The Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time – September 7, 2025
In the ordination of a Priest, as the bishop hands over the bread and wine to the newly ordained, he says to him, “Understand what you do, imitate what you celebrate, and conform your life to the mystery of the Lord’s cross.” The first part of this exhortation was even stronger in the translation prior to 2003: “Know what you are doing. . . .” We ask a similar question of parents when they present their infant for baptism: “Do you understand this responsibility?”
If we don’t read today’s Gospel carefully, we might conclude that we should negotiate terms before following Christ, as if we could recalculate and cut corners to secure a less expensive price. However, the cost of discipleship is the same for everyone because, at some point, each of us will be asked to give the very thing we can’t afford without the help of Jesus.
The price of discipleship is our entire being, completely oriented to Christ. Nothing less is enough.
That may be true forgiveness for an enemy, the genuine embrace of a stranger, or a rejection of comfort to live in solidarity with those in need. Whatever it is, carrying one’s cross will ask for it all.
The price of discipleship is our entire being, completely oriented to Christ. Nothing less is enough. So know what you’re doing and understand what you are asking for, because on this way of the Gospel, there can be no holding back.
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