An online Community for Prayerful Scripture Reflection.
During this time, when many of our usual ways of expressing our Faith have been removed, and we can no longer gather together due to the Coronavirus, it is all the more important that we find ways to invest in our relationships with God and each other.
Here is one small way that we can communicate our faith and support each other whilst encouraging daily prayer with a Scriptural focus. It is also a great way for people who are usually involved with Metanoia Project groups and events to keep in touch and continue to feel part of the Metanoia family as well as the wider Church community.
God wants to speak to us all and has given us His Word as a constant source of life and relationship with Him. The aim of this group is to encourage each other to spend time each day praying with Scripture and allowing God to speak to us. Please then share your thoughts, questions and reflections to help us all hear from our Loving Father.
Metanoia Project ‘The God Who Speaks’ Scripture Reflection Group
**Gospel for Sunday 7th August, 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C: Luke 12:32-48**
**After the Gospel passage, you will find some thoughts from Ruth to hopefully help you reflect further. Feel free to add your own thoughts in the comments.**
**Gospel:
**Jesus said to his disciples: ‘There is no need to be afraid, little flock, for it has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom.
‘Sell your possessions and give alms. Get yourselves purses that do not wear out, treasure that will not fail you, in heaven where no thief can reach it and no moth destroy it. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
‘See that you are dressed for action and have your lamps lit. Be like men waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks. Happy those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. I tell you solemnly, he will put on an apron, sit them down at table and wait on them. It may be in the second watch he comes, or in the third, but happy those servants if he finds them ready. You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what hour the burglar would come, he would not have let anyone break through the wall of his house. You too must stand ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’
Peter said, ‘Lord, do you mean this parable for us, or for everyone?’ The Lord replied, ‘What sort of steward, then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? Happy that servant if his master’s arrival finds him at this employment. I tell you truly, he will place him over everything he owns. But as for the servant who says to himself, “My master is taking his time coming”, and sets about beating the menservants and the maids, and eating and drinking and getting drunk, his master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. The master will cut him off and send him to the same fate as the unfaithful.
The servant who knows what his master wants, but has not even started to carry out those wishes, will receive very many strokes of the lash. The one who did not know, but deserves to be beaten for what he has done, will receive fewer strokes. When a man has had a great deal given him, a great deal will be demanded of him; when a man has had a great deal given him on trust, even more will be expected of him.
**Reflection:**
What a wonderful opening to the Gospel we hear today: There is no need to be afraid, because our Father is pleased to give us the Kingdom. Not, He will give it to us grudgingly if we happen to fulfil all the correct criterion, or He will give it as some sort of bribe to get us to behave in a certain manner, but He is pleased to give this wonderful gift to each of us because He is our Father.
How do we receive this wonderful gift? Jesus tells us to stand ready, to be like servants waiting for their master to return, eager to welcome him as soon as he knocks.
In order to really get excited by this promise, we need to understand what the Kingdom is. It is where we belong, our true home. We were created to live in the Kingdom with God. It is where we will experience complete fulfilment and recognise our deepest identities. In our second reading today, we hear all about how Abraham and Sarah were willing to leave everything and everyone they knew behind and set out not knowing where they were going. They could do this because they trusted in and looked forward to ‘a city founded, designed and built by God.’ So many times in their lives, they had to believe in promises that they couldn’t yet see, but by faith they ‘saw them in the far distance and welcomed them’. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews is using their example to help us understand that ‘only faith can guarantee the blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of the realities that at present remain unseen’.
So, as we, like the servants, are waiting for our master’s return, we need trust and hope that what He has promised us is true. The Collect at the start of Mass today reminds us that the key to inheriting the Kingdom is adoption as sons and daughters. We pray that this spirit of adoption will be brought to perfection in our hearts, that we would truly understand who we are in God’s sight and what that promise holds for us. And we must not lose focus of this in our waiting and set about trying to do things our own way like the servant who says, ‘My master is taking his time coming’. This servant, rather than recognise the privileged position gifted to him by his master, sets about gaining power and pleasure through his own means: his cruelty inciting fear and his gluttony leading to drunkenness. But what he fails to realise is that his position only makes sense in light of the master. He has no power over other individuals other than that entrusted to him by the master, he has no claim to food and drink other than that given to him by the master to share amongst the people. But he has indeed been given these things and does not need to go about proving his position or the wealth at his fingertips. In our first reading we hear ‘You made us glorious by calling us to you’. We are indeed made glorious by God – You are glorious! But that glory only makes sense in the light of the Master. Any time we lose focus on the One Whose glory we share, and attempt to make ourselves glorious, we end up bringing others down to raise ourselves up and all attempts are futile.
We must be grateful for the immensity of the gift we have been given as adopted sons and daughters and recognise the privileged position that puts us in. Otherwise, not only will we miss out on what God is offering to us, we will not take seriously our responsibility to help others receive the gift too. As Jesus says: ‘what sort of steward, then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household?’ As we explored above, the one who believes what has been promised will come true and who keeps his eyes fixed on the ‘treasure that will not fail you’.
So where is your treasure? Jesus says: ‘For where your treasure is, there will you heart be also’. Are your eyes firmly set on the promises of God, the promise of a true homeland and of adoption? Or is your heart divided by various treasures? We may think that we can juggle other interests and passions alongside our faith but Jesus is making it clear this is not possible. Every single aspect of our lives must be seen in the light of Christ and be for His glory because that is what makes us truly glorious members of the Kingdom.
- Ruth
**After the Gospel passage, you will find some thoughts from Ruth to hopefully help you reflect further. Feel free to add your own thoughts in the comments.**
**Gospel:
**Jesus said to his disciples: ‘There is no need to be afraid, little flock, for it has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom.
‘Sell your possessions and give alms. Get yourselves purses that do not wear out, treasure that will not fail you, in heaven where no thief can reach it and no moth destroy it. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
‘See that you are dressed for action and have your lamps lit. Be like men waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks. Happy those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. I tell you solemnly, he will put on an apron, sit them down at table and wait on them. It may be in the second watch he comes, or in the third, but happy those servants if he finds them ready. You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what hour the burglar would come, he would not have let anyone break through the wall of his house. You too must stand ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’
Peter said, ‘Lord, do you mean this parable for us, or for everyone?’ The Lord replied, ‘What sort of steward, then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? Happy that servant if his master’s arrival finds him at this employment. I tell you truly, he will place him over everything he owns. But as for the servant who says to himself, “My master is taking his time coming”, and sets about beating the menservants and the maids, and eating and drinking and getting drunk, his master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. The master will cut him off and send him to the same fate as the unfaithful.
