The parable of the unfaithful steward

Fidelity to God as the only Lord

Luke 16:1-13

1. Opening prayer

Lord, my Father, today I bring before You my weakness, my shame, my distance from You; I no longer hide my dishonesty and infidelity, because You know and see everything, in depth, with the eyes of Your love and compassion.

I ask You, good Doctor, pour on my wound the balm of Your Word, of Your voice which speaks to me, calls me and teaches me. Do not take away Your gift, who is the Holy Spirit: allow Him to breathe on me, as a breath of life, from the four winds; that He envelops me as a tongue of fire and inundates me as water of salvation; send Him to me from Your holy Heaven, as the dove of truth, to announce, today also, that You are and that You wait for me, that You take me with You, after all, as on the first day, when You shaped me and created and called me. 

2. Reading

a) To insert the passage in its context:

This evangelical pericope belongs to the great section of the narration of Luke which includes the long journey of Jesus towards Jerusalem; it opens in Lk 9:51 to end in Lk 19:27. This section, in turn, is subdivided into three parts, as three stages in the journey of Jesus, each one of which is introduced by an annotation almost like a repetition: “Jesus resolutely turned His face towards Jerusalem” (9:51); “Through towns and villages He went teaching, making His way to Jerusalem” (13:22); “…on the way to Jerusalem He was traveling in the borderlands of Samaria and Galilee” (17:11); to reach the conclusion in 19:28: “When He had said this He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem”, when Jesus enters the city.

We find ourselves in the second part, from Lk 13:22 to 17:10 which includes diverse teachings, which Jesus offers to His interlocutors: the crowds, the Pharisees, the scribes, and the disciples. In this unity, Jesus enters into dialogue with His disciples and offers them a parable to indicate which is the correct use of the goods of this world and how our own life should be wisely administered, inserted in a filial relation with God. Then follow three “sayings” or secondary applications of the same parable in diverse situations, which help the disciples to make space for the new life in the Spirit, which the Father offers them.

b) To help in the reading of the passage:

vv. 1-8: Jesus tells the parable of the wise and shrewd steward: a man, accused of his excessive greed, which has become unbearable, who finds himself in a decisive and difficult moment in his life, but who succeeds in using all his human resources to turn to good his clamorous failure. Just like this son of the world has known how to discern his own interests, so also the children of light have to learn to discern the will of love and the gift of their Father, to live like Him.

v. 9: Jesus makes us understand that also dishonest and unjust richness, which is that of this world, if used for the good, as a gift, leads to salvation.

vv. 10-12: Jesus explains that the goods of this world are not to be demonized, but rather are to be understood for the value which they have. They are said to be “minimum”, they are “the little” of our life, but we are called to administer them faithfully and attentively, because they are a means to enter into communion with the brothers and sisters and therefore, with the Father.

v. 13: Jesus offers a fundamental teaching: there is only one and unique end in our life and this is God, the Lord. To seek to serve any other reality means to become slaves, to bind ourselves to deceit and to die even now.

c) The text:

Jesus said to his disciples, "A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property. He summoned him and said, 'What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.' The steward said to himself, 'What shall I do, now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me? I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg. I know what I shall do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, they may welcome me into their homes.' He called in his master's debtors one by one. To the first he said, 'How much do you owe my master?' He replied, 'One hundred measures of olive oil.' He said to him, 'Here is your promissory note. Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.' Then to another the steward said, 'And you, how much do you owe?' He replied, 'One hundred kors of wheat.' The steward said to him, 'Here is your promissory note; write one for eighty.' And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently. "For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones. If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth? If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours? No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon."

3. A moment of prayerful silence

I accept the silence of this moment, of this sacred time of encounter with Him. I who am poor, without money, without possessions, without house and without my own strength, because nothing comes from me, but everything comes from Him. It is His. I allow myself to be taken in by His richness of compassion and of mercy. 

4. Some Questions

a) Like any Christian I am also an “administrator” of the Lord, the rich man of our existence, the only one who possesses goods and riches. What is it that regulates my thoughts daily and, consequently, my daily choices, my actions, my relations?

b) Life, goods, the gifts which my Father has given me, these infinite riches, which are worth more than any other thing in the world, am I wasting them, am I throwing them away like pearls to the pigs? 

c) The unfaithful steward, but wise and shrewd, suddenly changes his life, changes relations, calculations, thoughts. Today is a new day. It is the beginning of a new life, regulated according to the logic of remission, of pardon, of distribution: do I know that true wisdom is hidden in mercy? 

d) “Either you will love one or will love the other…” Whose servant do I want to be? In whose house do I want to live? Together with whom do I want to live my life? 

5. A key for reading

* “Who is the steward of the Lord?

Luke, in the parable, uses the term “administrator or steward” or “administration” seven times, and thus it becomes the key word of the passage and of the message that the Lord wants to give me. Then, I try to look in scripture for some traces, or a light which will help me to understand better and to verify the administration that the Lord has entrusted to me in my life.

This reality is repeated in the Old Testament several times , especially referring to the royal richness or to the richness of the city or of the empires: in the Book of  Chronicles, for example, it is spoken about the administrators of King David (1 Chr 27:31; 28:1) and the meeting of administrators of the kings and the princes also in the Book of Esther (3:9), Daniel (2:49; 6:4) and Tobit (1:22). It is a totally worldly administration, linked to possessions, to money, to wealth, to power; therefore, bound to a negative reality, such as accumulation, usurpation, violence. It is, in one word, an administration which ends, which is short-lived and deceitful, no matter if it is recognized that this is also, in a certain way, necessary for the good functioning of society. The negative aspects, or the positive, come from their use and not from the objects themselves.

The New Testament, on the other hand, immediately introduces me into a diverse dimension, higher, because it concerns the things of the spirit, of the soul, those things which do not end, do not change with the change of time and of people. Saint Paul says, “Each one should consider himself as Christ’s servant, stewards entrusted with the mysteries of God. In such a matter, what is expected of stewards is that each one should be found trustworthy” (1Cor 4,1 ff), and in Peter: “Each one of you has received a special grace, so, like good stewards responsible for all these varied graces of God, put it at the service of others” (1 Pet 4:10). Therefore, I understand that I am also an administrator of the mysteries and of the grace of God, through the simple and poor instrument, which is my own life; in it I am called to be faithful and good. But this adjective “good”, is the same which John uses referring to the Shepherd, to Jesus: “kalòs” that is, beautiful and good. Why? Simply, because He offers His life to the Father for the sheep. This is the unique, true administration which is entrusted to me in this world, for the future world.

* What is the shrewdness of the administrator of the Lord?

The passage says that the master praises his dishonest steward, because he acted with “astuteness” and he repeats the word “shrewd”, a bit later. Perhaps a more correct translation could be “sage”, that is “wise”, or “prudent”. It is a wisdom that results from an attentive, deep thinking, from reflection, from study and the application of the mind, of affection for something which is of great interest. As an adjective this term is found, for example, in Mt 7:24, where true wisdom is shown of the man who builds his house on rock and not on sand, that is, the man who bases his existence on the word of the Lord or also in Mt 25, where he says that the virgins who had the oil for their lamps were wise, so that they will not be taken over by darkness, but who know how to wait always with invincible, incorruptible love, for their Spouse and Lord, when he returns. Therefore, this steward is wise and prudent, not because he takes advantage of others, but because he has known how to regulate and transform his life according to the measure and the form of the life of his Lord: he has committed himself totally, with his whole being, mind, heart, will, desire in imitating the one he serves.

* Dishonesty and injustice

Another word which is repeated many times is “dishonest”, “dishonesty”; the steward is said to be dishonest and thus also rich in injustice. Dishonesty is a characteristic which can corrode the being, in big things, in the great, but also in the small. The Greek text does not precisely use the word “dishonest”, but the “administrator or steward of injustice”, “richness of injustice”, and “unjust in the minimum”, “unjust in much”. Injustice is a bad distribution, not impartial or just, not balanced; it lacks harmony, it lacks a center which will attract all energy, all care and intent to itself; it causes fractures, wounds, pain over pain, accumulation on one side and lack of all on the other. All of us, in some way, come into contact, with the reality of injustice, because it belongs to this world. And we feel dragged on one and other side; we lose harmony, balance and beauty; and we cannot deny it because it is like that. The Gospel precisely condemns this strong lack of harmony, which is accumulation, to keep things aside, to increase them continually, possession and it shows us the way to obtain healing, which is a gift or giving, sharing, to give with an open heart, with mercy, like the Father does with us, without getting tired, without becoming less or poor.

* And, what is mammon?

The word mammon appears in the whole Bible, in this chapter of Luke in (vv. 9,11, and 13) and in Mt 6:24. It is a Semitic term which corresponds to “riches”, “possession”, “gain”, but it becomes almost the personification of the god-money which men serve very foolishly, slaves of that “unquenchable greed, which is idolatry” (Col 3:5). Here everything becomes clear; it is full light. Now, I know well which is the question which I still have, after the encounter with this Word of the Lord: “I, whom do I want to serve?” The choice is only one, unique, and concrete. I keep in my heart this colossal, marvelous and sweet verb, the verb “to serve” and I ponder it, and I draw from it all the substance of truth which it contains. The words of Joshua to the people come to my mind: “If serving Yahweh seems a bad thing to you, today you must make up your minds whom you do mean to serve!” (Josh 24:15). I know that I am unjust, that I am an unfaithful administrator, foolish. I know that I have nothing, but today I choose, with everything that I am , to serve the Lord. (cf. Acts 20:19; I Thess 1:9; Gal 1:10; Rom 12:11). 

6. A Moment of Prayer: Psalm 49

Reflection of Wisdom on the heart 

which finds its riches in the presence of God

 Blessed are you who are poor: 

the kingdom of God is yours.

Hear this, all nations, listen, all who dwell on earth,

people high and low, rich and poor alike!

My lips have wisdom to utter, 

my heart good sense to whisper.

I listen carefully to a proverb; 

I set my riddle to the music of the harp. 

Why should I be afraid in times of trouble? 

Malice dogs me and hems me in.

They trust in their wealth, 

and boast of the profusion of their riches.

But no one can ever redeem himself 

or pay his own ransom to God,

the price for himself is too high; it can never be

that he will live on for ever 

and avoid the sight of the abyss. 

For he will see the wise also die 

no less than the fool and the brute, 

and leave their wealth behind for others.

In prosperity people lose their good sense, 

they become no better than dumb animals.

But my soul God will ransom from the clutches of Sheol, 

and will snatch me up. 

Do not be overawed when someone gets rich, 

and lives in ever greater splendor;

when he dies he will take nothing with him, 

his wealth will not go down with him.

Though he pampered himself while he lived

- and people praise you for looking after yourself -

he will go to join the ranks of his ancestors, 

who will never again see the light. 

“God wants a gratuitous love, that is, a pure love…God fills the hearts, not the strongbox or coffer. What are riches good for if your heart is empty?” (St. Augustine). 

7. Closing Prayer

Lord, thank You for this time spent with You, listening to Your voice which spoke to me with love and infinite mercy; I feel that my life is healed only when I remain with You, in You, when I allow You to take me. You have taken in Your hands my greed, which renders me dry and arid, which closes me up, and makes me sad and leaves me alone; You have taken my insatiable avarice, which fills me with emptiness and pain; You have accepted and taken upon Yourself my ambiguity and infidelity, my tired and awkward limping. Lord, I am happy when I open myself to You and show You all my wounds! Thank You for the balm of Your Word and of Your silence. Thank You for the breath of Your Spirit, which takes away the bad breath of evil, of the enemy. 

Lord, I have robbed.  I know it.  I have taken away what was not mine. I have buried it, I have wasted it; from now on I want to begin to return, to give back, I want to live my life as a gift always multiplied and shared among many. My life is a small thing, but in Your hands it will become barrels of oil, measures of grain, consolation and food for my brothers and sisters.

