth shall remember and return to our God.

Lord, you have been our refuge through all time, from one generation to the next; before the mountains were born, or the earth brought forth, you are God without beginning or end.

To your eyes a thousand years are like a day, no more than a watch in the night. You sweep us away like a dream, like the grass that springs green in the morning, but faded by night.

Make us know our life’s shortness that we may gain true wisdom of heart. In the morning fill us with your love.

Communion Antiphon

Closing Hymn (Libera)

I am the hours,
The days and moments yet to come
Until the end of time
All the centuries and
Seasons that are still to run
As endless years roll by.

I'll rise in the spark of life
The dawn of all time.
I'll call to the world still yet to be.
The music is everywhere,
In life, in the sea and air
To join in the perfect song of all eternity.

The noon of creation rings
And all in the heavens sing
The glorious song through all eternity
I am the dawn of all time.

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