The servant who knows what his master wants, but has not even started to carry out those wishes, will receive very many strokes of the lash. The one who did not know, but deserves to be beaten for what he has done, will receive fewer strokes. When a man has had a great deal given him, a great deal will be demanded of him; when a man has had a great deal given him on trust, even more will be expected of him.
**Reflection:**
What a wonderful opening to the Gospel we hear today: There is no need to be afraid, because our Father is pleased to give us the Kingdom. Not, He will give it to us grudgingly if we happen to fulfil all the correct criterion, or He will give it as some sort of bribe to get us to behave in a certain manner, but He is pleased to give this wonderful gift to each of us because He is our Father.
How do we receive this wonderful gift? Jesus tells us to stand ready, to be like servants waiting for their master to return, eager to welcome him as soon as he knocks.
In order to really get excited by this promise, we need to understand what the Kingdom is. It is where we belong, our true home. We were created to live in the Kingdom with God. It is where we will experience complete fulfilment and recognise our deepest identities. In our second reading today, we hear all about how Abraham and Sarah were willing to leave everything and everyone they knew behind and set out not knowing where they were going. They could do this because they trusted in and looked forward to ‘a city founded, designed and built by God.’ So many times in their lives, they had to believe in promises that they couldn’t yet see, but by faith they ‘saw them in the far distance and welcomed them’. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews is using their example to help us understand that ‘only faith can guarantee the blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of the realities that at present remain unseen’.
So, as we, like the servants, are waiting for our master’s return, we need trust and hope that what He has promised us is true. The Collect at the start of Mass today reminds us that the key to inheriting the Kingdom is adoption as sons and daughters. We pray that this spirit of adoption will be brought to perfection in our hearts, that we would truly understand who we are in God’s sight and what that promise holds for us. And we must not lose focus of this in our waiting and set about trying to do things our own way like the servant who says, ‘My master is taking his time coming’. This servant, rather than recognise the privileged position gifted to him by his master, sets about gaining power and pleasure through his own means: his cruelty inciting fear and his gluttony leading to drunkenness. But what he fails to realise is that his position only makes sense in light of the master. He has no power over other individuals other than that entrusted to him by the master, he has no claim to food and drink other than that given to him by the master to share amongst the people. But he has indeed been given these things and does not need to go about proving his position or the wealth at his fingertips. In our first reading we hear ‘You made us glorious by calling us to you’. We are indeed made glorious by God – You are glorious! But that glory only makes sense in the light of the Master. Any time we lose focus on the One Whose glory we share, and attempt to make ourselves glorious, we end up bringing others down to raise ourselves up and all attempts are futile.
We must be grateful for the immensity of the gift we have been given as adopted sons and daughters and recognise the privileged position that puts us in. Otherwise, not only will we miss out on what God is offering to us, we will not take seriously our responsibility to help others receive the gift too. As Jesus says: ‘what sort of steward, then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household?’ As we explored above, the one who believes what has been promised will come true and who keeps his eyes fixed on the ‘treasure that will not fail you’.
So where is your treasure? Jesus says: ‘For where your treasure is, there will you heart be also’. Are your eyes firmly set on the promises of God, the promise of a true homeland and of adoption? Or is your heart divided by various treasures? We may think that we can juggle other interests and passions alongside our faith but Jesus is making it clear this is not possible. Every single aspect of our lives must be seen in the light of Christ and be for His glory because that is what makes us truly glorious members of the Kingdom.
- Ruth
***Gospel, Luke 12:13-21***
A man in the crowd said to him, 'Master, tell my brother to give me a share of our inheritance. ‘He said to him, 'My friend, who appointed me your judge, or the arbitrator of your claims? ‘Then he said to them, 'Watch, and be on your guard against avarice of any kind, for life does not consist in possessions, even when someone has more than he needs. ‘Then he told them a parable, 'There was once a rich man who, having had a good harvest from his land, thought to himself, "What am I to do? I have not enough room to store my crops. “Then he said, "This is what I will do: I will pull down my barns and build bigger ones and store all my grain and my goods in them, and I will say to my soul: My soul, you have plenty of good things laid by for many years to come; take things easy, eat, drink, have a good time." But God said to him, "Fool! This very night the demand will be made for your soul; and this hoard of yours, whose will it be then?" So, it is when someone stores up treasure for himself instead of becoming rich in the sight of God.'
***Reflection***
In today’s gospel Jesus gives us a very important, and what appears to be a quite simple, message on the evils of greed and selfishness.
To His listeners at the time this message would have been music to their ears to hear the tale of a rich man who had no thought to share his abundance with the poor, getting his comeuppance by dying before he could enjoy his wealth. It echoes the vanities of the first reading which reminds us that everything passes away and no one can take the earthly things they have accumulated in this world with them when they die. Paul tells us to "set your minds on the things that are above, not on earthly things" Even the psalm today reminds us how fleeting life is!
So, what is it's meaning? What are we here for?
Today we celebrate St Ignatius of Loyola, a man who thought he knew his destiny. He followed his dream of romantic chivalrous adventure enjoying the pleasures which came with that lifestyle, until a debilitating injury led him to contemplate and realise the real riches in life lay in giving his material riches away and following Christ.
Reading this gospel today I don't see a simple straight forward message. Despite the ongoing increase in the division of wealth in this country and around the world which this reading still speaks to, it goes much deeper.
I saw an exhibition recently by an artist called Zak Last at Astley Park. He paints beautiful countryside but some of his paintings include old cans of larger and other rubbish, he's collected much of it which is on display alongside the paintings. He's working with schools to raise awareness of what we are doing to our environment. The kids love it and they get it but worryingly the businesses he's approached love his 'pretty' scenes and get his message but don't want the paintings with the rubbish in them.
Like the wealthy man storing his harvest turning a blind eye to the poor, we in the affluent West continue to pretend not to see our own greed in ignoring or paying lip service to what is going on. Are we prepared to go without so there is more to share across the globe?