Lord, I have no other words to say before such great and overflowing love. That is why I do only one thing: I open the doors of the heart and with a smile, I will accept all those whom You will send to me… (Acts 28:30).

 The parables of the lost things

Meeting God in life

Luke 15:1-32

1. Opening prayer

Lord Jesus, send Your Spirit to help us to read the scriptures with the same mind that You read them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. In the light of the Word, written in the bible, You helped them to discover the presence of God in the disturbing events of Your sentence and death. Thus, the cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for them the source of life and of resurrection. 

Create silence in us so that we may listen to Your voice in creation and in the scriptures, in events and in people, above all in the poor and suffering. May Your word guide us so that we too, like the two disciples on the way to Emmaus, may experience the force of Your resurrection and witness to others that You are alive in our midst as source of fraternity, justice and peace. We ask this of You, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed the Father to us and sent us Your Spirit. Amen. 

2. Reading

a) A key to the reading:

Today’s Gospel gives us three parables to help us consider in depth our image of God. The image that a person has of God influences greatly his or her way of thinking and acting. For instance, the image of God as a severe judge frightens the person and renders that person too submissive and passive or rebellious and riotous. The image of God as patriarch or boss, was and is still used to legitimize relationships of power and dominion, in society and in the Church, in the family as well as in the community. In Jesus’ days, the idea that people had of God was of someone distant, severe, a judge who threatened with punishment. Jesus reveals a new image of God: God as Father, full of kindness for all and each one individually. This is what these thr ee parables want to communicate to us.

As you read, try to pause on each detail and, above all, let the words penetrate and challenge you. Try to discover what they have in common and try to compare this with your image of God. Only then, try to analyze the details of each parable: attitudes, actions, words, place, atmosphere, etc.

c) A division of the text to assist with the reading:

Luke 15:1-3: The key to the meaning of the three parables.

Luke 15:4-7: In the first parable, you are invited to find the lost sheep.

Luke 15:8-10: In the second parable, the woman tries to find the lost coin.

Luke 15:11-32: In the third parable, the father tries to find his lost son.

Luke 15:11-13: The decision of the younger son.

Luke 15:14-19: The frustration of the younger son and the will to go back to the father’s house.

Luke 15:20-24: The father’s joy in finding his younger son again.

Luke 15:25-28^b:The older son’s reaction.

Luke 15:28^a-30: The father’s attitude towards his older son and the son’s reply.

Luke 15:31-32: The father’s final reply.

c) Text:

Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So to them he addressed this parable. “What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance. “Or what woman having ten coins and losing one would not light a lamp and sweep the house, searching carefully until she finds it? And when she does find it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’ In just the same way, I tell you, there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Then he said, “A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, ‘Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’ So the father divided the property between them. After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. Coming to his senses he thought, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’ So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.’ But his father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’ Then the celebration began. Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. The servant said to him, ‘Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him. He said to his father in reply, ‘Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns, who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’ He said to him, ‘My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’”

3. A moment of prayerful silence

that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life. 

4. Some questions

to help us in our personal reflection.

a) What pleased or struck you most in the three parables? Why?

b) What is the main point of the parable of the lost sheep?

c) What is the main point of the parable of the lost coin?

d) What is the younger son’s attitude and what image does he have of his father?

e) What is the older son’s attitude and what image does he have of his father?

f) What is the father’s attitude towards each of his sons? 

g) Do I identify with the younger or the older son? Why?

h) What do these three parables share in common?

i) Does our community reveal to others this love of God as Father that is full of kindness? 

5. For those who wish to go deeper into the theme

a) The context then and now:

The 15^th chapter of Luke’s Gospel holds a central place in Jesus’ long journey to Jerusalem. This journey begins in Luke 9:51 and ends in Luke 19:29. The 15^th chapter is like the top of the hill from which we can see the journey already traveled and the rest of the journey to come. It is the chapter of God’s warm kindness and mercy, themes that are Luke’s main concern. The communities must be a revelation of the face of this God for humanity. 

We have three parables here. Jesus’ parables have a precise purpose. These short stories taken from real life try to lead the listeners to reflect on their own life and discover there a particular aspect of God’s presence. In the parables there are two types of stories of life. Some stories are not normal and are not usual occurrences in daily life. For instance, the father’s goodness towards his younger son is not usual. Generally, fathers act much more severely towards children who behave like the younger son in the parable. Other stories are normal and are usual events in daily life, for instance the attitude of the woman who sweeps the house to look for the lost coin. As we shall see, these are different ways of urging people to think about life and about the presence of God in life.

b) A commentary on the text:

Luke 15:1-2: The key to the meaning of the three parables.

The three parables in chapter 15 are preceded by this information: "The tax collectors and sinners, however, were all crowding round to listen to Him, and the Pharisees and scribes complained saying, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them!’" (Lk 15:1). On the one hand there are the sinners and publicans, on the other the Pharisees and scribes, and between the two groups stands Jesus. This was also happening in the 80’s when Luke was writing his Gospel. The pagans approached the communities, wanting to join and take part. Many of the brothers complained, saying that to welcome a pagan was against Jesus’ teaching. The parables helped them discern. In the three parables we notice the same concern: to show what must be done to regain what was lost: the lost sheep (Lk 15:4-7), the lost coin (Lk 15:8-10), the two lost sons (Lk 15:11-32).

Luke 15:3-7: In the first parable you are invited to recover the lost sheep. 

Jesus speaks to His listeners: “If one of you has a hundred sheep…”. He says “one of you”. This means that you are challenged! You, he, she, all of us are challenged! We are asked to challenge ourselves with the strange and unlikely story of the parable. Jesus asks, “Which one of you with a hundred sheep, if he lost one, would fail to leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the missing one till he found it?” What is your answer to Jesus’ question? The way the question is put, we understand that Jesus thinks the answer must be positive. But will it be so? Will it be positive? Would you run the risk of losing ninety-nine sheep in order to find the lost one? I hear a different reply in my heart: “I am very sorry, but I cannot do this. It would be silly to leave the ninety-nine sheep in the desert to find the lost one!” But God’s love is above all normal rules of behavior. Only God can do such a crazy thing, so strange, so out of the normal behavior of human beings. The background to this parable is the criticism of the scribes and Pharisees against Jesus (Lk 15:2). They considered themselves to be perfect and despised others, accusing them of being sinners. Jesus says: “I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner repenting than over ninety-nine upright people who have no need of repentance”. In another place he says: “Tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you!” (Mt 21:31) According to Jesus, God is happier with the repentance of one sinner than with ninety-nine Pharisees and scribes. God is happier with the repentance of one atheist who never goes to church than with ninety-nine who consider themselves practicing and faithful Catholics and who despise atheists and prostitutes. This different image of God that Jesus presents to the doctors, Pharisees and all of us is quite disturbing!

Luke 15:8-10: In the second parable, the woman looks for the lost coin. 

This parable is different. The short story of the lost coin alludes to the normal behavior of poor women who do not have much money. The woman in the parable has only ten silver coins. In those days, a drachma was worth a day’s labor. For poor women, ten drachmas was a lot of money! That is why, if they lost one coin, they would look for it and sweep the whole house till they found it. When they did find it, they would be immensely happy. The woman in the parable talks to her neighbors: “Rejoice with me! I have found the drachma I had lost!” Poor people who were listening to the story would have said: “That’s right! That’s what we do at home! When we find the lost coin our joy is great!” Well, as comprehensible as the great as the joy of poor women is when they find the lost coin, much greater is God’s joy over one sinner who repents!

Luke 15:11-32: In the 3^rd parable, the father tries to meet again his two lost sons.

This parable is well known. It reminds us of things that happen in life as well as of other things that do not happen. The traditional title is “The Prodigal Son”. In fact, the parable does not speak only of the younger son, but describes the attitude of both sons, emphasizing the father’s effort to recover his two lost sons. The fact that Luke places this parable in the central chapter of his Gospel, tells us how important it is for the interpretation of the whole message contained in Luke’s Gospel.

Luke 15:11-13: The younger son’s decision.

A man had two sons. The younger son asks for his share of the inheritance. The father shares everything between them. Both the older son and the younger son receive their share. Inheriting something is no personal merit. It is a free gift. God’s bequest is shared as gifts with all human beings, Jews and pagans, Christians and non-Christians. All have some share in the Father’s bequest. Not all look after their share in the same way. Thus, the younger son goes off a long way and squanders his share by living a dissipated life and forgetting his father. There is no mention yet of the older son who also received his share. Later, we shall know that he goes on staying at home, carrying on his life as usual and working in the fields. In Luke’s time, the older son represented the communities that came from Judaism; the younger son represented communities that came from paganism. Today, who is the younger and who the older son? Or may be both exist in each one of us?

Luke 15:14-19: The frustration of the younger son and the decision to go back to the father’s house.

The need for food causes the younger son to lose his freedom and become a slave, looking after pigs. He is treated even worse than the pigs. This was this situation of millions of slaves in the Roman Empire in Luke’s day. This situation reminds the younger son of his father’s house: “How many of my father’s hired men have all the food they want and more, and here am I dying of hunger!” He sees his life for what it is and decides to go home. He even prepares his speech to his father: “I will leave this place and go to my father and say: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired men!” A hired hand does what he is told, follows the law of servitude. The younger son wanted to follow the law, as the Pharisees and scribes wished to do in Jesus’ time (Lk 15:1). This is what the Pharisee missionaries imposed on the pagans they converted to the God of Abraham (Mt 23:15). In Luke’s time, Christians who came from Judaism wanted Christians who were converted from paganism to submit to the yoke of the law (Acts 15:1ff).

Luke 15:20-24: The father’s joy at seeing the younger son.

The parable says that the younger son was still a long way off from the house, but the father saw him, ran to him and kissed him tenderly. Jesus gives the impression that the father had been waiting all the time at the window, looking at the road, trying to see whether his son would appear on the road! To our way of feeling and thinking, the father’s joy seems to be overdone. He will not let his son finish his prepared speech. He does not listen! The father does not want his son to become a slave. He wants him to be a son! This is the great Good News that Jesus brings! A new robe, new sandals, a ring for his finger, a lamb, a feast! In this great joy at the meeting, Jesus gives us a glimpse of the father’s great sorrow at the loss of his son. God was very sad and now people begin to be aware of this when they see the father’s great joy at seeing his son once more! This joy is shared with all at the feast that the father orders to prepare.

Luke 15:25-28^b: The older son’s reaction.

The older son comes back from work in the fields and sees that there is a feast in the house. He does not go in. He wants to know what is going on. When he is informed of the reason for the feast, he feels very angry and will not go in. Closed in on himself, he only thinks of his rights. He does not approve of the feast and cannot understand his hather’s joy. This implies that he did not know his father well, even though they lived in the same house. Had he known his father, he would have been aware of the father’s great sorrow at the loss of the younger son and he would have understood his joy at his return. Anyone who is too concerned with observing the law of God runs the risk of forgetting God himself! The younger son, even though he was away from home, seems to know his father better than the older son who lived with him in the same house! Thus the younger son has the courage to go back to the father’s house, while the older son no longer wants to go into his father’s house! The older son does not want to be a brother, is not aware that without him, the father will lose his joy because he, too, is his son as is the younger son!

Luke 15:28^a-30: The father’s attitude towards his older son, and the older son’s reply. 

