November 05, 2025 Wednesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Daily Readings: Romans 13:8-10; Luke 14:25-33
The pre-Damascus Paul found joy and contentment in meticulously observing Mosaic Law. He told the Philippians that he is indeed a fervent Pharisee and as to righteousness under the law, he is pure and blameless (cf. Philippians 3:5 & 6). But once he experienced the love of God in the person of Jesus he considered everything as loss. He believes that love has the ability to fulfil the law. Love of neighbour seems to be the focus of Paul over here as he quotes Leviticus 19:18, “Love your neighbour as yourself”. The only thing that a believer owes to another is love for the other. Love is not just an emotion or a feeling but action, a practical one. There is no greater obligation than love. Love surpasses all other commandments such as not to commit adultery or murder or steal or covet. Jesus summed the Ten Commandments in love of God and love of neighbour. It is because love of neighbour is an extension of love of God.
Who can become the disciple of Jesus? Only the one who hates his/her father and mother, wife/husband, brothers and sisters besides his/her own life can become the disciple of Jesus. It is already quite challenging enough. Here comes even a bigger challenge to carry the cross. It is Jesus above all else! Jesus comes up with two brief parables to explain how to calculate the cost of discipleship. No one will begin to build a tower without counting the cost. No king will dare to wage a war with ten thousand soldiers on his side while the other king has twenty thousand. No one wants to become a laughing stock upon becoming a failure. One has to apply the same principle while planning say ‘yes’ to the invitation of Jesus. One has to learn to give up all the possessions.
Saints Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous and yet were tested by God. The test was to prove that everything has to go according to the will of God.
Call to Action: St. Paul knew what it means to become an apostle of Jesus. As per the demands of Jesus, he renounced all his credentials and embraced him without counting the cost. He is a great role model if we want to really become Jesus’ disciples.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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