Gospel: October 1, 2025
October 1, 2025 (Wednesday)
26th Week in Ordinary Time
Psalter: Week 2 / (White)
St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, virgin and doctor
Ps 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6
Let my tongue be silenced if I ever forget you!
1st Reading: Nehemiah 2:1-8
In the month of Nisan, in the 20th year of king Artaxerxes, I was doing my duty as cup bearer. I took up the wine and gave it to the king. I had never been sad before the king in the past. So, the king said to me, “Why do you look sad? You don’t look sick. Is there something that bothers you?” I became hesitant. And I said, “May the king live forever! How could I afford not to be sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins and its gates are burned down?” The king said to me, “What do you want, then?” I asked help of God from heaven and said to the king, “If it seems good to the king and if he is pleased with my work, then may he send me to the land of Judah, to the city where my ancestors are buried, that I may rebuild it.” The queen was sitting beside the king, and the king asked me, “How long will you be gone? When will you be back?” I told him the date and he allowed me to leave. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, may you give me letters for the governors of the province at the other side of the River that I may travel to Judah; and also a letter to Asaph, the caretaker of the king’s forest, for I will need wood for the gates of the citadel near the temple, for the walls of the city and for the house where I shall live.”
The good hand of God was supporting me, so that the king gave me what I asked.
Gospel: Luke 9:57-62
As they went on their way, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another, Jesus said, “Follow me!” But he answered, “Let me go back now, for, first, I want to bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their dead; as for you, leave them, 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.”
Reflection:
“Through trust and love.”
The “Little Flower” wrote the story of her short life in her Story of a Soul. As the tuberculosis worsened, she became weaker and was unable to hold a pen. Finally, three months before her death, the pencil slipped from her fingers too. Further words were recorded, but the last words she
wrote herself were “through trust and love.” We can only keep following Jesus through trust and love. The people considering following Christ in today’s Gospel have a divided heart that is fearful of leaving the security of the familiar behind. Their confidence in Christ and their desire for him aren’t strong enough to take the first step of discipleship. But trust and love need to be there along the way, too, since the difficulties and dark times we face will test our relationship with the Lord. Saint Thérèse experienced this very acutely at the end of her life when she was assaulted by great thoughts of doubt and darkness, but these temptations only served to strengthen her faith and love. May Saint Thérèse help us to follow Christ with confidence, and to show our love for him even in the smallest of actions.