What will make the difference?
What will help achieve the almost impossible task of rescuing our dying earth?
It is the same answer as to why we are here. Community in Christ and in one another.
Only by working together in community, sharing what we have with all our brothers and sisters around the world irrespective of their beliefs and our differences, can we truly follow what Christ teaches us.
We need to detach from our comforts, all things change and we can't take them with us.
It's only by breaking down barriers and working with those of all faiths and non that all will see our faith, if we only work with those like us how can we spread His word?
One more thing certainly for me, this reading has made me think what is my petition to Christ, what do I ask Him to do? Am I constantly asking Him to be my attorney? Perhaps I need to reflect more on what I see as problems and put them in perspective before I seek His help, maybe then I can make my prayer "Lord, thank you for your blessings what can I do in return"
-Sandra
A man in the crowd said to him, 'Master, tell my brother to give me a share of our inheritance. ‘He said to him, 'My friend, who appointed me your judge, or the arbitrator of your claims? ‘Then he said to them, 'Watch, and be on your guard against avarice of any kind, for life does not consist in possessions, even when someone has more than he needs. ‘Then he told them a parable, 'There was once a rich man who, having had a good harvest from his land, thought to himself, "What am I to do? I have not enough room to store my crops. “Then he said, "This is what I will do: I will pull down my barns and build bigger ones and store all my grain and my goods in them, and I will say to my soul: My soul, you have plenty of good things laid by for many years to come; take things easy, eat, drink, have a good time." But God said to him, "Fool! This very night the demand will be made for your soul; and this hoard of yours, whose will it be then?" So, it is when someone stores up treasure for himself instead of becoming rich in the sight of God.'
***Reflection***
In today’s gospel Jesus gives us a very important, and what appears to be a quite simple, message on the evils of greed and selfishness.
To His listeners at the time this message would have been music to their ears to hear the tale of a rich man who had no thought to share his abundance with the poor, getting his comeuppance by dying before he could enjoy his wealth. It echoes the vanities of the first reading which reminds us that everything passes away and no one can take the earthly things they have accumulated in this world with them when they die. Paul tells us to "set your minds on the things that are above, not on earthly things" Even the psalm today reminds us how fleeting life is!
So, what is it's meaning? What are we here for?
Today we celebrate St Ignatius of Loyola, a man who thought he knew his destiny. He followed his dream of romantic chivalrous adventure enjoying the pleasures which came with that lifestyle, until a debilitating injury led him to contemplate and realise the real riches in life lay in giving his material riches away and following Christ.
Reading this gospel today I don't see a simple straight forward message. Despite the ongoing increase in the division of wealth in this country and around the world which this reading still speaks to, it goes much deeper.
I saw an exhibition recently by an artist called Zak Last at Astley Park. He paints beautiful countryside but some of his paintings include old cans of larger and other rubbish, he's collected much of it which is on display alongside the paintings. He's working with schools to raise awareness of what we are doing to our environment. The kids love it and they get it but worryingly the businesses he's approached love his 'pretty' scenes and get his message but don't want the paintings with the rubbish in them.
Like the wealthy man storing his harvest turning a blind eye to the poor, we in the affluent West continue to pretend not to see our own greed in ignoring or paying lip service to what is going on. Are we prepared to go without so there is more to share across the globe?
What will make the difference?
What will help achieve the almost impossible task of rescuing our dying earth?
It is the same answer as to why we are here. Community in Christ and in one another.
Only by working together in community, sharing what we have with all our brothers and sisters around the world irrespective of their beliefs and our differences, can we truly follow what Christ teaches us.
We need to detach from our comforts, all things change and we can't take them with us.
It's only by breaking down barriers and working with those of all faiths and non that all will see our faith, if we only work with those like us how can we spread His word?
One more thing certainly for me, this reading has made me think what is my petition to Christ, what do I ask Him to do? Am I constantly asking Him to be my attorney? Perhaps I need to reflect more on what I see as problems and put them in perspective before I seek His help, maybe then I can make my prayer "Lord, thank you for your blessings what can I do in return"
-Sandra
**Today Tony shares his thoughts on the day’s Gospel . We would love you to share yours too !**
**Gospel**
**Luke 11:1-13**
Once Jesus was in a certain place praying, and when he had finished one of his disciples said, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’
He said to them, ‘Say this when you pray:
‘“Father, may your name be held holy,
your kingdom come;
give us each day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt to us.
And do not put us to the test.”’
He also said to them:
‘Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him in the middle of the night to say, “My friend, lend me three loaves, because a friend of mine on his travels has just arrived at my house and I have nothing to offer him”; and the man answers from inside the house, “Do not bother me. The door is bolted now, and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up to give it you.” I tell you, if the man does not get up and give it him for friendship’s sake, persistence will be enough to make him get up and give his friend all he wants.
‘So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him. What father among you would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread? Or hand him a snake instead of a fish? Or hand him a scorpion if he asked for an egg? If you then, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’
**Reflection.**
In today’s Gospel we hear all about prayer and how important it is for us to always be in prayer with God every day, throughout the day in glorious worship, thanksgiving and bringing our petitions to Him.
It is not because God needs me to pray to him. It is for my benefit that I keep in contact with God so that I am not led astray from His Body, the Church. God has a plan set out for me and He wants me to live in that Plan. It is the way He wants me to lead my Life here in this world. Without prayer in my life, I will stray and forget about God and listen to the world.
The Gospel starts off with Jesus being in a certain place praying. Jesus is showing me that at times I need to find a certain place, a place where I can spend time praying to Him and praying with Him to the Father. A place that I can spend with Jesus and just talk to him and listen while He teaches me. It is a place to be patient, a place where I can cut out the world and be on my own with God. A place in which I can be in at any hour of day or night.
Jesus tells me to persist in prayer and it will be given to me, look and I will find, knock and the door will be opened. Jesus is telling me to ask, and I will receive the Holy Spirit. By praying I am asking, by praying I am seeking and by praying I am knocking on the door.
