In Jesus’ day, tax collectors were not popular people. They were collaborators with the Romans and were despised by many Jewish people. Observers in the crowd that day grumble because Jesus dines with a sinner. Throughout Scripture, Jesus’ choice of dinner companions set him apart from other observant Jews of his time. In first century…
Today’s gospel is addressed to “those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.” The parable’s message goes further than to simply encourage generic humility. Jesus targets the disdain for others at the core of this particular type of spiritual pride. It is not only the confidence of the Pharisee that is…
Persistency in Prayer God’s love never fails and God will love us to the end, and even more into eternity. Yes, God is faithful, but what of our own faith? Persistence in prayer is not to be understood as trying to change God’s mind, as if God was unwilling to help us in the…
In all circumstances, give thanks to the Lord Today we hear about how Jesus, continuing on his journey to Jerusalem, heals 10 lepers. This story is a lesson about faith and reminds us that faith is sometimes found in unlikely places. Ten people afflicted with leprosy cry out to Jesus. Struck with pity, Jesus…
Faith and service to God In today’s Gospel we hear Jesus teach about faith and service to God. The context is a continuing dialogue between Jesus and his followers about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Jesus has just finished an instruction on sin and forgiveness. There are two related teachings…
Happy are Those Who Find Solace in God In today’s Gospel, Jesus contrasts the life of a rich man and the poor man, Lazarus, who lives in the shadow of the rich man and his wealth. Both die. Lazarus finds himself in heaven; the rich man in the netherworld. The rich man asks for…
Jesus speaks clearly to a situation that we can understand those who cheat will find ways to make their cheating profitable. This goes on every day in our own society and perhaps even among people that we know. We can easily begin to ignore cheating when it happens among people that we love or care…
Everything changed the day Jesus was crucified. Once he died upon the cross, what was once merely an instrument of Roman punishment became in Christ the symbol of humans’ salvation from pain and death. It became an instrument of divine mercy, a symbol of love, and above all, our hope for God’s total deliverance at…
Follow Me The invitation from Jesus is always follow me, and the decision to follow in his footsteps is not one to be taken lightly. Jesus makes this very clear right at the beginning of this Sundays gospel when he spells out the cost of being his disciple, if anyone comes to me without hating their father…
Meals played an important role in the society in which Jesus lived. More than a time for sharing nourishment, they were a time to share ideas and to model different aspects of social relationships. the case here, the place that a person sits while eating are all important. The narrator says Jesus tells a parable,…