What We Leave Behind

Memorial of Saint Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr

Reading 1 Philemon 7-20

Beloved:
I have experienced much joy and encouragement from your love,
because the hearts of the holy ones
have been refreshed by you, brother.
Therefore, although I have the full right in Christ
to order you to do what is proper,
I rather urge you out of love,
being as I am, Paul, an old man,
and now also a prisoner for Christ Jesus.
I urge you on behalf of my child Onesimus,
whose father I have become in my imprisonment,
who was once useless to you but is now useful to both you and me.
I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you.
I should have liked to retain him for myself,
so that he might serve me on your behalf
in my imprisonment for the Gospel,
but I did not want to do anything without your consent,
so that the good you do might not be forced but voluntary.
Perhaps this is why he was away from you for a while,
that you might have him back forever,
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.
So if you regard me as a partner, welcome him as you would me.
And if he has done you any injustice
or owes you anything, charge it to me.
I, Paul, write this in my own hand: I will pay.
May I not tell you that you owe me your very self.
Yes, brother, may I profit from you in the Lord.
Refresh my heart in Christ.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 146:7, 8-9a, 9bc-10

R. (5a) Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD gives sight to the blind.
The LORD raises up those who were bowed down;
the LORD loves the just.
The LORD protects strangers.
R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.
R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.

 

 

Alleluia John 15:5

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the vine, you are the branches, says the Lord:
whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Luke 17:20-25

Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come,
Jesus said in reply,
“The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed,
and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’
For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.”

Then he said to his disciples,
“The days will come when you will long to see
one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.
There will be those who will say to you,
‘Look, there he is,’ or ‘Look, here he is.’
Do not go off, do not run in pursuit.
For just as lightning flashes
and lights up the sky from one side to the other,
so will the Son of Man be in his day.
But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation.”
 

- - -

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

What We Leave Behind

November 13, 2026 // Memorial of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin [In the Dioceses of the United States]

Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Luke 17:26-37

Reflect on the Word // 

There are seasons when I find myself revisiting a version of my life that never came to be. Sometimes it's a relationship I thought would last, a dream I was certain God was leading me toward, or simply the way I imagined this chapter of my life would look by now. I'll catch myself replaying old conversations, wondering what would have happened if I had made a different decision or if someone else had made a different one.

It's a subtle temptation—to keep glancing over my shoulder, convinced that somehow what was behind me held more life than what God is leading me into. But every time I linger there, I notice the same thing: I become less present to the grace in front of me.

In today's Gospel, Jesus gives an unexpected warning: "Remember the wife of Lot" (Luke 17:32). Of all the details He could have emphasized, He points to a woman who looked back against divine instruction (see Genesis 19:17). Her story reminds us that discipleship isn't only about leaving something physically—it is about allowing our hearts to move forward as well. Jesus goes on to say, "Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it" (Luke 17:33). Those words invite us to loosen our grip on what we cannot keep so that we can receive what only He can give.

I've begun to realize that following Christ often means grieving what I've left behind without living there. It means entrusting my unanswered questions, unmet expectations, and unfinished stories to the Lord instead of carrying them into every new season. Looking back may feel familiar, but it has never helped me walk forward.

We all have places we're tempted to revisit—old identities, old hurts, old dreams. May we have the courage to release what is behind us and trust the One Who is always calling us forward. For the life Christ offers isn't found in preserving the past, but in surrendering it to Him.

Relate to the Lord // Is there something from the past you are clinging to in this new season? Pray for strength to release it and take the next best step forward. 

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