As a sinful human, one of my great weak points in my faith with God is my prayer time. I tend to make excuses when I am on my own. I have got to do this, or I must do that, and I don’t have time, or I am too tired, or I am bored with my prayer time. When I let this happen, I am cutting myself off from God and no longer asking or seeking or knocking. It is at these times I need more prayer time. Even though I feel I am not very good at praying on spec, God has even given me many ways I can pray and worship Him throughout the day by using the Church prayer timetable, such as Lectio Divina, the Mass, Office of Readings, The Angelus and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Many of these I can find in prayer books and nowadays I carry these with me all the time on my phone so no matter where I am I can stop and spend time in prayer with Jesus.
The way I live my life should be a physical prayer to God and this is one reason why I need to pray to God for His Help and guidance in my daily life in serving God.
Tony.
**Gospel**
**Luke 11:1-13**
Once Jesus was in a certain place praying, and when he had finished one of his disciples said, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’
He said to them, ‘Say this when you pray:
‘“Father, may your name be held holy,
your kingdom come;
give us each day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt to us.
And do not put us to the test.”’
He also said to them:
‘Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him in the middle of the night to say, “My friend, lend me three loaves, because a friend of mine on his travels has just arrived at my house and I have nothing to offer him”; and the man answers from inside the house, “Do not bother me. The door is bolted now, and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up to give it you.” I tell you, if the man does not get up and give it him for friendship’s sake, persistence will be enough to make him get up and give his friend all he wants.
‘So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him. What father among you would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread? Or hand him a snake instead of a fish? Or hand him a scorpion if he asked for an egg? If you then, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’
**Reflection.**
In today’s Gospel we hear all about prayer and how important it is for us to always be in prayer with God every day, throughout the day in glorious worship, thanksgiving and bringing our petitions to Him.
It is not because God needs me to pray to him. It is for my benefit that I keep in contact with God so that I am not led astray from His Body, the Church. God has a plan set out for me and He wants me to live in that Plan. It is the way He wants me to lead my Life here in this world. Without prayer in my life, I will stray and forget about God and listen to the world.
The Gospel starts off with Jesus being in a certain place praying. Jesus is showing me that at times I need to find a certain place, a place where I can spend time praying to Him and praying with Him to the Father. A place that I can spend with Jesus and just talk to him and listen while He teaches me. It is a place to be patient, a place where I can cut out the world and be on my own with God. A place in which I can be in at any hour of day or night.
Jesus tells me to persist in prayer and it will be given to me, look and I will find, knock and the door will be opened. Jesus is telling me to ask, and I will receive the Holy Spirit. By praying I am asking, by praying I am seeking and by praying I am knocking on the door.
As a sinful human, one of my great weak points in my faith with God is my prayer time. I tend to make excuses when I am on my own. I have got to do this, or I must do that, and I don’t have time, or I am too tired, or I am bored with my prayer time. When I let this happen, I am cutting myself off from God and no longer asking or seeking or knocking. It is at these times I need more prayer time. Even though I feel I am not very good at praying on spec, God has even given me many ways I can pray and worship Him throughout the day by using the Church prayer timetable, such as Lectio Divina, the Mass, Office of Readings, The Angelus and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Many of these I can find in prayer books and nowadays I carry these with me all the time on my phone so no matter where I am I can stop and spend time in prayer with Jesus.
The way I live my life should be a physical prayer to God and this is one reason why I need to pray to God for His Help and guidance in my daily life in serving God.
Tony.
***Every week one of our Metanoia Community shares their thoughts on the day’s Gospel. We all would love you to share yours too! We hope these reflections are helpful ! Today’s words are from Jonathan.***
**Gospel Luke 10:25-37**
There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said,
"Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus said to him, "What is written in the law?
How do you read it?"
He said in reply,
"You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your being,
with all your strength,
and with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself."
He replied to him, "You have answered correctly;
do this and you will live."
But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus,
"And who is my neighbor?"
Jesus replied,
"A man fell victim to robbers
as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.
They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.
A priest happened to be going down that road,
but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
Likewise a Levite came to the place,
and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him
was moved with compassion at the sight.
He approached the victim,
poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.
Then he lifted him up on his own animal,
took him to an inn, and cared for him.
The next day he took out two silver coins
and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction,
'Take care of him.
If you spend more than what I have given you,
I shall repay you on my way back.'
Which of these three, in your opinion,
was neighbor to the robbers' victim?"
He answered, "The one who treated him with mercy."
Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
**Reflection **
In today's Gospel we hear the great story of the Good Samaritan. Before this we must first picture the scene of the teacher of the law questioning and testing Jesus on how you can inherit eternal life. It almost seems ridiculous that this question is directed to our Saviour who holds the key to life everlasting!
You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your being,
with all your strength,
and with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself."
A clear enough answer! It's about love, returning the immense and great love of our Lord which He constantly showers upon us. But the scholar picks up on the idea of our neighbour, who are they? How do we love them?
Now Jesus tells this wonderful story, which I'm sure we have all heard countless times before! And yet it still speaks volumes about how we are to serve and love each other. Firstly, what are we told about the victim? Very little other than that he was brutally attacked, stripped of his garments, stripped of his status, identity and ultimately his dignity. Immediately I'm drawn to parallels with Our Lord's suffering on Good Friday.
So we move onto the Priest and Levite who, rather than help, instead choose to steer well clear of the victim. But thirdly, it is the Samaritan who comes to the aid of the traveller. To the Jewish audience at the time this would have been jaw droppingly shocking, for the Samaritans were despised and avoided by the Jews. And yet it was the Samaritan who was "moved with compassion at the sight." From here he makes it his duty to care for his neighbour, to be responsible for his well being and recovery.
Now to look back at the original question posed by the scholar of the law, "who is my neighbour?" It is clearly anyone and everyone, in particular the poor, the rejected, the lost. Jesus spent so much of his time ministering to people who others had abandoned.
We are called, just like the scholar was in today's Gospel, to go and do likewise. To show mercy and kindness to all around us. How often do I choose to show this love with others? How often do I find myself turning a blind eye or a deaf ear to suffering that is taking place all around us? Love of neighbour is intrinsically linked to love of God, who is Father of all. Love of neighbour is the concrete practice of loving and caring for all of our sisters and brothers. It's always important to examine our lives to see how we can better love God and our neighbour. I always find that answering the question What would Jesus do? Helps me to make more loving and caring choices and actions each day.
Let us pray, show us how to love, Lord Jesus.
May we open our eyes.
May we emerge from our comfort.
