Daily Catholic Reflection – October 1, 2025

In the readings today, we find two great themes of our faith: the longing for home and the call to discipleship. Nehemiah's heart aches for his homeland, the city of his ancestors, now in ruins. He is in a foreign land, serving a foreign king, but his heart is in Jerusalem. This longing is echoed in the Psalm, where the Israelites weep in Babylon, yearning for Zion. They refuse to forget their homeland, even in the face of their captors' mockery. This longing for home is a longing we all share – not just for our earthly homes, but for our heavenly home with God. We are pilgrims in this world, and our hearts should always be oriented towards our true home with the Father.

The Gospel reading presents us with the radical call of discipleship. Jesus invites us to follow Him, but warns us that it will not be easy. To follow Christ means to leave behind our old lives, our old attachments, and to make Him our first priority. It is a call to radical commitment, to put our hand to the plow and not look back. This is a difficult call, but it is the path to our true home. Like Nehemiah, we may be in a foreign land, but our hearts should be in the Kingdom of God. Like the disciples, we may have to leave behind what is familiar and comfortable, but in following Christ, we find our true home.