Jen + Juice

Sunday, September 7, 2025
Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

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First Reading:
Wisdom 9:13-18b
This week’s first reading reminds us to remain humble in our need for understanding — we will never fully comprehend even the physical, earthly matters, so how could we ever possibly understand the workings of Spirit?

Wise discernment requires prayer/meditation, humility, and openness to the messages of Spirit, even when it makes zero logical sense within the bounds of our human understanding.

Do we follow what we think we “should” do, or do we stop and ask God what our soul is calling us to do?

Responsorial Psalm:
Psalm 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17
The responsorial psalm speaks on how fragile human life is compared to the eternal nature of God. Our life is brief, like the grass that flourishes in the morning, then withers in the evening, but God is outside of time..

Life is short and fragile, so we must live wisely, rooted in divine love — divine love is the only thing that can truly fulfill the soul, bringing joy despite life’s challenges. This passage is a prayer, asking God to make the work of our hands meaningful, lasting, and fruitful; living in alignment with the straight and narrow path of God’s plan will bring lasting value to the legacy we leave behind from our short time here on earth.

Second Reading:
Philemon 9-10, 12-17
The second reading is a letter Paul wrote to Philemon, a wealthy Christian leader and a friend of Paul. Slavery was a cultural norm at this time, and Philemon had a slave named Onesimus. Onesimus ran away from Philemon, and during his time away, he encountered and was guided by Paul, eventually becoming a follower of Christ.

In this letter, Paul asks Philemon to forgive Osemimus for running away, and when he comes back, to welcome him as an equal, not as a slave or servant, but as a brother in Christ.

Paul is trying to transform a broken relationship into one rooted in forgiveness and brotherhood, while also challenging the cultural norms of slavery.

Alleluia:
Psalm 119:135
“Let your face shine upon your servant;
and teach me your laws.”

Gospel Reading:
Luke 14:25-33
In this week’s Gospel reading, Jesus speaks about how true discipleship requires loyalty to the path of Christ, above loyalty to others — even including our families and our egoic selves.

Jesus says that following the straight and narrow path will require sacrifices. It’s not just about the excitement to be part of a community or experiencing mind-blowing miracles and synchronicities. Following the straight and narrow path of Christ requires a complete surrender to the call from the soul…and sometimes it comes at a hefty cost.

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My two older boys and I were talking earlier today about some geeky math and science stuff, and they said they were excited to continue learning new cool things for the rest of their lives. I was pretty pumped to hear that — who doesn’t want their kids excited about learning new things?

Then one of them said, “It kinda sucks though that we’re going to be learning all of this and then one day it’ll all be gone when we die. It feels kinda like a waste and not worth it.”

Welp. Okay then.

I actually agreed though, because he wasn’t wrong. It does kind of suck if we look at it that way.

But there’s another way to look at it too. We only know what we know because of the people who came before us, most of which have already passed away, and we get to participate in and contribute to humanity’s ever-expanding exploration and learning.

None of us have the exact same interests and strengths, learn the exact same things, nor have the exact same life experiences. We each get to turn the cosmic jewel, reflect the light of our own unique qualities, share our unique selves with the world, and then pass it down to whoever comes after us.

Nobody’s legacy will look exactly the same as anyone else’s, and that is pretty cool.

They both agreed and liked looking at it that way better.

Good grief….

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We indeed are all very different, looking at the world through the lens of our own experiences, weaving our own unique thread into the infinite tapestry of existence.

And there is absolutely no way we could ever learn everything that has ever, or will ever, be learned in this physical experience. We are constantly exploring — out into the infinitely-expanding universe, down to the infinitely-small sub-atomic particles. Exploration and learning will never cease in this physical realm, because there will always be something new to discover and unpack.

So, then, how could it ever be possible to fully understand Spirit? Something beyond even our physical senses?

It’s not.

But we certainly try, don’t we?

We get messages from Spirit that tell us to do X, but it either makes absolutely no logical sense, or we really just don’t wanna do it…so we start to pick it apart and analyze it.

Calculate it out, try to understand and figure it out logically, if it will work, how it will work, weigh the pros and cons, come up with a list of possible outcomes. Thinkthinkthinkthinkthink.

We talk to friends, mentors, therapists. Maybe consult with a psychic or mystic. Get as much information from as many sources as possible, so we can be super calculated with our actions, and have some sense of control on the outcome. Thinkthinkthinkthinkthink.

But these possible scenarios and outcomes only come from within the bounds of our human knowledge, from what we already know. This need of ours to have calculated control over outcomes doesn’t leave space for miracles — and miracles are only considered miracles because they happen beyond the capacity of our human understanding.

And unfortunately, all of these projections — coming from everywhere else but from within — are creating an interference in the signal with Spirit, distorting the message of the Truth within.

When we stop absorbing the projections and start listening to our own inner navigating system, our frequency gets more and more fine-tuned to Spirit, and the signal gets clearer and clearer.

