A Word About Greed

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This coming Sunday is the 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time with the gospel taken from Luke 12 and, in large part, addresses our relationship to the riches of this life and what constitutes real treasure “in what matters to God.”

“Take care to guard against all greed” The text uses two verbs (horate & phylassesthe) in the present tense imperatives, i.e., continual action, in other words “continually take care” and “continually guard yourself from.”  Perhaps this is a Lucan warning that the human condition is akin to alcoholics and their desire for alcohol, we are never cured of our greediness. We are always in recovery; always in need to watch out for and to guard ourselves from this evil power in our lives. Continue reading →

Having a bad day

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In today’s first reading, Jeremiah is having a bad day – maybe a bad year. He is at the end of his rope in dealing with the people of Judah and Jerusalem in his role of prophet. Jeremiah was not a flash-in-the-pan prophet who showed up like Jonah in Nineveh and everything got done in one day. Jeremiah’s ministry lasted 30 years and was ultimately unsuccessful. Jerusalem did not return to the ways of the Lord and as a result God allowed Babylon to utterly destroy Jerusalem, the Temple and take the people into captivity. Continue reading →

The Lord’s Prayer – a second look

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Just this past Sunday the gospel was from Luke 11:1-13, which notably includes the Lukan version of the prayer so very familiar to all Christians:  the “Our Father” or also known as “the Lord’s Prayer.” Over the course of the week I wrote about the reading as a whole with the first installment on a July 18th posting. A few days later I got to the verses that constitute the prayer itself. Here is one paragraph of that later post: Continue reading →

Land Inheritance

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This coming Sunday is the 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time with the gospel taken from Luke 12 and, in large part, addresses our relationship to the riches of this life and what constitutes real treasure “in what matters to God.” The dispute and the parable appears only in Luke among the gospels, situated within the on-going travel narrative as Jesus and the disciples move ever forward towards Jerusalem. Continue reading →

The Context for Luke 12

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This coming Sunday is the 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time in Year C when we proclaim the Gospel of Luke. The gospel is from Luke 12 and, in large part, addresses our relationship to the riches of this life and what constitutes real treasure “in what matters to God.”

Prior to this gospel passage, Jesus has been instructing the disciples on the need for faithfulness in situations of persecution – then suddenly the scene is seemingly interrupted by an individual focused on getting Jesus to help him regarding an inheritance issue: “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.”  Continue reading →

Your Kingdom Come

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“Suppose one of you has a friend…”  Maybe it is a family member, a close friend, someone you know, an associate at work, a friend of a friend – whatever the spectrum of how one thinks of friends. This person comes to you with a request. Maybe it’s easy – “can I borrow a cup of sugar?”  Easily asked, easily answered and only takes a spot of time. Continue reading →

Ask, Seek, Knock and Good Gifts

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This coming Sunday is the 17th Sunday in Lectionary Cycle C.  9 “And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? 12 Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? 13 If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the holy Spirit to those who ask him?” Continue reading →