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Habits of the Home
Jesus tells of a Pharisee who has the habit of going up “to the Temple area to pray.” He feels at home there but will not extend that feeling to another who has joined him. For, while there, the Pharisee’s prayer habit is to insult and ostracize those he judges as not belonging there…
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How Shall We Ever Weary of War When It Is So Entertaining?
The readings this Sunday share a theme of weariness. We ourselves might feel weary reading about yet another Old Testament War Lord, Moses, who fends off weariness so his warriors can fight in yet another war and steal what they can. Jesus too attempts to fend off weariness but in disciples so they can…
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On A Mission
Jesus is on a mission to his nation’s capital of rule and oppression, Jerusalem. His plans include travelling through inhospitable territory. His plans likely included meeting people in that territory who are themselves treated inhospitably, lepers. The lepers “stood at a distance from Jesus and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, have compassion on us!”…
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Powerful Women of Faith
Gospel author Luke chronicles hardships rulers constantly direct at Jesus, disciples, and others. Not wanting to lose heart amidst the hardships, disciples ask Jesus, “Increase our faith.” Jesus replies, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this tree, ‘Be uprooted and transplanted in the sea,’ and it…
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Loan Me a Generation With Interest
“There was a rich man who dressed in… fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. Lying at his door was a poor man, Lazarus, covered with sores… dogs even used to come and lick his sores. The poor man died, and was carried to Abraham. The rich man also died… and from the netherworld…
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Great Matters
Jesus tells a parable about rulers who exploit people, workers especially. The rulers exploit them for the “small matter” of “mammon,” which means gaining “dishonest wealth.” Jesus cautions disciples to not serve “mammon,” for you will exploit people. Disciples are called to serve people and be about “great matters.” When we serve mammon, meaning…
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Able To Love
Jesus tells a parable about a loving God to fathers unlikely to believe in one. He uses the setting of a home to do so. The parable begins with an unloving son who wants to leave home and gets his father’s money to do so. But he “squandered his inheritance on a life of…
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Finishing the Work
Jesus is talking to, “great crowds traveling with (him)” about the work of being his “disciple.” He tells a parable about “laying the foundation” and tells of others needed to “finish the work.” It requires we renounce our possessions, “anyone who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.” Today’s accompanying New…
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Needing Everything, Needing Nothing
While Jesus was “dining at the home of one of the leading Pharisees” he told them a parable about humility, “When you are invited (to a banquet) go and take the lowest place.” “When you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind.” “Be humble.” Humble means of the earth.…
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Freedom of Expression
In the Old Testament reading, tribal War Lords, earthly ones who projected themselves into the heavens, want their glory acclaimed by all; “I will send men out to… proclaim my glory among nations.” The War Lords want their believers to “bring all the nations as an offering to the LORD.” Nonbelievers who do not…