Lk. 12:13-21: “Beware of every kind of covetousness.” Greed is a matter of the heart. “And what you have accumulated, whose will it be?”. The problem is not in having goods or in planning for the future, but in living with the heart trapped by the illusion of security in riches. The rich man only …
Lk. 18:1-8: “We must pray always and not lose heart.” Jesus teaches the need to pray always, without being discouraged because praying is not magic, nor is it about God surrendering to our repeated requests. Rather, persevering prayer keeps us open to God’s action, strengthens us in faith, and makes us capable of waiting with …
Lk. 10:1-9: First say: “Peace to this house.” By sending out the seventy-two disciples, Jesus makes it clear that the mission is not only for a select group, but that the Good News is meant to be spread widely, and that is why many are sent. The number “72” evokes all the nations known at …
Lk. 12:1-7: “Do not be afraid.” Jesus invites us to be transparent, both in the words we express and in our witness of life. The truth always comes to light, and God sees the secrets of the heart. We cannot live with duplicity or appearances because He knows everything we are and this should not …
Lk.11:47-54: “I will send you prophets and apostles.” Today’s Gospel presents us with some very harsh words of Jesus addressed to the scribes and Pharisees. He reproaches them for building monuments to honor the prophets, while, in practice, they continue to act like their ancestors who persecuted and killed them. They raise graves for those …
Lk. 11:42-46: “Woe to you, who love the first places.” Jesus forcefully denounces the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and the doctors of the Law. He goes straight to the heart of the problem; a religion of appearances, which complies with external norms, but forgets the essential. The Pharisees scrupulously complied with small rules (tithing even …
Lk. 11:37-41: “They clean the outside of the cup and the plate…” The Pharisees were very concerned with rituals and appearances. They believed that purity consisted in following external rules. Jesus shows them that true impurity is not in unclean hands, but in the heart stained by lack of love. Today we can also fall …
Lk. 11:29-32: “…No sign will be given to them other than Jonah’s.” Jesus finds himself in front of a crowd that asks him for an extraordinary sign, a spectacular test in order to believe in him. Jesus responds firmly that, to that generation, “…No sign will be given to them other than Jonah’s.” Jesus is the …
Lk. 17:11-19: “Get up, go; your faith has saved you.” Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem and on that journey, He meets ten lepers who from a distance beg him to heal them and He heals them. The surprising thing is that, of the ten, only one returns. Only one recognizes where grace comes …
Lk. 11:27-28: “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and do it.” The good news is that this beatitude is not exclusive because we can all be happy if we listen to and live the Word of God, it is a universal call to true happiness. It consists in the interior and obedient …