May we build a world of compassion and dignity.
Lord Jesus, who was neighbour to all,
Help us to persevere in love.
Help us to restore dignity to the suffering.
Help us to build a society based not on exclusion, but on community.
Amen.
- Jonathan
**Gospel Luke 10:25-37**
There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said,
"Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus said to him, "What is written in the law?
How do you read it?"
He said in reply,
"You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your being,
with all your strength,
and with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself."
He replied to him, "You have answered correctly;
do this and you will live."
But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus,
"And who is my neighbor?"
Jesus replied,
"A man fell victim to robbers
as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.
They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.
A priest happened to be going down that road,
but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
Likewise a Levite came to the place,
and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him
was moved with compassion at the sight.
He approached the victim,
poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.
Then he lifted him up on his own animal,
took him to an inn, and cared for him.
The next day he took out two silver coins
and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction,
'Take care of him.
If you spend more than what I have given you,
I shall repay you on my way back.'
Which of these three, in your opinion,
was neighbor to the robbers' victim?"
He answered, "The one who treated him with mercy."
Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
**Reflection **
In today's Gospel we hear the great story of the Good Samaritan. Before this we must first picture the scene of the teacher of the law questioning and testing Jesus on how you can inherit eternal life. It almost seems ridiculous that this question is directed to our Saviour who holds the key to life everlasting!
You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your being,
with all your strength,
and with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself."
A clear enough answer! It's about love, returning the immense and great love of our Lord which He constantly showers upon us. But the scholar picks up on the idea of our neighbour, who are they? How do we love them?
Now Jesus tells this wonderful story, which I'm sure we have all heard countless times before! And yet it still speaks volumes about how we are to serve and love each other. Firstly, what are we told about the victim? Very little other than that he was brutally attacked, stripped of his garments, stripped of his status, identity and ultimately his dignity. Immediately I'm drawn to parallels with Our Lord's suffering on Good Friday.
So we move onto the Priest and Levite who, rather than help, instead choose to steer well clear of the victim. But thirdly, it is the Samaritan who comes to the aid of the traveller. To the Jewish audience at the time this would have been jaw droppingly shocking, for the Samaritans were despised and avoided by the Jews. And yet it was the Samaritan who was "moved with compassion at the sight." From here he makes it his duty to care for his neighbour, to be responsible for his well being and recovery.
Now to look back at the original question posed by the scholar of the law, "who is my neighbour?" It is clearly anyone and everyone, in particular the poor, the rejected, the lost. Jesus spent so much of his time ministering to people who others had abandoned.
We are called, just like the scholar was in today's Gospel, to go and do likewise. To show mercy and kindness to all around us. How often do I choose to show this love with others? How often do I find myself turning a blind eye or a deaf ear to suffering that is taking place all around us? Love of neighbour is intrinsically linked to love of God, who is Father of all. Love of neighbour is the concrete practice of loving and caring for all of our sisters and brothers. It's always important to examine our lives to see how we can better love God and our neighbour. I always find that answering the question What would Jesus do? Helps me to make more loving and caring choices and actions each day.
Let us pray, show us how to love, Lord Jesus.
May we open our eyes.
May we emerge from our comfort.
May we build a world of compassion and dignity.
Lord Jesus, who was neighbour to all,
Help us to persevere in love.
Help us to restore dignity to the suffering.
Help us to build a society based not on exclusion, but on community.
Amen.
- Jonathan
**Today Jen shares her thoughts on the day’s Gospel. We hope you find it useful!**
**Gospel**
**Luke 10:1-12,17-20**
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. He said to them, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest. Start off now, but remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road.
‘Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, “Peace to this house!” And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you. Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house.
‘Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is set before you. Cure those in it who are sick, and say, “The kingdom of God is very near to you.” But whenever you enter a town and they do not make you welcome, go out into its streets and say, “We wipe off the very dust of your town that clings to our feet, and leave it with you. Yet be sure of this: the kingdom of God is very near.” I tell you, on that day it will not go as hard with Sodom as with that town.’
The seventy-two came back rejoicing. ‘Lord,’ they said ‘even the devils submit to us when we use your name.’ He said to them, ‘I watched Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Yes, I have given you power to tread underfoot serpents and scorpions and the whole strength of the enemy; nothing shall ever hurt you. Yet do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you; rejoice rather that your names are written in heaven.’
**Reflection **
We don’t have to go deep into today’s readings to work out they are all about how God comforts us, even in difficult times. In the first reading we hear how God will provide for us in abundance. We will be so glad and full of rejoicing. In the second reading Paul encourages us to rejoice in the cross because as we do so, we become more united with Jesus. In the Gospel Jesus tells us that discipleship will involve work and rejection, but we must rejoice!
The very first line of the Gospel reminds us again that everything Jesus does is fulfilling what we have read and learnt from the Old Testament. Moses appointed 70 elders to help him lead and rule . Jesus sends 70 people out. I really can’t find any answer to why some texts say 70 , some say 72 , but it is amazing that Jesus sent out that many people to share the good news of the gospel !These 70 / 72 had such an important task !
Jesus sent this group out to do the same work as him. He sent them out to think, act and be like him. Jesus was their King, and he wanted His Kingdom to be full of His goodness. Jesus is our King, and he wants His Kingdom to be full of His goodness. Jesus preached, healed the sick, dismissed demons. If he is our King then we all should be preaching God’s word, healing the sick and dismissing demons and whilst we do this we must be living in and sharing His joy. The joy of the Lord is our strength! The joy of the Lord is our strength in all hours of all days, not just when something good is happening. All the time.
If we say we are in relationship with Jesus, we must all be living lives of mission. If we have experienced God’s life changing power of forgiveness and mercy, we must not bottle that up and keep it to ourselves. We must extend the forgiveness and mercy we choose to live in and lead others to come to know, love and live in the Kingdom.
Jesus’ Kingdom is not some distance place we hope we will get to one day; it is here now, and it is our job to keep it alive and active. We have been commissioned too and it is all so very exciting! American philosopher Dallas Willard says’ If we do not make formation in Christ the priority, then we’re just going to keep on producing Christians that are indistinguishable in the character from many non – Christians’. Jesus didn’t blend in, he stood out and people took notice. We are Jesus followers, we must be known for that, so we must share Jesus in everything we do.
