St. Lawrence, whose feast day is next week, fits well with Jesus’ teaching this Sunday; “the Community of God is like a treasure.” Lawrence lived in Rome and was a disciple of Jesus (?225-258). He served his faith community by caring for those who were poor, distributing the goods of the community to people…
Jesus’ deep connection with nature is apparent in his parables. We see it this Sunday with his parable about the sower, the seeds, and the ground on which the seeds fall. The wise people listening know Jesus is speaking truths about nature as well as truths about humanity. People who are wise are like…
In the Gospel, Jesus is called the Bread of Life, meaning a source of nourishment shared for all. Jesus calls disciples to be nourishing as well. Helping to nourish people, physically and spiritually, is a basic ingredient of discipleship in Christ. As author Monika Hellwig wrote, disciples learned that to be true to Jesus…
Jesus spent his life in nature. He consistently identified with nature. He used nature in his parables. He used it for metaphors when teaching people about life. Jesus is speaking about nature, sheep and shepherds specifically, and about life in general this Sunday when he says, “A thief comes only to … destroy; I…
Included in this Sunday’s Gospel are the stories of Simeon and Anna. They are both prophets who present prayers of thanksgiving in response to Jesus’ birth. Simeon and Anna are just a few of the many common people who are drawn from the background to the foreground in the Gospel. The Gospel’s habit of…
Prayer is the loving communion we all share with divine power. Jesus tells a parable of a Pharisee and a tax collector in this Sunday’s Gospel to exemplify loving communion. The parable shows the difference between his own witness of prayer and that of hierarchs like the Pharisee. It was the difference between loving…
Pesky widows are a power to be reckoned with. I know. I had a pesky widow for a mother. Jesus’ choice of a pesky widow with a legal concern in this Sunday’s parable lauding prayer is intriguing. Jesus reverses the Old Testament reading lauding prayer. Moses, a man and a warrior, is praying for…
Gratitude is showing appreciation, for life in general or for a gift received. A leper shows gratitude in this Sunday’s Gospel. Jesus comes upon 10 lepers and tells them, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” It seems a fool’s errand. Priests do not receive unclean people but are responsible for removing them, such as…
Foresight is mental preparedness. It focuses disciples on the Community of God. Our foresight about the Community of God can be diverted by such things as wealth. In the Old Testament wealth tends to be seen from the point of view of those who have it. They believe it is a blessing from God.…
Wisdom is an important virtue. It is the ability to make good decisions and the willingness to carry out those decisions. A wise person determines what is most good and the best way to achieve it. Such a person tends to be caring and practical and is thus concerned about safety but they are…