" Whoever does not follow me, carrying his own cross, cannot be my disciple."

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊  

Wisdom of Solomon 9:13-18

 Indeed, who can know

The intentions of God? Who can discern the plan of the Lord?

For human reasoning is timid, our notions misleading;  a perishable body is a burden for the soul and our tent of clay weighs down the active mind.

 We are barely able to know about the things of earth and it is a struggle to understand what is close to us; who then may hope to understand heavenly things?

Who has ever known your will un­less you first gave him Wisdom and sent down your holy spirit to him?   In this way you directed the human race on the right path; they learned what pleases you and were saved by Wisdom.

 

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

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

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊  

Philemon 9-10, 12-17

 yet I pre­fer to request you in love. The one talk­ing is Paul, the old man, now prisoner for Christ. And my request is on behalf of Onesimus, whose father I have become while I was in prison.

 In re­turning him to you, I am sending you my own heart. I would have liked to keep him at my side, to serve me on your behalf while I am in prison for the Gospel, but I did not want to do anything without your agreement, nor impose a good deed upon you without your free consent.

 Perhaps Onesimus has been parted from you for a while so that you may have him back forever, no longer as a slave, but better than a slave. For he is a very dear brother to me, and he will be even dearer to you. And so, because of our friendship, receive him as if he were I myself.

 

Gospel Reflection：

Plan A

Read: The book of Wisdom extolls the inscrutable wisdom and ways of God. Paul sends Onesimus to Philemon asking the latter to be generous, kind, and brotherly to Onesimus. Jesus speaks of the non-negotiability of giving ‘primacy to God’in following him.

Reflect: Jesus observes that it will be foolhardy for anyone to venture into any business or construction or war without a realistic  assessment of one’s resources.

However, when it come to spiritual edifice or combat, the honest truth is that we never have enough personal resources to succeed. If we do not have the humility to acknowledge it from the very start, great will be our fall.

So, we must embrace Plan B, which should ideally be Plan A: Acknowledge our inability, and beg resources from God Himself; or, rather beg God to take over from the very beginning, and we join whatever resources God has provided us with.

Even the task of loving God above and beyond everyone and everything can be realized only by God’s own Grace. In the end, if at all we boast, we can only boast of God’s own works in us (1 Cor. 1:31)

Pray: For the grace to give primacy to God in everything.

Act: read and meditate on Psalm 139.