Jesus encouraged his disciples to bless the houses they entered ‘when you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house’ ‘, they weren’t to just say” hello, my name is …. “. They were to express God’s heart to the people they met. Shalom - expresses God’s desire for his people. God wants hope in all areas of these people’s lives. God wants hope in all areas of your life. When was the last time you accepted that gift? When was the last time you opened your hands and received the peace God wants to fill you afresh with? Take a few moments to let God say ‘Shalom’ to you.
Jesus sends the disciples off in twos, he does not want them to be alone. Once again it links to Moses where two witnesses were needed for a testimony to be credible. I love this, I love that Jesus pairs us up. I love we don’t have to face the rejection, disappointment, annoyance alone, but most of all I love that when I rejoice at the wonder of life in the Kingdom, I have others who understand and are doing the same. Jesus has sent me off to proclaim His Good News and He has always placed someone right at my side to do this with … this amazes me! I think back at all the God instances over my life, and I see who God placed right beside me. From a wonderfully faithful husband who led me back to the Mass , to an amazing Parish Priest who baptized me in the Holy Spirit, to the old lady on the back row of church who spotted when I was upset one day , grabbed my hand and told me ‘ Mamma Mary will sort your pickle out’ and giving me her rosary beads , there’s been countless people who God placed in my life just at the right time and I rejoice and thank God for them every day.
This Gospel reminds me we need others, we cannot walk a Christian life alone. It refires my desire of doing life with others in community which is in communion with the Lord. A community with a mission of bringing about the Kingdom of God by the ways we proclaim and serve God. A community that is alive and active and overflowing with faith. I pray that we can all accept and use the power given to us so we can proclaim the gospel message and others will join with us building the Kingdom. Where Jesus goes, we follow, and we pray so many others will join us in our mission.
There are many pointers to follow on our mission. We don’t go alone. We shouldn’t draw attention to ourselves, we must accept what we are offered, when we are rejected -we must move on, and don’t seek revenge. Life can be full of so many obstacles, but Jesus has given us the authority ‘to overcome all the power of the enemy’ He has given us permission to stand against the obstacles and bring them into His glorious light. In doing this we receive healing, deliverance, and help. Jesus promises us a life of abundance in John 10:10. It is so very important to spend some time thinking about what the obstacle (or obstacles) in your life is ,as it is blocking Jesus’ overflowing abundant love. Then bring it into the glorious light of Jesus – where healing, deliverance and never-ending help is waiting. Hand that obstacle over to Him.
If we follow our King, we must learn and live in His plan. We must make time for reading scripture and in doing so we will know what God is saying to us. Our names are written in heaven and it is this delightful fact that should be making us ‘cry out with joy to God, all the earth’ (Psalm 65) because we are known, seen and loved and we are offered a chance to live with him for all eternity!
I want to live all my days in God’s Kingdom so I shouldn’t be wasting time not doing so! Some mornings I get overwhelmed and just don’t know what my task in the Kingdom is. I grab as many tasks as I can and I fail, lose hope and despair. I try and do things in my own strength. I learn time and time again I can’t do everything; I need to work with others, work only in the power of God and in doing so we will see goodness.
St Gianna Beretta Molla said, ‘One earns Paradise with one’s daily task’. I commit to ask myself every morning what is my one, singular task today to share The Good News? Will you join me? In doing that one task, perhaps all of our tasks may flow, and we will get ‘To know, love, and serve God (CCC356-358) Then we can truly earn paradise, even here on earth. Perhaps this week ask God more intentionally what your task is and rejoice in the paradise He will provide.
It is your Kingdom God, help us all carry out our days sharing only you.
-Jen
**Gospel**
**Luke 10:1-12,17-20**
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. He said to them, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest. Start off now, but remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road.
‘Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, “Peace to this house!” And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you. Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house.
‘Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is set before you. Cure those in it who are sick, and say, “The kingdom of God is very near to you.” But whenever you enter a town and they do not make you welcome, go out into its streets and say, “We wipe off the very dust of your town that clings to our feet, and leave it with you. Yet be sure of this: the kingdom of God is very near.” I tell you, on that day it will not go as hard with Sodom as with that town.’
The seventy-two came back rejoicing. ‘Lord,’ they said ‘even the devils submit to us when we use your name.’ He said to them, ‘I watched Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Yes, I have given you power to tread underfoot serpents and scorpions and the whole strength of the enemy; nothing shall ever hurt you. Yet do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you; rejoice rather that your names are written in heaven.’
**Reflection **
We don’t have to go deep into today’s readings to work out they are all about how God comforts us, even in difficult times. In the first reading we hear how God will provide for us in abundance. We will be so glad and full of rejoicing. In the second reading Paul encourages us to rejoice in the cross because as we do so, we become more united with Jesus. In the Gospel Jesus tells us that discipleship will involve work and rejection, but we must rejoice!
The very first line of the Gospel reminds us again that everything Jesus does is fulfilling what we have read and learnt from the Old Testament. Moses appointed 70 elders to help him lead and rule . Jesus sends 70 people out. I really can’t find any answer to why some texts say 70 , some say 72 , but it is amazing that Jesus sent out that many people to share the good news of the gospel !These 70 / 72 had such an important task !
Jesus sent this group out to do the same work as him. He sent them out to think, act and be like him. Jesus was their King, and he wanted His Kingdom to be full of His goodness. Jesus is our King, and he wants His Kingdom to be full of His goodness. Jesus preached, healed the sick, dismissed demons. If he is our King then we all should be preaching God’s word, healing the sick and dismissing demons and whilst we do this we must be living in and sharing His joy. The joy of the Lord is our strength! The joy of the Lord is our strength in all hours of all days, not just when something good is happening. All the time.
If we say we are in relationship with Jesus, we must all be living lives of mission. If we have experienced God’s life changing power of forgiveness and mercy, we must not bottle that up and keep it to ourselves. We must extend the forgiveness and mercy we choose to live in and lead others to come to know, love and live in the Kingdom.
Jesus’ Kingdom is not some distance place we hope we will get to one day; it is here now, and it is our job to keep it alive and active. We have been commissioned too and it is all so very exciting! American philosopher Dallas Willard says’ If we do not make formation in Christ the priority, then we’re just going to keep on producing Christians that are indistinguishable in the character from many non – Christians’. Jesus didn’t blend in, he stood out and people took notice. We are Jesus followers, we must be known for that, so we must share Jesus in everything we do.