The father goes out of the house and begs his older son to go in. The son replies, “Look, all these years I have slaved for you and never once disobeyed your orders, yet you never offered so much as a kid for me to celebrate with my friends. But, for this son of yours, when he comes back after swallowing up your property – he and his women – you kill the calf we had been fattening!" The older son glories in his observance: “I have never once disobeyed your orders!” He too wants a feast and joy, but only with his friends. Not with his brother, not with his father. He does not mention his brother as such, he does not call him brother, but “this your son”, as if he were no longer his brother. It is he, the older brother, who speaks of prostitutes. It is his malice that interprets thus the life of his younger brother. How often does the older brother misinterpret his younger brother’s life! How often do Catholics misinterpret the life of others! The father’s attitude is different. He goes out of the house for both sons. He welcomes the younger brother, but does not want to lose the older brother. Both are part of the family. The one must not exclude the other!

Luke 15:31-32: The father’s final reply

Just as the father pays no attention to the arguments presented by the younger son, so also he pays no attention to the older son’s arguments and says to him, "My son, you are with me always and all I have is yours. But it was only right we should celebrate and rejoice, because your brother here was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found!" Could it be that the older son was really aware of being always with the father and to find in his presence the cause of rejoicing? The father’s expression, “All I have is yours,” also includes the younger son who has come back! The older son has no right to make distinctions. If he wishes to be his father’s son, then he will have to accept him as he is not as he would like the father to be! The parable does not give us  the older son’s final answer. This concerns us, because we are all older brothers!

c) Further information:

The two economies: the Father’s House and the Master’s House

This parable is known as that of the prodigal son, and this implies the economic side of things. Prodigal means someone who spends freely, even though this is a secondary detail in the parable. Really, the main point of the text is found in the fact that the follower of Jesus will one day have to make a choice: the choice between the Father’s House or the system of sharing the master’s house or the system of accumulation.

The parable begins with a young man who asks the father to give him his share of the inheritance because he wants to leave home (Lk 15:12). To leave the father’s house requires that the person have the one thing the world readily accepts: money. Without money the young man could not face the world. But the young man was not mature enough to administer the money and goes on a life of debauchery (Lk 15:13). To make things worse, when he had spent all his money, he goes through difficult economic times, which, in biblical language, are always described by the word “hunger”. In the biblical world, famine exists when the economic structure has collapsed. So also the young man begins to be in need (Lk 15:14).

Difficulties faced generate maturity. The young man sees that he still needs money to survive in this world. So, for the first time in his life, he seeks employment (Lk 15:15). Thus he goes to the Master’s House who sends him to look after pigs. He is very hungry, his wages are not sufficient and he tries to satisfy his hunger by eating the food given to the pigs (Lk 15:16). Meanwhile, in the master’s house things are not so simple: the pigs’ food is for the pigs. The worker must eat from the wages he gets for his service. Thus the master’s concern is not his worker’s hunger but to fatten the pigs. The young man discovers that in the master’s house food is denied, not shared, not even the food given to the pigs. Each for himself!

From his experience in the master’s house, the young man begins to compare his present situation with that in his father’s house. In his father’s house the workers are not hungry because the bread is shared with all the workers. In the father’s house no one remains without food, not even the workers! The young man then decides to go back to his father’s house. Now he is sufficiently mature to know that he cannot be considered as son, so he asks his father for employment. In the father’s house the workers are not hungry because the bread is shared.

There are those who think that the son goes back because he is hungry. If so, his return would be opportunism. It is not this, but a choice for a particular kind of house. In the master’s house, nothing is shared, not even the pigs’ food. In the father’s house, no one is hungry because the mission of the father’s house is to “fill the hungry with good things” (Lk 1:53). Sharing is the thing that keeps hunger away in the father’s house. But the young man discovers this only because he is hungry in the master’s house. Comparing the two models, the young man makes his choice: he prefers to be a worker in the father’s house, a place of sharing, a place where no one goes hungry and all are satisfied. So he goes back to the father’s house asking to be one of the workers (Lk 15:17-20).

By putting this reflection at the heart of his Gospel, Luke is warning the Christian communities that are organizing themselves in the particular economic system of the Roman Empire. This system is symbolized in the parable by the master’s house, where pigs get more attention than workers, or, where investment is worth more than work. In the father’s house, or in the house of Christians, this system cannot rule. Christians must concentrate their lives on sharing their goods. The sharing of goods means breaking with the imperial system of domination. It means breaking with the master’s house. In the Acts of the Apostles we see that one of the beautiful characteristics of the Christian community lies in the sharing of goods (Acts 2:44-45; 3:6; 4:32-37).

Luke wants to remind us that the greatest sign of the Kingdom is the common table in the Father’s House, where there is room for all and where the bread is shared with all. To live in the Father’s House means to share everything at the common table of the community. No one may be excluded from this table. We are all called to share. As we are constantly reminded in our celebrations: no one is so poor that he or she cannot share something. And no one is so rich that he or she may not have something to receive. The common table is built on sharing by all. Thus the feast in the Father’s House will be eternal.

The three parables have something in common: joy and the feast. Anyone who experiences the free and surprising entrance of the love of God in his or her life will rejoice and will want to communicate this joy to others. God’s saving action is source of joy: “Rejoice with me!” (Lk 15:6.9) It is from this experience of God’s gratuity that the sense of feasting and joy is born (Lk 15:32). At the end of the parable, the father asks all to be joyful and to celebrate. The joy seems to be dampened by the older son who does not want to go in. He wants the right to celebrate only with his friends and does not want to celebrate with the other members of his human family. He represents those who consider themselves just and think that they do not need conversion. 

6. Praying a Psalm

Psalm 63(62): Your love is more than life 

God, You are my God, I pine for You; 

my heart thirsts for You, my body longs for You, 

as a land parched, dreary and waterless.

Thus I have gazed on You in the sanctuary, 

seeing Your power and Your glory.

Better Your faithful love than life itself; 

my lips will praise You.

Thus I will bless You all my life, 

in Your name lift up my hands.

All my longings fulfilled as with fat and rich foods, 

a song of joy on my lips and praise in my mouth.

On my bed when I think of You, 

I muse on You in the watches of the night,

for You have always been my help; 

in the shadow of Your wings I rejoice;

my heart clings to You, 

Your right hand supports me.

May those who are hounding me to death 

go down to the depths of the earth,

given over to the blade of the sword, 

and left as food for jackals.

Then the king shall rejoice in God, 

all who swear by him shall gain recognition, 

for the mouths of liars shall be silenced. 

7. Final Prayer

Lord Jesus, we thank You for the word that has enabled us to understand better the will of the Father. May your Spirit enlighten our actions and grant us the strength to practice what Your Word has revealed to us. May we, like Mary, Your mother, not only listen to but also practice the Word. You live and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

Conditions of discipleship of Jesus

Luke 14:25-33

Opening prayer

Shaddai, God of the mountain,

You who make of our fragile life

the rock of Your dwelling place, 

lead our mind 

to strike the rock of the desert, 

so that water may gush to quench our thirst. 

May the poverty of our feelings

cover us as with a mantle in the darkness of the night 

and may it open our heart to hear the echo of silence 

until the dawn, 

wrapping us with the light of the new morning, 

may bring us, 

with the spent embers of the fire of the shepherds of the Absolute

who have kept vigil for us close to the divine Master,

the flavor of the holy memory.

1. LECTIO

a) The text:

Great crowds were traveling with Jesus, and he turned and addressed them, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion? Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him and say, ‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’ Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops? But if not, while he is still far away, he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms. In the same way, anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”

b) A moment of silence:

Let us allow the voice of the Word to resonate within us. 

2. MEDITATIO

a) Some questions:

- “If any man comes to Me without hating . . . . he cannot be My disciple”: Are we convinced that we must get to the point of separating ourselves from all that ties our hearts, affection received and given, life itself, in order to follow Jesus? 

- “Anyone who does not carry His cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple”: Do I possess the logic of the cross, that is, the logic of love freely given? 

- The means to fulfill this: does my capacity to think inform my life of faith or is it just an interior impulse that dissolves with time and slips by the events of my daily life? 

- To avoid having onlookers make fun of something started: does the reward of someone who started to follow the Lord and then did not have the human resources to go on, that is, derision for inability, apply to me? 

- “None of you can be My disciple unless he gives up all his possessions": am I convinced that the key to discipleship is the poverty of non-possession and the beatitude of belonging?

b) A key to the reading:

We are among those who follow Jesus, with all our baggage of the past. One among so many, our name can be lost. Yet when He turns around and His word strikes the pain of the ties that strongly bind the pieces of our life, questions roll in the most ancient valley of echoes and one single humble reply comes forth from the ruins of unfinished edifices: Lord, to whom shall we go? You alone have the words of eternal life.

v. 25-26. Great crowds accompanied Him on His way and He turned and spoke to them, “If any man comes to Me without hating his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes and his own life too, he cannot be My disciple.” The Lord is not interested in counting those who come to Him. His words are strong and are free of all illusion. Is there anyone who does not know what it means to hate? If I hate a person, I stay away from that person. This choice between the Lord and affection for parents is the first demand of discipleship. To learn from Christ, it is necessary to find once more the nucleus of every love and interest. The love of a follower of the Lord is not a possessive love, but a love of freedom. To follow someone without any guarantees such as blood relationship can give, namely, family ties and one’s own blood a place where life is born of divine wisdom.

v. 27. Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. The only tie that helps us follow Jesus is the cross. This symbol of love that cannot be taken back, capable of being word even when the world silences everything by condemnation and death, is the lesson of the Rabbi born in the smallest village in Judea.

v. 28. Which of you here, intending to build a tower, would not first sit down and work out the cost to see if he had enough to complete it? To build a tower requires a large sum for someone who has limited resources. A good intention to build is not enough. It is necessary to sit down, calculate expenses, seek the means to bring the project to completion. Man’s life is incomplete and unsatisfied because the larger the project the larger the debt! Not to know how to calculate what is within our means to accomplish is not the wisdom of those who after having ploughed wait for the rain, but the lack of awareness of those to expect flowers and harvest from seed thrown among stones and brambles, without making the effort to loosen the soil.

v. 29-30. Otherwise if he laid the foundation and then found himself unable to finish the work, the onlookers would all start making fun of him, saying: “Here is a man who started to build and was unable to finish”. The derision of others which grates like sand on the feelings of hope of the person who wanted to reach high on his own, is the reward of one’s own arrogance clothed in good will. How many humiliations do we not carry with us, but what little fruit do we reap from these painful experiences! Putting down foundations and then not finishing the building is useless. Shattered desires sometimes are good tutors to our naïve self-affirmation… but we fail to understand them so long as we try to cover up our failures and the delusion of our waking up from the fairy-tale world of the dreams of our childhood. Yes, Jesus does tell us to become childlike, but a child will never pretend to build a “real” tower! The child will be happy with a small tower on the beach, because he/she knows well his/her capacity.

vv. 31-32. Or, again, what king marching to war against another king would not first sit down and consider whether with ten thousand men he could stand up to the other who advanced against him with twenty thousand? If not, then while the other king was still a long way off, he would send envoys to negotiate peace. No one can win a war without first sending envoys of peace. To fight for royal supremacy over every other is in itself a lost battle, because man is not called to be a ruling king, but the lord of peace. Approaching the other while still a long way off is the most beautiful sign of victory where no one wins and no one loses, but all become servants of the one true sovereignty in the world: peace and fullness of the gifts of God.

v. 33. So, in the same way, none of you can be My disciple unless he gives up all his possessions. If we examine the capital sins, we shall discover them in the manner of possessing that Jesus speaks of. A person who bases his/her life on possessions is a dissolute person who pretends to have power over all things (pride), enjoys a life of pleasure (lust), goes beyond the limits as a personal right (anger), is hungry for material goods (gluttony), steals from others (envy), keeps things for him/herself (avarice), spoils him/herself apathetically without committing to anything (sloth). The disciple, on the other hand, travels on the rails of the living virtues of the gifts of the Spirit: he/she is a person who has a sense of the things of God (wisdom) and shares it without keeping it to him/herself, and delves deep into the essential meaning of all that is life (knowledge), who listens to the voice of the Spirit (counsel), and reflects on every decision (counsel), who allows him/herself to be protected by the limitations of his/her being (fortitude) and does not give in to the allurement of sin, who knows the secrets of history (knowledge) to build horizons of goodness, who does not take unto him/herself the right of making sense, but who welcomes the source of divine intervention (piety), which springs from the abyss of silence, and is thankful for the marvels of grace of his Creator (fear of God) without being afraid of his/her smallness. Thus a disciple is another Jesus.

c) Reflection:

Our hearts are nets made of chain. We have ties of tenderness and gratitude, ties of love and dependence, endless ties with everything that touches our feelings. Jesus speaks of ties of consanguinity: father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and of ties with life itself, which in the Semitic mentality is symbolized by blood. But the heart must be free of these ties in order to go to Him and create a new tie that gives life because it gives the person freedom to be his/her authentic self. Every disciple has but one task: to learn and not to depend. Blood ties create dependence: how often does affective blackmail stop people from building the tower of their existence? How often do the words “If you love me, do this!” or “If you love me, do not do this…?” Life itself can imprison you when it ties you to what does not suit you physically or mentally, thus influencing your complicated story, or when it ties you to what you choose haphazardly by a will made weak by a thousand grids of events and blackmail. The cross does not tie. It urges that all that you have may be shed, blood and water, even to the last drop. Your whole life as a gift that does not expect any reward. To belong rather than to possess is the secret of the gratuitous love of the Master and of the disciple. Anyone who follows Jesus is not just any disciple who learns a doctrine, but is one who becomes a beloved disciple, capable of narrating the wonders of God when the fire of the Spirit turns him/her into a flame on the candlestick of the world.

