Tag: Pharisee

“The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.” | Feast of Saint Luke, evangelist | 10.18.23

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 10:1-9)

Jesus said to the disciples: Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves payment. Do not move about from one house to another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.'”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus commissions seventy-two disciples, sending them out ahead of him to do urgently what he himself will do: proclaim the Kingdom of God. His words are not meant only for those disciples at that time in history but also for every Christian who hears and responds to the Lord. In a world full of brokenness and division, Jesus commands those who follow him to be a means of peace and healing while proclaiming God’s kingdom. To take on such a task, the disciples are to depend on God for a roof over their head and a meal placed before them. Like lambs among wolves, the disciples are to rely on God’s guidance and provision, and the power to bring God’s work to fruition. Then, as today, the Kingdom of God is at hand!

Father in heaven, give me the grace I need to be steadfast every day in proclaiming your kingdom. Saint Paul describes the resistance he met in preaching and his isolation and exposure to mortal danger. Whatever I do in your name today, Lord, help me remember his complete reliance on you. As he writes in his letter to Timothy, “But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it.” Stand by me today, Lord, as you give me every opportunity to love and serve others according to your will.

From the Gospel acclamation: “I chose you from the world, to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.” Saint Luke, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Everything will be clean for you.” | Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 11:37-41)

The Lord said to the Pharisee, “Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you.”

The words of Jesus from today’s Gospel are directed to a Pharisee who invited him to dine at his home. As a guest, Jesus pours insult on the head of his host, and it is understandable that the Pharisee would have been offended. As the Son of God, Jesus directs the Pharisee to true freedom in worship of the creator. By noting that Jesus did not observe the prescribed washing before a meal, the Pharisee follows the Jewish tradition of ritual purification. Yet, here is Jesus, the invisible God made visible in his presence, who is inviolably holy, the source of holiness. Jesus redirects the gaze of the Pharisee toward what is pure and free of every form of evil. What Saint Paul says in the first reading encapsulates not only Jesus’ encounter with the Pharisee but also all of us who forget the glory of our immortal God: “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and revered and worshiped the creature rather than the creator, who is blessed forever.”

Father in heaven, Lord of all, call me to you so that I can live in the freedom of the creator. I get caught up daily in the tangible things of this world, good in themselves, but often forgetting the source from which they are made manifest. “But as to what is within,” Jesus says, “give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you.” Help me find you today in every good gift you give me that I can sense but also through the unseen work of the Holy Spirit, who makes manifest your presence in my inmost being every minute of the day. Give me the grace to distinguish between the creature and the creator, to recognize that you alone are freedom at its source.

From the Gospel acclamation: “The word of God is living and effective, able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.” Lord, teach me your ways!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.