Jesus encouraged his disciples to bless the houses they entered ‘when you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house’ ‘, they weren’t to just say” hello, my name is …. “. They were to express God’s heart to the people they met. Shalom - expresses God’s desire for his people. God wants hope in all areas of these people’s lives. God wants hope in all areas of your life. When was the last time you accepted that gift? When was the last time you opened your hands and received the peace God wants to fill you afresh with? Take a few moments to let God say ‘Shalom’ to you.
Jesus sends the disciples off in twos, he does not want them to be alone. Once again it links to Moses where two witnesses were needed for a testimony to be credible. I love this, I love that Jesus pairs us up. I love we don’t have to face the rejection, disappointment, annoyance alone, but most of all I love that when I rejoice at the wonder of life in the Kingdom, I have others who understand and are doing the same. Jesus has sent me off to proclaim His Good News and He has always placed someone right at my side to do this with … this amazes me! I think back at all the God instances over my life, and I see who God placed right beside me. From a wonderfully faithful husband who led me back to the Mass , to an amazing Parish Priest who baptized me in the Holy Spirit, to the old lady on the back row of church who spotted when I was upset one day , grabbed my hand and told me ‘ Mamma Mary will sort your pickle out’ and giving me her rosary beads , there’s been countless people who God placed in my life just at the right time and I rejoice and thank God for them every day.
This Gospel reminds me we need others, we cannot walk a Christian life alone. It refires my desire of doing life with others in community which is in communion with the Lord. A community with a mission of bringing about the Kingdom of God by the ways we proclaim and serve God. A community that is alive and active and overflowing with faith. I pray that we can all accept and use the power given to us so we can proclaim the gospel message and others will join with us building the Kingdom. Where Jesus goes, we follow, and we pray so many others will join us in our mission.
There are many pointers to follow on our mission. We don’t go alone. We shouldn’t draw attention to ourselves, we must accept what we are offered, when we are rejected -we must move on, and don’t seek revenge. Life can be full of so many obstacles, but Jesus has given us the authority ‘to overcome all the power of the enemy’ He has given us permission to stand against the obstacles and bring them into His glorious light. In doing this we receive healing, deliverance, and help. Jesus promises us a life of abundance in John 10:10. It is so very important to spend some time thinking about what the obstacle (or obstacles) in your life is ,as it is blocking Jesus’ overflowing abundant love. Then bring it into the glorious light of Jesus – where healing, deliverance and never-ending help is waiting. Hand that obstacle over to Him.
If we follow our King, we must learn and live in His plan. We must make time for reading scripture and in doing so we will know what God is saying to us. Our names are written in heaven and it is this delightful fact that should be making us ‘cry out with joy to God, all the earth’ (Psalm 65) because we are known, seen and loved and we are offered a chance to live with him for all eternity!
I want to live all my days in God’s Kingdom so I shouldn’t be wasting time not doing so! Some mornings I get overwhelmed and just don’t know what my task in the Kingdom is. I grab as many tasks as I can and I fail, lose hope and despair. I try and do things in my own strength. I learn time and time again I can’t do everything; I need to work with others, work only in the power of God and in doing so we will see goodness.
St Gianna Beretta Molla said, ‘One earns Paradise with one’s daily task’. I commit to ask myself every morning what is my one, singular task today to share The Good News? Will you join me? In doing that one task, perhaps all of our tasks may flow, and we will get ‘To know, love, and serve God (CCC356-358) Then we can truly earn paradise, even here on earth. Perhaps this week ask God more intentionally what your task is and rejoice in the paradise He will provide.
It is your Kingdom God, help us all carry out our days sharing only you.
-Jen
Beautiful words, thanks Jen.🙏
**Gospel for Wednesday 28th June, the Solemnity of SS Peter and Paul, Apostles: Matthew 16:13-19**
**As it is a Solemnity, after the Gospel passage you will find some commentary split into two sections.**
**1) Some teaching points to consider in this passage**
**2) What does this mean for me and my life today?**
**We hope you will find it useful!**
**Gospel Matthew 16:13-19**
**When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ Then Simon Peter spoke up, ‘You are the Christ,’ he said ‘the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.’**
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ Then Simon Peter spoke up, ‘You are the Christ,’ he said ‘the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.’
**1) Some teaching points to consider in this passage**
**Context**
Jesus has taken the disciples to Caesarea Philippi. We are told of nothing else that happens here yet all three synoptic Gospels include this important interaction. Why take the disciples to this particular place which was a predominantly Gentile city north of Palestine and would have been a day’s walk away? The location is everything! Originally known as Paneas, this was the site of a shrine to the Greco-Roman god Pan where animal and even human sacrifices were made as well as sexual rites to the god of fertility. The Shrine was based around a deep cave out of which flowed a vast spring, so deep in fact that the people believed it must flow from the underworld. During Jesus’ time, the city had been renamed Caesarea Philippi by Philip the son of Herod the Great – named after Caesar Tiberius (son of Caesar Augustus) and himself, both considered sons of ‘gods’. This was a place that Jews would avoid and would be warned against by their Rabbis, yet Jesus deliberately takes his disciples right to the heart of it.
In front of both the pagan shrine and the temple erected to the ‘sons of gods’, Jesus asks the key question which prompts Peter’s great confession ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God’. Peter declares confidently in the midst of all these other ideas of god that Jesus is the Anointed One, the Messiah, not just a prophet and that He is the Son of the *Living* God, not like these ‘gods’ who are dead and gone. Jesus then assures them that even the gates of the underworld, again illustrated in front of them, cannot stand against Him.
**Who do people say I am?**
This is still a pertinent question today. Who do the voices around you say Jesus is? Some of the most common answers might be ‘a wise teacher who said some good things’, ‘an unassuming guy who just wanted to point people to God and then others have used him for their agenda, falsely making him into a god so that they could seize power’ or even ‘a fairy tale who never existed’. All of these ideas can be easily debunked with even a small amount of study, but let’s face it, most people just want their opinion regardless of how well formed it may or may not be. If I were to ask most people ‘do you believe in Socrates and what he stood for?’ their answer would most likely be more measured. A quick search on the internet will reveal that Socrates was a Greek philosopher from [Athens](en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_Athens) who is credited as one of the founders of [Western philosophy](en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_philosophy). Yet Socrates left no writings of his own behind. We mainly know of him, his sayings and philosophies from his disciple Plato. However, no one would say he was just a fairy tale or that Plato just took advantage of the situation to spread his own agenda despite the fact that even over 2000 years later the ‘Socratic method’ is used to examine key moral concepts such as Good and [Justice](en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justice) and is considered a defining element of legal education.