3. ORATIO

Psalm 22

The Lord is my shepherd, 

I shall not want; 

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters;

He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I fear no evil; 

for Thou art with me; 

Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me 

in the presence of my enemies; 

thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; 

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

4. CONTEMPLATIO

Lord, as You turn around and look at me, Your words go through my mind and challenge me with everything that is my life. It is as though a pair of scissors unhesitatingly but sweetly cut the umbilical cords that nourish me to keep me going. This certain and necessary action restores my full breath and my freedom. Scripture says in its first pages of the human race: Man will leave his father and mother and will go towards a new fullness, all his, towards the unity of one person, capable of bearing fruit and new life. But we have not grasped the key word of this magnificent project, a word that inconveniences because it is like the waves of the sea where you cannot let yourself go with no security, the word: movement. Life does not stop. A love and a life received from a father and a mother. Yes, a full love, but one that does not limit horizons. Man will leave… and will go… A man and a woman, two in one, children who will be the face of their meeting of love, but who tomorrow will leave to go in their turn… if you stop to grasp life, life dies in your grasp, and with life your unfulfilled dream also dies, the dream of a full love that is never exhausted. Lord, grant us to understand that to love is to follow, to listen, to go, to stop, to lose oneself in order to find oneself in a movement of freedom that fulfills every desire for eternal possession. Let me not, for the sake of possessing a part of life, lose the joy of belonging to life, to that divine life that comes and goes in me for others and from others to me to make of the days that go by waves of freedom and of gift from God within the limitations of each life. Grant that I may always be the beloved disciple of Your dying life, capable of welcoming in inheritance the son-ship and guardianship, in Your Spirit, of every authentic motherhood.

The parable of the first and the last places: 

for everyone who raises himself up will be humbled

Luke 14:1, 7-14 

1. Listening to the Text

a) Initial Prayer:

Lord, we all have an insatiable need to listen to You, and You know it, because You Yourself have created us like that. “You alone have words of eternal life” (Jn 6:68). We believe in these words; we are hungry and thirsty for these words; for these words, in humility and love, we commit all our fidelity.

“Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening” (1 Sam 3:9). It is the frantic prayer of Samuel who does not know; ours is somewhat different, but it has been precisely Your voice, Your Word, which has changed the shaking of the ancient prayer in the yearning for communion of a son who cries to his father: Speak, for Your son is listening.

b) Reading of the Gospel:

On a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, and the people there were observing him carefully. He told a parable to those who had been invited, noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table. "When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor. A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him, and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say, 'Give your place to this man,' and then you would proceed with embarrassment to take the lowest place. Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, 'My friend, move up to a higher position.' Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table. For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted." Then he said to the host who invited him, "When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

c) Moment of prayerful silence:

In order to be affected by the word of Christ and so that the Word made flesh, who is Christ, can dwell in our heart and that we can adhere, it is necessary that there be listening and profound silence. 

2. The word is enlightened (Lectio)

a) Context:

The parable on the choice of place is narrated on a Saturday when Jesus is already in Jerusalem, where the Paschal Mystery will be fulfilled, and where the Eucharist of the new Covenant will be celebrated, which then follows the encounter with the living one and the entrusting of mission to the disciples, and prolongs  the historical mission of Jesus. The light of the Passover makes all those who are called to represent Him as servants, diakonos, within the community, gathered around the table, to see the road that the Lord follows. It is the theme of the guests at table or of joyful living together of Saint Luke. Jesus has realized the most beautiful reality, proclaimed and taught at table in a joyful, sociable frame.

In chapter 14, Luke, with his art of a capable narrator, paints a picture in which he superimposes two images: Jesus at table defines the face of the new community, as well as convoked around the Eucharistic table. The page is subdivided in two scenes: first, the invitation to dinner in the house of one of the chief Pharisees, on a feast day, Saturday (Lk 14:15-16), which also concerns the problem of the guests: who will participate at the table of the Kingdom? This is prepared beginning now in the relationship with Jesus, who convokes around Himself the people in the community-Church.

b) Exegesis:

- Saturday a day of feast and of liberation

This is the passage in Luke: “On a Sabbath day He had gone to share a meal in the house of one of the leading Pharisees; and they watched Him closely.” (Lk 14:1). On a feast day Jesus is invited by the one who is responsible for the movement of the observant, or Pharisees. Jesus is at the table. The first episode takes place in this context: the healing of a man with dropsy prevented by his physical disability from participating at table. Those who are sick in their body are excluded from the community by the observant as the Rule of Qumran says. The meal on Saturday has a festive and sacred character especially for the observant of the law. In fact, on Saturday, there is a weekly remembrance of Exodus and of creation. Jesus, precisely on that Saturday, gives back freedom and reintegrates in full health the man with dropsy.

He therefore, justifies His gesture before the teachers and the observant of the law with these words: “Which of you here, if his ass or ox falls into a well, will not pull it out on a Sabbath day?” God is interested in persons and not only in the property or possessions of man. Saturday is not reduced to external observance of the sacred rest, but is in favor of man. With this concern turned toward man, the key to define the criteria of convocation in this community is also given, symbolized by the table: How to choose the place? Whom to invite and who participates at the end, in the Banquet of the Kingdom? Jesus’ gesture is a program: Saturday is made for man. On Saturday He does what is the fundamental significance of the celebration of the memory of the exodus from Egypt and of creation.

- On the choice of places and of the guests

The criteria in choosing the places are not based on precedence, on the roles or the fame or renown, but are inspired by the acts of God who promotes the last ones, “because the one who raises himself up will be humbled and the one who humbles himself will be raised up” (Lk 14:11). This principle, which closes the parable of the new prescript,  of the reversal of the worldly criteria, refers to God’s action by means of the passive form “will be raised up”. God raises up the little ones and the poor as Jesus has done in introducing the man with dropsy, who was excluded, to the table to partake in the Sabbath feast .

Then we have the criteria for the choice of guests. The criteria of recommendation and of corporate solidarity are excluded: “Do not invite your friends, or your brothers or your relations or rich neighbors…” “On the contrary, when you have a party, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind…” (Lk 14:12-13).

The list begins with the poor, who in Luke’s Gospel are the beneficiaries of the Beatitudes: “Blessed are you poor, for yours is the Kingdom of Heaven”. In the list of the guests the poor are mentioned as are the physically disabled and the handicapped, excluded from the confraternity of the Pharisees and from the ritual of the time (cf. 2 Sam 5:8; Lev 21:18).

This same list is found in the parable of the great banquet: the poor, the crippled, the blind, the lame, all take the place of the wealthy guests. (Lk 14:21).

This second parable on the criteria of choice of the guests is proclaimed with this proclamation: “Then you will be blessed, for they have no means to repay you and so you will be repaid when the upright rise again” (Lk 14:14), at the end of time when God will manifest His sovereignty by granting eternal life. At this point there is a statement of one of the invited guests which is like a souvenir between the two small parables and the parable of the great banquet: “Blessed is anyone who will share the meal in the Kingdom of God” (Lk 14:15). This word which recalls the beatitude of the Kingdom and the condition to participate in it through the image of the banquet, “to eat the bread”, introduces the parable of the great banquet in its eschatological meaning. But this final banquet, which is the kingdom of God and full communion with Him, is prepared at present by sitting and eating together at the same table.  

3. The word enlightens me (to meditate)

a) When Jesus was in the house of the Pharisee who had invited Him to eat, He observes how those invited try to get the first places. It is a very common attitude in life, not only when one is at table: each one tries also to get the first place regarding attention and consideration on the part of others. Everyone, beginning with ourselves, has this experience. But let us pay attention: the words of Jesus which exhort to abstain from seeking the first place are not simply an example of good education; they are a rule of life. Jesus clarifies that it is the Lord who gives to each one  dignity and honor. We are not the ones to give it to ourselves, perhaps claiming our own merits. As He did in the Beatitudes, Jesus overturns the judgment and the behavior of this world. The one who recognizes himself a sinner and humble is raised up by God, but the one who instead intends to get recognition and the first place risks excluding himself from the banquet.

b) “Do not take your seat in the place of honor, a more distinguished person than you may have been invited… then to your embarrassment you will have to go and take the lowest place” (Lk 14:8-9). It seems that Jesus takes as a joke the childish efforts of the guests who struggle in order to get the best positions; but His intention has a more serious purpose. Speaking to the leaders of Israel He shows which is the power which builds up the relations of the Kingdom: “Whoever raises himself up will be humbled and who humbles himself will be raised up” (Lk 14:11). He describes to them the “good use of power” founded on humility. It is the same power which God releases in humanity in the Incarnation: “At the service of the will of the Father, in order that the whole creation returns to Him, the Word did not count “equality with God something to be grasped, but He emptied himself taking the form of a slave, becoming as human beings are; and being in every way like a human being, He was humbler yet, even to accepting death on the cross” (Phil 2:6-8). This glorious kenosis of the Son of God has the capacity to heal, to reconcile and to liberate all creation. Humility is the force which builds up the Kingdom and the community of the disciples, the Church. 

4. To pray – Psalm 23

The Psalm seems to turn around a title: the Lord is my shepherd”. The Saints are the image of the flock on the way: they are accompanied by the goodness and the loyalty of God, until they definitively reach the house of the Father (L. Alonso Schökel, The Psalms of trust, Dehoniana Books, Bologna 2006, 54).

Yahweh is my shepherd, 

I lack nothing.

In grassy meadows He lets me lie. 

By tranquil streams He leads me

to restore my spirit. 

He guides me in paths of saving justice 

as befits His name.

Even were I to walk 

in a ravine as dark as death 

I should fear no danger, 

for You are at my side. 

Your staff and Your crook 

are there to soothe me.

You prepare a table for me 

under the eyes of my enemies; 

You anoint my head with oil; 

my cup brims over.

Kindness and faithful love 

pursue me every day of my life. 

I make my home in the house of Yahweh 

for all time to come. 

5. Final Prayer

“Lord, thanks to Your light which descended on me, it flooded my life with the conviction that I am a sinner. I have understood more deeply that Your Son Jesus is my Savior.

