Daily Catholic Lectio
Wed, 1 Oct ‘25
Twenty-Sixth Week in Ordinary Time, Wednesday
Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus
Nehemiah 2:1–8; Luke 9:57–62
Discipleship: Greatness & Cost
Today’s Gospel shows us three encounters with Jesus. Each person expresses a desire to follow Him, but each conversation highlights both the greatness of discipleship and the cost it requires.
(a) The Cost of Comfort. The first man says: “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replies that even foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head. To be His disciple means giving up security, comfort, and the safety nets that make us feel settled.
(b) The Cost of Priorities. The second man is called directly by Jesus: “Follow me.” He replies: “Let me first go and bury my father.” Jesus answers: “Let the dead bury their dead; you go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.” It sounds harsh, but the message is clear: discipleship demands right priorities. God’s call cannot always wait until everything in our lives is perfectly arranged.
(c) The Cost of Looking Back. The third man says: “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say goodbye to my family.” Jesus answers with an image from farming: “No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God.” If a farmer looks back while ploughing, the furrows become crooked. The work loses its focus. Discipleship means moving forward with determination, not clinging to the past.
A Witness in the First Reading
We see a living example of this in today’s first reading. Nehemiah, though serving in the Persian king’s palace, feels a burning desire to rebuild Jerusalem. He seeks permission, makes preparations, sets priorities, and acts decisively. Without hesitation, he leaves behind comfort and status to answer God’s call. His courage and prompt action show us what true discipleship looks like.
Lessons for Us: From these encounters and from Nehemiah, we learn that discipleship involves: Accepting uncertainty instead of clinging to comfort. Placing God’s call above all other priorities. Moving forward without hesitation or regret.
Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus
Today we also celebrate Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, the “Little Flower.” She never traveled far, never performed grand deeds, and lived her short life in the hidden silence of a Carmelite convent. Yet, she discovered a “little way”: holiness is found not in doing great things, but in doing small things with great love.
Her childlike trust, her simple love, and her willingness to embrace the ordinary became a path of discipleship that the whole Church admires. She shows us that discipleship is not measured by greatness in the world’s eyes, but by faithfulness to God in every small act of love.
Discipleship is both a gift and a cost. It asks us to surrender comfort, reset our priorities, and walk forward without looking back. But when lived with love—whether in big sacrifices or in the small hidden deeds of everyday life—it becomes the most beautiful path of all.
Like Thérèse, let us follow Christ in the “little way,” with childlike hearts, trusting that every small act of love makes us true disciples.
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
Missionary of Mercy
Yesu Karunanidhi 
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