Daily Gospel Reflection for November 5, 2025

Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.

Today's Gospel: Luke 14:25-33

The Gospel today is hard. The demands of discipleship mean single-heartedness. God has equipped me to commit to becoming a disciple, and I  can grow in discipleship and holiness through deeper intimacy with Jesus. God sends disciples forth as apostles to proclaim the Kingdom, cast out demons, and cure the sick in Jesus’ name.

But hate my father and mother? My children? My friends? My family? Seems extreme – but maybe it’s not.

I can have nothing more important than God in my life if I wish to be His disciple – but what about parents to care for? Spouses to accompany? Children to raise? Dishes to wash and laundry to do and bills to pay?

God’s love for me is neither purely mystical nor simply spiritual. It is fully relational.

I cannot understand the relational sacrifice of God choosing not to withhold His only beloved Son if there is no one I love just as dearly.

And I cannot understand the relational sacrifice of Jesus giving up His own human life to ransom me if I do not know what it feels like to leave my own heart behind for someone else.

And will that earn me scorn? Persecution? Suffering? Yes. It will.  Jesus recognizes that as well when He warns the crowd about preparing for crosses, buildings, and battles.

There are two kinds of suffering in the world: suffering in the form of sickness, war, poverty, death, and all other evils that stem from living in a fallen world; and suffering in the form of persecution for proclaiming the Gospel as noted here.

The first kind of suffering will fall away at the end of time. The second kind will, in a particular way, make me more like Jesus and move me closer to God and becoming a saint.

Ponder:

Is there something or someone in my life I wouldn’t give up for the good of the Kingdom?

Pray:

Lord Jesus, show me how to surrender the person or thing that I’m not sure I can give up so that I can be totally emptied, available, and open to receive all You have for me. I know You love me. Help me to love You even more.

Copyright 2025 Colleen O'Dowd

Colleen O’Dowd is a parish missionary at Our Lady of Ransom in Niles, IL. She loves being Catholic; her Converse All Stars, Crocs, and socks are always liturgically correct; and she is a super-saint-geek! She blogs ultra-occasionally at www.ourheartswereburningwithin.wordpress.com and can also be found @catholiccolleen on Twitter and Instagram.