My will, my spirit, my being cling to Him tightly. May the omnipotence of Your love conquer me, Oh my God. Overthrow the resistance which frequently renders me rebellious, the nostalgia which impels me to be indolent, lazy; may Your love conquer everything so that I can be a happy trophy of Your victory.

My hope is anchored in Your fidelity. Whether I have to grow in the whirlwinds of civilization, I have converted into a flower and Your watchman in this spring which has blossomed, sprouted from the blood of Your Son. You look at each one of us, you take care of us, You watch over us; You, the cultivator of this spring of eternal life: You, Father of Jesus, and our Father; You, my Father!” (Anastasio Ballestrero).

The narrow door and the call of the gentiles

Luke 13:22-30

1. LECTIO

a) Opening prayer:

We come before You, Father, and because we do not know how to talk to You, to help us we use the words Your Son Jesus pronounced on our behalf. Help us to listen to the upsetting message of this word: “Try your best to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed”. This is a word You repeat to everyone who listens to Your Son’s Gospel. Help us to understand it, so that we may be able to read Your scripture and savor it, feel it burn like a fire in us. We implore You, Father, send us Your Spirit. And you Mary, mother of contemplation, who have kept the words and events of Jesus in your heart for a long time, grant us to contemplate the Word, to listen to it and allow it to penetrate our hearts.

b) Reading of the Gospel:

Jesus passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, "Lord, will only a few people be saved?" He answered them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough. After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, 'Lord, open the door for us.' He will say to you in reply, 'I do not know where you are from. And you will say, 'We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.' Then he will say to you, 'I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!' And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out. And people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God. For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last."

c) A few moments of prayerful silence:

To listen devoutly to the voice of God, we need silence and interior calm. We need to create in our hearts “a quiet corner where we can make contact with God” (Edith Stein) and be able to establish deep communication between ourselves and the Word. If we do not stand before God in silence, in silence and gazing on His face, we will form words but we will be saying nothing.

2. MEDITATIO

a) A key to the reading:

This Sunday’s passage is found in the second part of Luke’s Gospel where Jerusalem, the object of Jesus’ existential and theological journey, is mentioned several times, of which three are part of the post-Paschal liturgical way: Lk 9:51 (13th Sunday of ordinary time “C”), Lk 13:22-30 (21st Sunday of ordinary time “C”) and Lk 17:11 (28th Sunday of ordinary time “C”). The proclamation of a journey, placed at the beginning of the Gospel text, helps the readers to remember that they are also journeying towards Jerusalem with Jesus. The journey towards the holy city is the thread that runs through the whole of the second part of the Gospel (Lk 9:51-19:46) and most of what is said is introduced by verbs of movement presenting Jesus and his disciples as pilgrims or itinerants. Jesus’ journey towards the holy city is not strictly speaking, a geographical journey, but corresponds to a theological and spiritual journey. This kind of journey also involves the disciple and the reader of the Gospel: going on “the journey” of Jesus makes us like itinerants whose mandate is to preach the Gospel.

On this journey Jesus faces conflicts with the Jewish world, and in Lk 13:10-30 includes three episodes: 13:10-17 (the healing of the crippled woman), 18-21 (the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast) and in 22-30 (the discourse on the narrow door). This last is the text the liturgy of the Word presents to us this Sunday. It begins with the journey as a background to Jesus’ words as He went “through towns and villages…teaching” (v.22). It is characteristic of Luke to note Jesus’ ministry as a journey.

Now, at one stage on this journey towards Jerusalem, someone puts a question to Jesus: how many will be saved? Jesus’ reply does not mention any number of those who will be saved, but contains an exhortation and a warning, a “try”, which points to an attitude to be assumed: “to enter by the narrow door”. This image recalls in the mind of the disciples, and in Luke’s community, for the need to address their preoccupation with the burdensome commitment that the journey of faith demands. Immediately after this, Jesus introduces the true and proper teaching with a parable that is associated with the image of the narrow door, the parable of the master of the house who, after having closed the door of the house, will not allow anyone in (v.25). This detail brings to mind the end of the parable of the ten virgins in Mt 25:10-12. These examples tell us that there is an intermediate time when we must commit ourselves to receive salvation before the door is closed definitively and irreversibly.

Partaking in the founding moments in the life of the community, like at the supper of the Lord (“we have eaten and drunk in Your presence”) and the proclamation of the Word (“You have taught in our squares”), if not backed up by a life commitment, cannot avoid the danger of condemnation. Luke’s Gospel likes to present Jesus as taking part at the table of those who invite Him, but not all who sit at the table with Him have an automatic right to the definitive salvation that He proclaimed through the image of a banquet. Thus, also, having heard His teaching does not automatically guarantee salvation. In fact, in Luke, listening to Jesus’ word is an indispensable condition for discipleship, but it is not enough. Disciples need to make the commitment to follow the master, keeping His teaching and bearing fruit through perseverance (Lk 8:15).

Those who have not been able to enter by the narrow door before it is closed are called “doers of iniquity”: they are those who did not commit themselves to putting God’s plan into practice. Their future situation is presented figuratively with an expression that tells of the irreversibility of their not being saved: “Then there will be weeping and grinding of teeth” (v.28).

Interesting is the reference to the great biblical patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) and to all the prophets: they will enter and be part of the kingdom of God. If to Jesus’ contemporaries this affirmation could seem to indicate that salvation was the privilege of the Jews, for Christians of Luke’s community it constituted a warning not to think of salvation as an automatic consequence. The kingdom that Jesus proclaims becomes the place where the disciples meet and come from the “east and west, from north and south” (v.29). Jesus’ discourse introduces a dynamic of salvation that involves the whole of humanity and is addressed especially to the poor and sick (Lk 14:15-24). Luke, more than the other Evangelists, is sensitive to the proclamation of a universal salvation and presents Jesus as offering the promise of salvation no longer just to Israel, but to all peoples. The final affirmation comes as a sign of this changed condition of salvation: “there are those who now are last who will be first, and those now first who will be last” (v.30). This affirmation shows how God upsets and turns upside down the mechanisms of human logic: no one must trust in a position attained, but everyone is invited to constantly tune into the Gospel’s wavelength.

b) Some questions:

i) The narrow door of salvation reminds us of the necessity of all to be committed to receiving this gift. The image does not say that God wishes to make it difficult to obtain salvation, but it emphasizes the co-responsibility of men and women, the reality of the effort involved in this commitment to obtain salvation. According to Cyprian, going through the narrow door means a transformation: “Who does not wish to be transformed as soon as possible into the image of Christ?”. The image of the narrow door is a symbol of the work of transformation to which the believer is committed through a slow and progressive effort on him/herself in order to refine him/herself and be molded by the Gospel. More correctly, the one who does not commit him/herself to any kind of reciprocal relationship with God, with others and with the world, risks perdition. Often the temptation is to propose other doors, seemingly easier and more useful, like those of selfishness, avoiding God’s friendship and relationships with others. Are you committed to build relationships or are you intent on being selfish? Are you convinced that salvation is offered you through the relational dimension of communion with God and others?

ii) Salvation is possible for all. Everyone may attain it, but such a gift from Jesus requires an effective and personal response from us. In Jesus’ teaching we do not find the use of any threat to render people aware regarding salvation, but only an invitation to be fully aware of the extraordinary and irreversible opportunity of the gift of mercy and life before God and in dialogue with Him. Towards what and towards whom is your life pointing? How do you use your freedom? Are you able to welcome God’s invitation to be co-responsible for your salvation or have you surrendered to waste and perdition?

iii) If we consider the question of that person who asked Jesus, “Sir, will there be only few saved?”, no one can consider him/herself privileged. Salvation belongs to all and all are called. The door to salvation may be closed for those who expect to enter with the unwieldy baggage of personal inconsistencies. Do you feel the desire to enter and be part of that “infinite throng from east and west who will sit at the table of the kingdom of God”? And if you see yourself as last (small, simple, sinner, bent by suffering…) if you live with love and hope, do not despair. Jesus said that the last will be first.

3. ORATIO

a) Psalm 117, 1-2

Praise the Lord, all nations! 

Extol Him, all peoples!

For great is His steadfast love toward us; 

and the faithfulness of the Lord endures for ever. 

Praise the Lord!

b) Closing prayer:

Lord, grant that we may feel the life of Your Word we have heard; break, we beseech You, the knots of our uncertainty, our quibbles, our “ifs” and “buts” that hold us back from entering into salvation through the narrow door. Grant that we may welcome without fear, without too many doubts, the Word of God that invites us to commit ourselves and work hard at our life of faith. Lord, grant that through the Word we have heard this Sunday, the day of the Lord, we may be freed from false security concerning our salvation and may Your Word bring us joy, strengthen, purify and save us. And you, Mary, model of those who listen and of silence, help to be alive and authentic, to understand that, in virtue of the Word, whatever is difficult becomes easy, whatever is obscure becomes light.

4. CONTEMPLATIO

Contemplation is the peak of any biblical reading after we have meditated and prayed. To contemplate is to enter, through listening to the Word, into a faith and love relationship with God who is life and truth and who in Christ has revealed His face to us. The Word of God unveils that hidden face in every page of sacred scripture. Suffice it to look in admiration, be open to the light, allow it to penetrate us. It is the ecstasy experienced before the beautiful and the good. Extend into your daily life this climate of great communication experienced with God in listening to His Word, and preserve the taste of the beauty in your dialogue with others in whatever work you do.

The teaching of Jesus concerning vigilance

Luke 12:32-48

1. Opening prayer

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful.

You who have already come to make us faithful, 

come now to make us blessed.

You who have come so that, with Your help, 

we may glory in the hope of sharing 

in the glory of the children of God,

come again that we may also glory in its possession.

It is You who confirm, consolidate,

perfect and bring to fulfillment.

The Father created us, the Son redeemed us:

fulfill then that which is Yours.

Introduce us to the whole truth, 

to the enjoyment of the highest Good,

to the vision of the Father, the abundance of all delights,

the joy of joys. Amen

(Gualtiero di S. Vittore) 

2. Lectio

a) A key to the reading:

We have here a double context: the formation of the disciples during Jesus’ journey towards Jerusalem (9:51-19:28) and the reaction of the converted pagans in the communities of Luke after their initial enthusiasm and the prolonged coming of the Lord. The disciples are scared (9:45) at the new idea of the mission of Jesus who has to suffer (9:22,43-44), and in them the more comforting idea of a glorious Messiah continues to dominate. Similarly, in the new Christian communities (in the 80’s), a revival of the pagan spirit begins to grow. Perhaps, before converting definitely and deeply, put off this change of life and way of thinking? Jesus assures His disciples with three parables and makes them reflect on the meaning of meeting with God, on the meaning of vigilance and of the responsibility of each one in the present situation.

b) A suggested division of the text:

12:32-35 introduction.

12:36-38 the parable of the master who returns from his wedding.

12:39 the parable of the thief who forces his way.

12:40-41 the disciples implicated.

12:42-46 the parable of the steward.

12:47-48 conclusion.

c) The text:

Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” Then Peter said, “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?” And the Lord replied, “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. Truly, I say to you, the master will put the servant in charge of all his property. But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, then that servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish the servant severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful. That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”

3. A moment of prayerful silence

so that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.

a) A few questions:

- What did I feel when I read the text: fear, trust, surprise, joy, hope, confusion. . .? 

- How far does Christian life mean joy to me and how far is it a burden? How far is it a matter of duty and how far of love?

- What do I feel when I think of a sudden death for me?

- How far is communion with God still an expectation for me and how far something that I already possess?

- How does the pagan thinking of “carpe diem”, contrary to Gospel values, manifest itself today?

- In my life, what does it mean to be vigilant, faithful, working for the Kingdom and prepared?

b) A commentary:

This is a catechesis on the return of the Lord.