The thing is though, like Jesus warned in the Gospel reading — this path has its sacrifices. Following the call from something Higher isn’t about being part of a community, a movement, an identity. When we begin following our own soul’s inner guidance, we might start pissing some people off who aren’t able to understand why we’re doing what we’re doing. Ourselves included. Especially when we don’t fully understand it either and can’t give a logical explanation for it.

We just know we have to. Because we do.

We won’t usually understand why we’re feeling called to take certain actions, but we’re never really meant to fully understand. We might eventually, as we watch things unfold over time — but in some cases, we will never understand.

But “to understand” is not the point anyway.

The point is deep surrender and humility, taking a leap of faith, recognizing that there is a Higher Hand at play that is beyond our understanding.

A leap of faith is when we follow the call, because we humble ourselves to the bigger picture that we’re unable to see. We just know the gaps will weave themselves together in a way we don’t logically comprehend.

And not only is it important to remain humble in our understanding, but like the responsorial psalm also reminds us, our time here is so brief compared to the infinite Source of Creation. Who better to guide us to our most enriching life, leaving behind our greatest possible legacy — or for this life experience to be fully “worth it” according to my boys — than the voice of our own soul?

Surrender to the voice. We may not always understand, but when we surrender, Spirit can begin creating miraculous movements in the divine web.

Creating ripples in still water…

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Songs:
“Ripple” – Grateful Dead
Ripple in still water
When there is no pebble tossed
Nor wind to blow

“A Little Light” – Sturgill Simpson
Through all these earthly trials of sorrow
Through all these days of mortal sin
Through all these eternal nights with no tomorrow
Gotta stay on the straight and narrow
And find a little light within

Gotta walk that road all the way to heaven
Gotta walk that road until the dawn
Gotta walk that road all night
All you need is a little light
And the closer you get, lord, the brighter it turns on

“Lateralus” – Tool
As below so above and beyond, I imagine
Drawn beyond the lines of reason
Push the envelope, watch it bend

Over-thinking, over-analyzing separates the body from the mind
Withering my intuition leaving opportunities behind

Hymns:
“Make Me a Channel of Your Peace” – Prayer of St. Francis
Make me a channel of your peace. 
Where there is hatred let me bring your love. 
Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord 
And where there’s doubt, true faith in you.

Make me a channel of your peace
Where there’s despair in life, let me bring hope 
Where there is darkness, only light 
And where there’s sadness, ever joy.

Oh, Master grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console 
To be understood as to understand 
To be loved as to love with all my soul. 

Make me a channel of your peace
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned 
In giving to all men that we receive 
And in dying that we’re born to eternal life.

Oh, Master grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console 
To be understood as to understand 
To be loved as to love with all my soul. 

Make me a channel of your peace
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned 
In giving to all men that we receive 
And in dying that we’re born to eternal life.

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First Reading:
Wisdom 9:13-18b
13 Who can know God’s counsel, or who can conceive what the LORD intends? 14 For the deliberations of mortals are timid, and unsure are our plans. 15 For the corruptible body burdens the soul and the earthen shelter weighs down the mind that has many concerns. 16 And scarce do we guess the things on earth, and what is within our grasp we find with difficulty; but when things are in heaven, who can search them out? 17 Or who ever knew your counsel, except you had given wisdom and sent your holy spirit from on high? 18 And thus were the paths of those on earth made straight.

Responsorial Psalm:
Psalm 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14,17
R. (1) In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
3 You turn man back to dust,
saying, “Return, O children of men.”
4 For a thousand years in your sight
 are as yesterday, now that it is past,
or as a watch of the night.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
5 You make an end of them in their sleep;
 the next morning they are like the changing grass,
6 Which at dawn springs up anew,
 but by evening wilts and fades.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
12 Teach us to number our days aright,
 that we may gain wisdom of heart.
13 Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
14 Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
 that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
17 And may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
 prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.

Second Reading:
Philemon 9-10, 12-17
9 I, Paul, an old man, and now also a prisoner for Christ Jesus, 10 urge you on behalf of my child Onesimus, whose father I have become in my imprisonment; 12 I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. 13 I should have liked to retain him for myself, so that he might serve me on your behalf in my imprisonment for the gospel, 14 but I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that the good you do might not be forced but voluntary. 15 Perhaps this is why he was away from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, 16 no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a brother, beloved especially to me, but even more so to you, as a man and in the Lord. 17 So if you regard me as a partner, welcome him as you would me.

Alleluia:
Psalm 119:135
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Let your face shine upon your servant;
and teach me your laws.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Reading:
Luke 14:25-33
25 Great crowds were traveling with Jesus, and he turned and addressed them, 26 “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion? 29 Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him 30 and say, ‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’ 31 Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops? 32 But if not, while he is still far away, he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms. 33 In the same way, anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”

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