On the Gospel of Luke 12:13-21

In this week’s gospel, Christ gives a parable which highlights an issue that seems to prevail in the society in which we live. The parable tells of a man who becomes wealthy on account of a good harvest. Because of his wealth, the man is able to live an easy life, not having to worry about his needs. In this light, the man falls into the trap of becoming unconcerned about his state of being and begins to take things easy and live as though he had “not a care in the world.” God, however rebukes the man for not worrying about the state of his soul and his relationship with God.

On the Gospel of Luke (11:1 -13)

The Gospel is taken from the Gospel of St. Luke chapter 11 (1-13). This passage begins with Jesus in prayer, and after He is finished, some of the disciples ask Him to teach them how to pray. Subsequently Jesus teaches them the “Our Father”, the same prayer that we still pray today.

In prayer we communicate with God. It is seeking to engage in a relationship with God. We can read, especially in the Gospel of Luke, that Jesus frequently went off alone to pray. In the midst of his busy ministry, of preaching and healing Jesus encountered His Father, He sought communion with the Father early in the morning or late in the evening, when all was quite. He “gave himself unto prayer” (Ps. 109:4) as the psalmist says.

This excellent paper was presented by one of the Dominican Contemplative Nuns from the Siena Convent in Drogheda, Ireland.

The occasion was the Domincain Family day, a yealy event where the different branches of the Dominican Order (Friars, Nuns, Sisters and Lay Dominicans) come together. This paper is called "Our Preaching Story", and is a reflection on the role of the contemplative sisters in the life of the Order of Preachers. The focus of the paper is on private prayer.

On the Gospel of Luke (10:38-42)

The Gospel for this 16th Sunday of ordinary time presents us with the story of the visit of Jesus to the home of the sisters Martha and Mary. Martha is a kind and caring host who, we are told, welcomes Jesus into her home. She then gets herself into a frenzy of activity preparing everything for the Lord. By contrast, Martha’s sister Mary sits at the Lords feet, savouring his presence among them and listening attentively to what he has to say. Is it any wonder that Martha complains bitterly to the Lord about the apparent inactivity of her sister? “Please tell her to help me”, Martha demand of Jesus. In response Jesus gently tells Martha not to fret over so many things. Instead be like Mary who has chosen the better part. That’s all very well we might ask. But such an attitude will not prepare the food or get the house clean and indeed there is truth in this. But perhaps it would be better to say that if we did this all the time then nothing would get done. But that is not what Jesus is saying to Martha and to us.

On the Gospel of Luke (10:25-37)

At the beginning of this week’s gospel passage, we see a lawyer, someone who is well versed in the art of arguing, confronting Jesus with a question. It is written in the passage that the lawyer was trying to “disconcert” Jesus, or, in other words, embarrass or upset Jesus. So many times, we ourselves ask God questions while thinking that we know the answer ourselves and simply want God to conform to what we feel is the best response to a given situation.