12:32 There is no reason for fear.

Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you His kingdom. When the disciples are facing fear, Jesus consoles them with the metaphor of the flock (Jn 10; 21:15-17) and the good shepherd. One must fear false prophets (Mt 7:15). The Father’s will is that not one be lost (Mt 18:12-16), He will give us everything (Rom 8:28-32). A place has been prepared for us from the beginning of time (Mt 25:34). We are heirs with the Son (1Pet 1:3-5).

12:33-34 Today we welcome the richness of possessing God, the only good. God alone suffices! 

Sell your possessions, and give alms; provide yourselves with purses that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 

Jesus had said that we must not store up physical treasures (Mt 6:20-21). The Christian community had understood the meaning of freedom from attachment to goods and the sharing of them (Acts 4:34) because time was short (1Cor 7:29-31). The new life in Christ becomes the criterion for ownership of any possession.

12:35 A daily commitment.

Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning;

Because it has pleased the Father to give us the kingdom, we must be ready to take possession of it, after we have left behind every hindrance. The Jews girded their long robes at the waist so as to be able to work better. Elijah girds himself in order to run (1Kings 18:46). The attitude that Jesus recommends to those who are expecting His coming is that of getting down to work and not to give in to mediocrity (1Thess 5:6-8; 1Pet 5:8; 1:13). Vigilance is fundamental for the Christian. The Christian’s way of life is more than just an attitude for he/she has now put on Christ and is dedicated to His Kingdom.

12:37-38 Meeting God will be wonderful.

Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes; truly, I say to you, he will gird himself and have them sit at table, and he come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those servants! 

The action of the master who serves his servants is quite surprising! This was what Jesus did when He washed the feet of His disciples (Jn 13:4-5). The division of the night into parts (Mk 13:35) according to Roman custom, makes it more difficult for those watching. For those who are creatively faithful to the Lord, the future is guaranteed.

12:39 Let us not waste time (and money!) in trying to look into the future. 

But know this: that if the householder had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would have been awake and would not have left his house to be broken into. 

One argument in favor of vigilance is that we do not know when the Lord will come (Mt 24:42-51). Both the day of the final judgment and of our individual death are unknown. His coming cannot be foreseen (Rev 3:3). This made a great impression on the disciples (1Thess 2:1-2; 2Pet 3:10).

12:40-41 Love not formal membership must be our strength. 

You also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an unexpected hour. Peter said, “Lord, are You telling this parable for us or for all?” 

Peter, his old self, still thinks of getting some privileges because he had left everything behind to follow Jesus (Mt 19:27). Jesus helps Peter grow in conscience by answering indirectly through the parable of the good steward. 

Conversion is a life-long process, also for those who feel close to the Lord.

12:42-44 Combining vigilance and faithful service to the task entrusted to us. 

And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 

Luke uses “steward” rather than “servant” (Mt 24:45) almost suggesting the question made by Peter. Those responsible, particularly, have to be faithful in their service.

12:45-46 Not putting off our conversion to an indefinite tomorrow.

But if that servant says to himself, “My master is delayed in coming,” and begins to beat the manservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will punish him with the unfaithful. 

There are those who welcomed enthusiastically the Gospel message, but now, faced with present difficulties and consequent commitments, begin to take up once more their old habits: violence, intemperance, not following instincts, all values that are contrary to the Gospel.

12:47 Giving according to the measure that we have received. 

That servant who knew his master’s will, but did not make ready or act according to his will, shall receive a severe beating. But he who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, shall receive a light beating. 

The Lord will reward each one according to his/her deeds (Mt 16:27) and according to the grace received (Rom 11:11-24). Jews, pagans, converted persons or those faithful to their religion will be judged according to their right conscience.

12:48 For great will be the eternal communion with God. 

Every one to whom much is given, of him will much be required; and of him to whom men commit much they will demand the more.

St. John of the Cross says that at the end of life we will be judged on love. See also Mt 25:15-16. 

4. Psalm 33:1-5; 13-15; 18-22

Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous! 

Praise befits the upright. 

Praise the Lord with the lyre, 

make melody to Him with the harp of ten strings! 

Sing to Him a new song, 

play skillfully on the strings, 

with loud shouts. 

For the word of the Lord is upright; 

and all His work is done in faithfulness. 

He loves righteousness and justice; 

the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord. 

The Lord looks down from heaven, 

He sees all the sons of men; 

from where He sits enthroned 

He looks forth on all the inhabitants of the earth, 

He who fashions the hearts of them all, 

and observes all their deeds. 

Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, 

on those who hope in His steadfast love, 

that He may deliver their soul from death, 

and keep them alive in famine. 

Our soul waits for the Lord; 

He is our help and shield. 

Yea, our heart is glad in Him, 

because we trust in His holy Name. 

Let Thy steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, 

even as we hope in Thee. 

5. Closing prayer

Father, may the same faith burn in our hearts as that flame that urged Abraham to live on earth as a pilgrim. May our light never dim, so that, vigilant in expectation of Your hour, we may be ushered by You into our eternal homeland (Collect 19^th Sunday C). Amen.

The concern about riches

keeps us away from God and

prevents us from serving our neighbor

Luke 12, 13-21

1. Let us recollect ourselves in prayer – Statio

We are here before You, O Holy Spirit; we feel the weight of our weakness, but we have all gathered here in Your name; come to us, help us, come to our hearts; teach us what we should do, show us the path that we should follow, fulfill what You ask of us. You alone be the one to suggest and to guide our decisions, because You alone, with God the Father and with the Son, have a holy and glorious name; do not allow justice to be hurt by us, You who love order and peace; may ignorance not cause us to deviate; may human sympathy not render us partial, nor charges or people influence us; keep us close to You so that we may not drift away from truth in anything; help us, we who are meeting in Your name, to know how to contemplate goodness and tenderness together, so as to do everything in harmony with You, in the hope that by the faithful fulfillment of our duty we may be given the eternal reward in the future. Amen.

2. Prayerful reading of the Word – Lectio

Of the Gospel according to Luke:

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” Then he told them a parable. “There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God.”

3. To ponder the Word – Meditatio

3.1. Key to the reading:

The text of the liturgy for the 18^th Sunday of Ordinary Time forms part of a long discourse from Jesus on trust in God, which drives away every fear (Lk 12:6-7), and on abandonment to God’s providence (Lk 12:22-23). The passage for today, in fact, is precisely between these two texts. Here are some of the teachings given by Jesus, before He was interrupted by  “one of the crowd” (Lk 12:13), about  trust and abandonment:

Lk 12:4-7: “To you My friends I say: Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. I will tell you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has the power to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, he is the one to fear. Can you not buy five sparrows for two pennies? And yet not one is forgotten in God's sight. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. There is no need to be afraid: you are worth more than many sparrows.”

Lk 12:11-12: “When they take you before synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how to defend yourselves or what to say, because when the time comes, the Holy Spirit will teach you what you should say.”

It is precisely at this point that the man interrupts Jesus’ discourse, showing his concern about the question of inheritance (Lk 12:13). Jesus preaches and says not to have “fear of those who kill the body and then can do nothing else” (Lk 12:4) and this man does not perceive the meaning of Jesus’ words addressed to those whom he recognizes as “My friends” (Lk 12:4). From the Gospel of John we know that a friend of Jesus is one who knows Jesus, in other words, one who knows everything that He has heard from the Father (Jn 15:15). The friend of Jesus should know that his Master is deeply rooted in God (Jn 1:1) and that His only concern is to seek to do the will of the one who has sent Him (Jn 4:34). The advice and the example of Jesus given to His friends is not to worry or be troubled for material things because “life is worth more than food and the body worth more than what you will wear” (Mt 6:25). In an eschatological context Jesus admonishes, “be on guard or your hearts will be coarsened by debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life” (Lk 21:34).

This is why the question of the man who asks Jesus to tell “his brother to give me a share of our inheritance (Lk 12:13) is superfluous before the Lord. Jesus refuses to act as judge between the parties (Lk 12:14) like in the case of the adulterous woman (Jn 8:2-11). We can see that, for Jesus, it is not important which of these two is right. He remains neutral before the question between the two brothers because His kingdom is not of this world (Jn 18:36). Jesus’ behavior  reflects the image which Luke gives us of the Lord, meek and humble. The accumulation of material goods, the inheritance, fame, power, do not form part of the hierarchy of Jesus’ values. In fact, He uses the question of the two brothers to repeat and confirm that “life does not depend on goods” (Lk 12:15), even if they are abundant.

As usual, here too Jesus teaches by means of a parable in which He presents “a rich man” (Lk 12:16).  We would say an insatiable  rich man who does not know what to do with his goods which are so abundant. (Lk 12:17). This man reminds us of the rich man who closes himself in self and is not aware of the misery of  poor Lazarus (Lk 16:1-31). It is certain that we cannot define this rich man as just. Just is the one who, like Job, shares with the poor the goods received from God’s providence: “because I helped the poor who asked for help, the orphan who had no helper, the dying man’s blessing rested on me and I gave the widow’s heart cause to rejoice” (Job 29:12-13). The rich man of the parable is a foolish man (Lk 12:20) who has his heart full of goods received, forgetting God, the Supreme and only One who is good. He “accumulates treasures for himself, but is not enriched before God” (Lk 12:21). In his foolishness he is not aware that everything is bestowed freely from God’s providence, not only his goods but also his life. The terminology used in the parable makes us notice this:

- The harvest: “The land […] had given a good harvest” (Lk 12:16)

- The life: “This very night the demand will be made for your soul” (Lk 12:20).

It is not wealth in itself which constitutes the foolishness of this man but it is his avarice and greed which reveal his foolishness. In fact, he says, “My soul, you have plenty of good things laid by for many years to come; take things easy, eat, drink, have a good time” (Lk 12:19).

The attitude of the wise man instead is very different. We see this for example embodied in the person of Job who with great detachment, exclaims, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, naked I shall return again. Yahweh gave, Yahweh has taken back. Blessed be the name of Yahweh!” (Job 1:21). The wisdom tradition has handed down or transmitted to us some teachings on the right attitude to have before riches: Prov 27:1; Sir 11:19; Eccl 2:17-23; 5:17-6:2. The New Testament also admonishes on this point: Mt 6:19-34; I Cor 15:32; Jas 4:13-15; Rev 3:17-18.

4. Question to orientate the meditation and the application:

● What struck you most in this passage and in the reflection?

● What does it mean for you that Jesus remains neutral toward the rich man’s question?

● Do you believe that avarice has something to do with the social condition in which one finds oneself? (the answer may be the opposite of what you might expect)

● Do we believe in God’s providence?

● Are you conscious or aware that what you possess has been given to you by God, or rather do you feel that you are the absolute master of your goods? 

●  How does fear enter into our greed or our charity? Do you fear not having enough? Do you use fear (of being sued perhaps) as an excuse for not getting involved in helping your neighbor (as Jesus defines it) on a personal level?

●  When you share your wealth, is it through an organization which provides return benefits? If you receive a tax deduction, discount, coupons, or other compensation, is it really a “gift” (and with spiritual benefit), or would Jesus say that you have had your repayment? (see Lk 14:13, Lk 6:35, Mt 6:2-4)

5. Oratio

1Chronicles 29:10-19

"May You be blessed, Yahweh, God of Israel our ancestor, for ever and for ever!

Yours, Yahweh, is the greatness, the power, the splendor, length of days and glory, everything in heaven and on earth is Yours. Yours is the sovereignty, Yahweh; You are exalted, supreme over all.

Wealth and riches come from You, You are ruler of all, in Your hand lie strength and power, and You bestow greatness and might on whomsoever You please.

So now, our God, we give thanks to You and praise Your majestic name, for who am I and what is my people, for us to be able to make this freewill offering like this? - since everything has come from You and we have given You only what You bestowed in the first place, and we are guests before You, and passing visitors as were all our ancestors, our days on earth fleeting as a shadow and without hope.

