📖 Readings for October 1, 2025
Memorial of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus (Doctor of the Church) Catholic Gallery+2Catholic Daily Readings+2
First Reading – Nehemiah 2:1-8
In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when the wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid. I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies waste, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ graves, that I may rebuild it.” And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me. Catholic Gallery+1
Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6
R. “Let my tongue be silenced if I ever forget you.”
By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion.
On the willows there we hung up our lyres. R.
For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” R.
How shall we sing the LORD’s song in a foreign land?
If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill! R.
Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy! R. Catholic Gallery+1
Alleluia – Philippians 3:8-9
I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have suffered the loss of all things. And I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ. Catholic Gallery
Gospel – Luke 9:57-62
As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have dens, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.”
Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” Catholic Gallery+1
Verse of the Day
“No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” — Luke 9:62
Reflection
I. Introduction
Today’s readings mirror a theme of single-hearted commitment to God’s mission. Nehemiah shows boldness in asking to rebuild despite risk. The Psalm laments exile yet holds onto memory and longing. And in the Gospel, Jesus challenges prospective disciples to follow Him without reservation. The question for us is: What keeps us from fully following?
II. The Gospel and Its Context
In Luke 9:57-62, three men express a desire to follow Jesus—but each brings a condition or hesitation. Jesus responds sharply: the life of discipleship requires letting go of security, of tradition, of divided loyalties. The last admonition warns about looking back—one cannot plow a straight furrow while turning around. Discipleship demands forward focus.
III. Connection with the First Reading and the Psalm
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Nehemiah risked personal comfort to rebuild what was broken in his people’s life. He recognized that restoring the temple and the city was more important than staying in safety.
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The Psalm speaks of living in exile, remembering Zion, refusing to forget one’s identity and calling despite distance.
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Together with the Gospel, they invite us to trust God’s call, to endure hardship, and to keep our gaze fixed forward on God’s promises.
IV. Deeper Reflections
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True discipleship costs something. Jesus does not promise comfort; He calls for trust.
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We often carry “dead things” behind us—regrets, obligations, fears—that prevent full commitment. Jesus’ words invite us to release those.
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The life of faith is not static. To follow God means constant movement forward, not nostalgic looking back.
V. Practical Applications
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Identify one thing in your life you cling to that hinders your following (comfort, status, fear) and pray for release.
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Renew your commitment today: say “Yes” in some concrete way—serving, forgiving, speaking truth.
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Meditate on the memory of Zion—God’s promises, His faithfulness—as your anchor in times of exile.
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Keep a forward focus: set spiritual goals, small steps, daily renewal so you don’t get stuck looking back.
VI. Conclusion and Closing Prayer
In today’s passages, we hear a call to radical trust: to leave behind what holds us back, to step forward into God’s plan, to commit, despite cost. Let us respond like Nehemiah—fearful but resolute—and, like the Psalmist, hold God’s past faithfulness as a foundation for our forward journey. May we be those whose hands stay on the plow, whose eyes are set on the Kingdom.
Prayer for the Reader
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for calling me to follow You. Give me courage to let go of what holds me back. Help me fix my gaze on You and walk forward in faith. May every step I take reflect my commitment to Your Kingdom, not to my comfort. Strengthen me by Your Spirit to live with undivided hearts, today and always. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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