Yahweh our God, all this wealth, which we have provided to build a house for Your holy Name, has come from You and all belongs to You.

Knowing, my God, how You examine our motives and how You delight in integrity, with integrity of motive I have willingly given all this and have been overjoyed to see Your people, now present here, willingly offering their gifts to You.

Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel our ancestors, watch over this for ever, shape the purpose of Your people's heart and direct their hearts to You, and give an undivided heart to Solomon my son to keep Your commandments, Your decrees and Your statutes, to put them all into effect and to build the palace for which I have made provision."

6. Contemplatio

Psalm 119:36-37

Bend my heart to Your instructions, 

not to selfish gain. 

Avert my eyes from pointless images, 

by Your word give me life.

The prayer of the Master

the prayer of the disciples

Luke 11:1-13

1. Opening prayer

Father of all mercies,

in the Name of Christ Your Son, we implore You,

send us the Gift,

pour Your Spirit into us!

Spirit, Paraclete,

teach us to pray in truth

in the new temple

who is the Christ.

Spirit, faithful to the Father and to us,

as the dove has its nest,

plead within us incessantly with the Father,

because we do not know how to pray.

Spirit of Christ,

first gift to us believers,

pray within us tirelessly to the Father,

as the Son taught us. Amen.

2. Reading

a) To help us understand the passage:

The Gospel passage is divided into three sections:

vv. 1-4: the prayer that Jesus taught,

vv. 5-8: the parable of the insistent friend,

vv. 9-13: the teaching on the efficacy of prayer.

b) The text:

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test." And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,' and he says in reply from within, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.' I tell you, if he does not get up to give the visitor the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence. "And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? 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?"

3. A moment of prayerful silence

- Like the disciples, we too come together around Jesus who prays alone. We gather around Him and in Him all our energies, every thought, every commitment and preoccupation, our hopes and pains… 

- Today it is we who are those disciples who see the Master praying and allow ourselves to be involved in His prayer, which was and is quite special. 

- Today His words are addressed to us, the invitation to trust in the love of the Father is addressed to us. We are so taken up with material things, so much seeking “all and immediately”, so spellbound by a thousand things, that then (and only “then”, after some event that shakes us) we discover that they are all really superfluous… 

- Today it is up to us to give voice to the prayer of the Master: Father, hallowed be Your name…

4. Some questions

Let us use this occasion to examine our way of praying:

* What does praying mean for me: An obligation? A pause in the search for myself? Presenting God with a list of requests? A pause in the company of the Father? A simple and trusting dialogue with the One who loves me?

* How much time do I give to prayer: some every day? Once a week or once a month? Occasionally? Systematically? Do I wait until I “feel the need” to pray?

* What is the starting point of my prayer: is it the Word of God? Is it the saint or the liturgical feast of the day? Is it devotion to our Lady? Is it an illustration or icon? Is it the events of my life or those of the history of the world?

* Whom do I meet when I pray: looking deep into myself, when I pray do I speak to one whom I feel to be a judge or to a friend? Do I feel Him to be an “equal” or someone who is “holy”, infinite or unattainable? Is He near to me or far and indifferent? Is He my Father or my master? Does He care for me or “is He busy with His own affairs”?

* How do I pray: do I pray a little mechanically, using set formulae? Do I pray using passages from the psalms or other biblical texts? Liturgical texts? Do I choose to pray spontaneously? Do I look for texts using beautiful words or do I prefer to repeat a short phrase? How do I use “the Lord’s prayer”? Do I more often find myself invoking God for some need or to praise Him in the liturgy or to contemplate Him in silence? Am I able to pray while I am working or in any place or only when I am in church? Am I able to make liturgical prayer my own? What place does the Mother of God have in my prayer?

5. A key to the reading

This passage presents prayer as one of the fundamental requirements and a key point in the life of a disciple of Jesus and of the community of disciples.

vv. 1-4: Jesus, like other great religious masters of His time, teaches His followers a prayer that will define them: the “Our Father”.

a) Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when He had finished one of His disciples said, “Lord, teach us to pray”: Jesus goes aside to pray. In Luke’s Gospel He does this often (5:16), above all just before important events: before choosing the Twelve (6:12-13), before soliciting Peter’s confession of faith (9:18-20), before the transfiguration (9:28-29) and, finally, before the passion (22:40-45).

As Jesus prays, He arouses in His disciples the desire to pray like Him. Clearly, it is a prayer that shows itself externally in a very special way and that certainly affects His preaching. The disciples understand that such a prayer is quite different from that taught by other spiritual masters in Israel or even by the precursor of Jesus. That is why they ask Him to teach them to pray. Thus, the prayer that Jesus passes on to His disciples becomes the characteristic expression of their ideal and identity, of their way of relating to God and among themselves.

b) Father: The first thing that Jesus teaches on prayer is to call God “Father”. Luke, unlike Matthew, does not add the adjective “our”, putting less emphasis on the communal aspect of the Christian prayer. However, the fact of invoking the Father constitutes the best adhesive element of the community of disciples.

For a Jew of the first century, relationship with one’s father was one of intimacy, but also a recognition of the father’s authority over every member of the family. This is reflected in the Christian custom of calling God “Father”, whereas there is no certain evidence that the Jews of the time used to call God with the intimate term of “abba”. This term is none other than the emphatic form of the Aramaic “ ’ab”, the familiar and respectful term used for earthly fathers.

The fact that Jesus used to turn to God and called him abba, shows the new kind of relationship that He, and therefore His disciples, establish with God: a relationship of closeness, familiarity and trust.

In the classical scheme of biblical prayer, the first part of the “Our Father” deals directly with God, whereas the second part refers to the needs of humankind in its earthly existence.

c) Father, hallowed be Your name: in the message of the prophets of Israel, it is God who “sanctifies His own Name” (that is, Himself: “the name is the person”) intervening with power in human history, notwithstanding that Israel and the other peoples have dishonored Him. In Ezekiel we read: “But when they came to the nations, wherever they came, they profaned My holy Name, in that men said of them, 'These are the people of the Lord, and yet they had to go out of His land.' But I had concern for My holy Name, which the house of Israel caused to be profaned among the nations to which they came. "Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of My holy Name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. And I will vindicate the holiness of My great Name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them; and the nations will know that I am the Lord, says the Lord God, when through you I vindicate My holiness before their eyes. For I will take you from the nations, and gather you from all the countries, and bring you into your own land.” (36:20-24). On the same subject we may also read: Deut 32:51; Isa 29:22; Ezek 28:22,25.

The subject of the verb “to hallow”, in Lk 11:2, is God Himself: we are faced with a “theological passive”. This likely means that the first petition of this prayer does not concern human beings and their unquestionable duty to honor and respect God, but God the Father Himself who must make Himself known as such to all. Thus, we petition God to reveal Himself in His sovereign greatness: this is an invocation with eschatological connotations, closely connected with the petition which follows.

d) Your Kingdom come: the great event proclaimed by Jesus is the definitive coming of the Kingdom of God among us: “Be sure of this: the Kingdom of God is very near” (Lk 10:11; cf. also Mt 10: 7). The prayer of Jesus and of the Christian, then, is in close harmony with this proclamation. Asking in this prayer that this Kingdom be ever more visibly present, has, in fact, two effects: the person praying has to come face to face with the eschatological design of God, but also with the obligation of a radical willingness to serve His will of salvation. Thus, if it is true that we may, and must, present our needs to God the Father, it is also true that Christian prayer never has man and woman for its end, it is never a selfish petition, but its ultimate end is to glorify God, implore His full closeness, His complete manifestation: “Set your hearts on His kingdom, and these other things will be given you as well” (Lk 12:31).

e) Give us this day our daily bread: we have come to the second part of the Lord’s prayer. The person praying has now put into place the correct and intimate relationship with God, and now lives in the logic of closeness to God who is Father and his/her petitions flow from this way of life. 

In Jesus’ time as in ours (almost!), bread is the most necessary food, the primary nourishment. In this case, however, “bread” stands for food in general, and more, all kinds of material needs of the disciples. 

The English term “bread” is a translation of the Greek “epiousion”, found also in Matthew but not in any other Greek biblical or profane text. This makes it difficult to give a really reliable version, so much so that we are constrained to translate it according to the context. 

What is clear, however, is that the disciple who is praying in this way, is aware of not having much material security for the future, not even for his/her daily food: he/she has really “left everything behind” to follow Christ (cf. Lk 5:11). Here we are dealing with a situation characteristic of the early generations of Christians. This is not to say that the prayer for “bread” may not be very useful for Christians of today: we are all called to receive all things from Providence, as a free gift from God, even if these things come from the labor of our hands. The Eucharistic offertory reminds us of this all the time: we offer to God that which we know well we have received from Him so that we may receive it back from His hands. This also means that the Christian of every age must not be preoccupied with his/her material situation, because the Father will take care of him: “That is why I am telling you not to worry about your life and what you are to eat, nor about your body and how you are to clothe it. For life means more than food, and the body more than clothing” (Lk 12:22-23).

f) Forgive us our sins, as we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt to us: The Christian, immersed in the salvation given by the Father with the coming of His kingdom, know that all his/her sins are already forgiven when we ask. This places him/her in the condition and obligation of having to forgive others, thus allowing God to render the pardon of the Christian capable of pardoning (cf. Mt18:23-35).

We are always hovering between the kingdom “already” present and kingdom “not yet” attained. A Christian who behaves contrary to the salvation already received from God in Christ, renders useless the forgiveness he/she has already received. That is why Luke says: “for we ourselves forgive”. Luke does not wish to place us humans on the same level as God, but only to make us aware that we can frustrate the saving work of God, within which the Father has willed to include us as an active element, to extend His every free pardon to all. This linking of our forgiveness with our forgiveness of others is also described in the parable of the debtor and the king (Mt 18:21-35).

vv. 5-8: more than a parable, this is a similitude, because it illustrates a typical behavior that arouses in listeners a unequivocal and spontaneous reply. In this case, it would be difficult to find anyone who would spontaneously reply “no one!” to the question “Which of you…?” (v. 5) Thus, this passage wishes to show us how God acts through the filter of human behavior, which is a poor copy of the behavior of the Father. 

The scene takes place in a Palestinian situation. Usually, anyone going on a journey would start at sunset in order to avoid the very high temperatures of daytime. In Palestinian houses at that time, there was only one room and the whole family used it for all the activities during the day as well as for sleeping at night by just spreading straw mats on the floor. 

The request of the man who suddenly has to receive an unexpected guest in the middle of the night, reflects a typical sense of hospitality in ancient peoples, and the explanation of the request for “three loaves” (v. 5) is that this was the normal meal for an adult.

The man who has recourse to his friend at night is the image of a disciple of Christ, called to pray to God always and everywhere, full of trust that he/she will be heard, not because he/she has worn Him out, but because He is a merciful Father who is faithful to His promises. Thus the parable shows us how a disciple should pray the “Our Father”: with complete trust in God, loving and just Father, a trust that goes even to cheekiness, that is to “disturbing Him” at any time and to insist with Him in every way, certain of being answered.

Prayer, as a basic attitude of every Christian who wishes to really be a disciple of Jesus, is well expressed by the apostle Paul: “Pray always, in all things give thanks; this indeed is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1Thess 5:17-18) ; “Pray all the time, asking for what you need, praying in the Spirit on every possible occasion. Never get tired of staying awake to pray for all the saints” (Eph 6: 18).

vv. 9-13: The last part of our Gospel is properly called didactic. It resumes the theme of the previous verses, emphasizing the trust that must characterize Christian prayer, founded on the solid rock of faith. It is the faith of the praying person that opens wide the doors of the Father’s heart. It is the very identity of the Father who loves to carry in His arms His children and to console them with the tenderness of a mother (cf. Isa 66:12-13) which must nourish the faith of Christians. 

God is a Father who loves to receive requests from His children, because this shows that they put their trust in Him. To ask they have to approach Him with open hearts, for asking urges them to look at His kind and loving face, for by asking (even indirectly) they show that they believe that He is really the Lord of history and of the world, and, above all, because their asking allows Him to show openly His delicate, attentive and free love, solely directed for the good of His children. What displeases the Father is not the insistence or indiscretion of His children in asking, but that they do not ask sufficiently, remaining silent and almost indifferent to Him, that they stay away with a thousand respectful excuses, such as “He already knows everything”, etc. God is certainly a Father who provides all things and takes care of the daily life of His children, but, at the same time, He also knows what is best for them, even better than they do. That is why He pours out on Christians so many good things and, above all, the gift par excellence: the Spirit, the only truly indispensable gift for their life, the gift who, if allowed to act, will make them authentic children in the Son.

6. A time of prayer: Psalm 104

To the merciful and provident God, who created the marvelous harmony of the cosmos and who placed in it humankind as His “vicar”, let us sing the psalm:

Bless Yahweh, my soul, Yahweh, my God, 

how great You are! 

Clothed in majesty and splendor,

wearing the light as a robe! 

You stretch out the heavens like a tent,

build Your palace on the waters above, 

making the clouds Your chariot, 

gliding on the wings of the wind,

appointing the winds Your messengers, 

flames of fire Your servants.

You fixed the earth on its foundations, 

for ever and ever it shall not be shaken;

You covered it with the deep like a garment, 

the waters over-topping the mountains.

At Your reproof the waters fled, 

at the voice of Your thunder they sped away,

flowing over mountains, down valleys, 

to the place You had fixed for them;

You made a limit they were not to cross, 

they were not to return and cover the earth.

In the ravines You opened up springs, 

running down between the mountains,

supplying water for all the wild beasts; 

the wild asses quench their thirst,

on their banks the birds of the air make their nests, 

they sing among the leaves.

From Your high halls You water the mountains, 

satisfying the earth with the fruit of Your works:

for cattle You make the grass grow, 

and for people the plants they need, 

to bring forth food from the earth,

and wine to cheer people's hearts, 

oil to make their faces glow, 

food to make them sturdy of heart.

The trees of Yahweh drink their fill, 

the cedars of Lebanon which He sowed;

there the birds build their nests, 

on the highest branches the stork makes its home;

for the wild goats there are the mountains, 

in the crags the coneys find refuge.

He made the moon to mark the seasons, 

the sun knows when to set.

You bring on darkness, and night falls, 

when all the forest beasts roam around;

young lions roar for their prey, 

asking God for their food.

The sun rises and away they steal, 

back to their lairs to lie down,

and man goes out to work,

to labor till evening falls.

How countless are Your works, Yahweh, 

all of them made so wisely! 

The earth is full of Your creatures.

Then there is the sea, 

with its vast expanses teeming with countless creatures, 

creatures both great and small.

There ships pass to and fro, 

and Leviathan whom You made to sport with.

They all depend upon You, 

to feed them when they need it.

You provide the food they gather, 

Your open hand gives them their fill.

Turn away Your face and they panic; 

take back their breath and they die and revert to dust.

Send out Your breath and life begins; 

you renew the face of the earth.

Glory to Yahweh for ever! 

May Yahweh find joy in His creatures!

At His glance the earth trembles, 

at His touch the mountains pour forth smoke.

I shall sing to Yahweh all my life, 

make music for my God as long as I live.

May my musings be pleasing to Him, 

for Yahweh gives me joy.

May sinners vanish from the earth, 

and the wicked exist no more! 

Bless Yahweh, my soul.

7. Closing prayer

Good and holy Father, Your love makes us brothers and sisters and urges us to come together in Your holy Church to celebrate with life the mystery of communion. You call us to share the one bread, living and eternal, given to us from heaven. Help us also to know how to break, in the love of Christ, our earthly bread, so that our bodily and spiritual hunger may be satisfied. Amen.

Mary and Martha, friends of Jesus
Which is the better part chosen by Mary?
Luke 10, 34 – 42

1. Opening prayer

Lord Jesus, send your Spirit to help us to read the Scriptures with the same mind that you read them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. In the light of the Word, written in the Bible, you helped them to discover the presence of God in the disturbing events of your sentence and death. Thus, the cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for them the source of life and of resurrection. 
Create in us silence so that we may listen to your voice in Creation and in the Scriptures, in events and in people, above all in the poor and suffering. May your word guide us so that we too, like the two disciples from Emmaus, may experience the force of your resurrection and witness to others that you are alive in our midst as source of fraternity, justice and peace. We ask this of you, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed to us the Father and sent us your Spirit. Amen.

2. Reading

The parable of the Good Samaritan
Who is my neighbour?
Luke 10:25-37

1. LECTIO

a) Opening prayer:

Prayers of Blessed Giorgio Preca in Il Sacrario dello spirito di Cristo

Lord God, you are present and I am in you: 
          Give me wisdom to know your spirit.
Lord God, you are present and I am in you: 
          Grant me the gift of the spirit of the Master, my Christ Jesus.
Lord God, you are present and I am in you: 
          Guide my every way with your light.
Lord God, you are present and I am in you:
          Teach me to do your will at all times.
Lord God, you are present and I am in you: 
          Do not let me stray from your Spirit, the Spirit of love.
Lord God, you are present and I am in you: 
          Do not abandon me when my strength fails.

b) Gospel reading:

25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" (Picture) 26 He said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read?" 27 And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself." 28 And he said to him, "You have answered right; do this, and you will live."
29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbour?" 30 Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion, 34 and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.' 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbour to the man who fell among the robbers?" 37 He said, "The one who showed mercy on him." And Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

c) Prayerful silent time:

that the Word of God may enter into our hearts and enlighten our life.

2. MEDITATIO

a) A key to the reading:

This is chapter 10 of Luke’s Gospel. It is the central part of Luke’s Gospel and it follows Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem: «Now as the time drew near for him to be taken up to heaven, he resolutely took the road for Jerusalem» (Lk 9: 51). We know that for Luke, Jerusalem is the city where salvation will take place, and Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem forms a central theme. Luke’s story begins in the holy city (Lk 1: 5) and ends in the same city (Lk 24: 52). In this middle section, Luke will repeatedly insist on the fact that Jesus is going towards Jerusalem (for instance in Lk 13: 22; 17: 11). In this text, which tells the parable of the good Samaritan in the context of a discussion with a doctor of the law concerning the greatest commandment, we again find the theme of a journey, this time from Jerusalem to Jericho (Lk 10: 30). The parable is part of this middle section of the Gospel that begins with Jesus, a pilgrim together with his disciples on their way to Jerusalem. He sends them ahead to prepare for him to stop at a Samaritan village and there they only find hostility precisely because they were on their way to Jerusalem (Lk 9: 51-53). The Samaritans avoided pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem and were hostile to them. “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit” (Lk 10: 1). Seventy-two is the traditional number of pagan nations.

The Fathers of the Church (Ambrose, Augustine, Jerome and others), keeping in mind all the symbolism associated with Jerusalem, the holy city of salvation, interpret this parable in a particular way. In the man who goes from Jerusalem to Jericho they see Adam who represents the whole human race expelled from Eden, the celestial paradise, because of sin. The Fathers of the Church see the thieves as the tempter who takes us away from God’s friendship with his wiles and who holds us slaves in our humanity wounded by sin. In the priest and the Levite they see the insufficiency of the old law for our salvation that will be accomplished by our Good Samaritan, Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, who, leaving the celestial Jerusalem, comes to the aid of our sinful condition and heals us with the oil of grace and the wine of the Spirit. In the inn, the Fathers see and image of the Church and in the inn-keeper they see the pastors into whose hands Jesus entrusts the care of his people, The departure of the Samaritan from the inn is seen by the Fathers as the resurrection and ascension of Jesus to sit at the right hand of the Father, but who promises to come back to reward each person according to his or her merit. Jesus then leaves the two denarii to the Church for our salvation, the two denarii that are the Sacred Scriptures and the Sacraments that help us on our way to holiness.

This allegorical and mystical interpretation of the text helps us to accept well the message of this parable. The text of the parable begins with a dialogue between a doctor of the law who stands to put the Lord to the test by asking: «Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?» (Lk 10: 25). Jesus replies with another question: «What is written in the law? What do you read there?» (Lk 10: 26). We must see this dialogue as a confrontation between two masters, a thing quite common in those days as a system of clarifying and deepening points of law. The polemical tone prevailing here is different from that in Mark where the question is asked by a Scribe who «had listened to them debating (Jesus and the Sadducees), and had observed how well Jesus had answered them» (Mk 12: 28) then puts the question to Jesus. This Scribe is well disposed to listen to Jesus, so much so that Jesus ends the dialogue with: «You are not far from the kingdom of God» (Mk 12: 34). Matthew, however, places this question in the context of a debate between Jesus and the Sadducees with the Pharisees present who when they “heard that he had silenced the Sadducees they got together and, to disconcert him, one of them put a question…” (Mt 22:34-35). Jesus gives an immediate reply quoting the commandment of love as found in Deuteronomy and Leviticus.

Only in Luke’s text is the question not about which is the greatest commandment but about how to inherit eternal life, a question dealt with again in the Synoptic Gospels on the lips of the rich young man (Mt 19: 16; Mk 10: 17; Lk 18: 18). As in Mark, so also here, Jesus praises the doctor of the law: «You have answered right… do this and life is yours» (Lk 1:, 28). But the doctor of the law was not yet satisfied with Jesus’ answer and wanting «to justify himself» (Lk 10: 28) for having asked the question asks again “and who is my neighbour”! This second question introduces and connects the following parable with the dialogue between Jesus and the doctor of the law. We also notice an inclusion between verse 26 that ends the debate and leads us to the tale of the parable in verse 37, which ends definitively the dialogue and the parable. In this verse, Jesus repeats to the doctor of the law that he had defined the neighbour as one who was compassionate: «Go and do the same yourself». This phrase of Jesus reminds us of the words at the last supper as recorded in John, when, after the washing of the feet, Jesus invites his disciples to follow his example (Jn 13: 12-15). At the last supper, Jesus bequeaths to his disciples the commandment of love understood as willingness “to give one’s life” in love for each other as the Lord has loved us (Jn 15: 12-14).

This commandment goes beyond the observance of the law. The priest and the Levite have kept the law by not approaching the poor wounded man who is left half dead, so as not to defile themselves (Lev 21: 1). Jesus goes beyond the law and desires his disciples to do as he does. «By this love you have for one another, everyone will know that you are my disciples» (Jn 13: 35). For the disciple of Jesus mere philanthropy is not enough. The Christian is called to something more, which he or she accomplishes in imitation of the Master, as the Apostle Paul said: «We are those who have the mind of Christ» (1 Cor 2: 16) «Because the love of Christ overwhelms us when we reflect that one man has died for all» (2 Cor 5, 14).

b) Some questions to direct our meditation and practice:

* What touched you most in the parable?
* With whom in the story do you identify?
* Have you ever thought of Jesus as the Good Samaritan?
* Do you feel the need for salvation in your life?
* Can you say with the apostle Paul that you have the mind of Christ?
* What urges you to love your neighbour? Is it the need to love and be loved, or is it compassion and the love of Christ?
* Who is your neighbour?

3. ORATIO

Canticle - 1Pt 2, 21-24

21 Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin; no guile was found on his lips. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he trusted to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

4. CONTEMPLATIO

Contemplation is knowing how to adhere with one’s mind and heart to the Lord who by his Word transforms us into new beings who always do his will. “Knowing these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” (Jn 13: 17)