So why is there such resistance and reluctance to accept that Jesus really existed or that He is God? Because, to truly believe in Jesus, is not comfortable and convenient. Believing in Socrates and his ideas of philosophy, does not necessarily affect my day to day life, but if Jesus is Who He said He is then I have to sit up and listen and my life will never be the same again!
**Church**
The word ‘church’ has become so familiar to us that you might be forgiven for thinking that Jesus talks about it a lot. But you would be mistaken. Jesus only refers to the church twice in all of the Gospel accounts (both in Matthew’s account, see also Matt 18:17) and the first is here in today’s passage. Much more often Jesus talked about the Kingdom of God, what it is like, how you enter, that everyone has a place etc. The word ‘church’ is used in the Greek Old Testament however to denote the congregation or assembly of Israel united to God and in today’s passage we see Jesus forming a new Covenant community of which Peter is to take the lead and, along with the other disciples, build this new community.
**You are Cephas
**‘Petros’ from which we derive ‘Peter’ was a common word in Greek but there is no evidence that it was ever used as a name for a person before Jesus gave it to Simon in this encounter. Jesus renames Simon ‘the rock’ upon which He will build His Church. This is further compounded by the fact that Jesus would most likely have been speaking in Aramaic, using the word ‘kepha’ from which we get ‘Cephas’ (see John 1:42, 1 Cor 1:12, 15:5, Gal 1:8 etc) denoting a ‘sizeable rock’, one suitable to be used as a foundation.
There are also many important comparisons between Peter and Abraham in this passage. Both are blessed by God (Matt 16:17, Gen 14:19), both respond with heroic faith (Matt 16:16, Heb 11:8), both receive a divine mission (Matt 16:18, Gen 12:1-3), both have names changed (Matt 18:18, Gen 17:5), both called ‘rock’ (Matt 18:18, Is 51:1-2), both assured authority over enemies (Matt 18:18, Gen 22:17). Abraham is the Father of Faith in the Old Covenant and now Peter becomes the Father of Faith in the New Covenant.
**Keys and Authority**
In the Old Testament Davidic empire, the King appointed a cabinet of ministers for specific tasks in the kingdom (1 Kings 4:1-6, 2 Kings 18:37). Of these, a prime minister was elevated to unique status of authority, ranking second only to the King. This government structure was common among kingdoms in the ancient Near East (Gen 41:39-43, Esther 3:1-2). Jesus here evokes Isaiah 22:15-25, where the prime minister’s office is handed on to a successor by the symbolic act of handing on the ‘key of the house (ie kingdom) of David’. In Matthew’s account of the Gospel, Jesus is the new Davidic King Who appoints Peter the prime minister of the kingdom of heaven in the church. As in Isaiah 22, Peter’s position is designed for him and his successors with the office meant to endure as long as the kingdom itself. Entrusted with the keys, Peter wields Christ’s own royal authority.
**2) What does this mean for me and my life today?**
**Revealed by my Father in Heaven
**The revelation of Who Jesus is can only come from the Father, no ‘flesh and blood’ can ever make you believe. That is why faith is a gift! Of course there are ways and means of helping others and ourselves be more open to receiving that gift, but ultimately we cannot earn or create faith. But the good news is that faith is a free gift that God desires for each and every person – He desperately wants you to know Him and His unconditional love for you. And all those for whom you desire that faith, maybe spouses, children, friends, the lost etc, God desperately wants that for them too! We cannot give them that gift but we can help them want it by loving them and sharing our own faith with them so they know what they are missing!
**Identity
**Have you noticed that Peter receives his clear identity in today’s passage and that it only happens after he has understood Who Jesus truly is? We can only know who we truly are when we know *Whose* we truly are. There are so many labels that we put on ourselves to ‘find’ our identity today – ‘the clever/stupid one’, ‘the outgoing/shy one’, ‘the gay/straight one’, ‘the success/failure’, ‘the holy/sinful one’, ‘the passionate/purposeless one’, ‘the beautiful/ugly one’ ‘the one who conforms/doesn’t conform’, the spouse, child, sibling, loner, sportsman, musician, nerd, entrepreneur, key-worker etc, etc etc…..
Of course all of these shape our life experience and our character BUT THEY ARE NOT WHO WE ARE!!! You are a precious Child of the Living God, nothing more and nothing less (as if there could be anything more!) Your identity is only found in Him because that is how you were created – to be one with Him forever! As St Augustine of Hippo said ‘“Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.” And that is not restrictive but completely freeing! You have nothing to prove and nothing to lose by being completely and utterly yourself and by devoting all of your being, ambitions, character, sexuality, fears, doubts, hopes and relationships to Him Who is your Loving Father. You can confidently allow Him Who has perfect plans for you to continually transform you into the person He created you to be before the temptations, struggles, hurts, and burdens of this world effected your ‘identity’. God has something so much more wonderful for you than you could ever ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20)
**He will Build**
Although Jesus appoints Peter as the rock upon which the church will be built, notice that Jesus says* I* will build *MY* church. It can sometimes seem like the Church has lost her way, that we are not living the call that Jesus has given us and that there is much to be done. Well, perhaps that is the case, but it is important to remember that Jesus is building His Church not my church as I would like it. Does that mean that I should just sit back and allow Him to get on with it? Absolutely not!!! He calls us to be co-operators with Him. But we must always remember exactly that – we are co-operators, not lone operators. Jesus is the head and we are the body. A body that is pulling in all different directions will get no-where and only damage itself. But of course Jesus wants the Church to be as holy, good and beautiful as possible and most importantly to reach out with His Life-giving Truth, and so we must ensure we are listening to Him and following His lead.
**Who do you say I am?
**Jesus still asks each one of us this essential question every day – But YOU, who do YOU say I am? Our image of God can be influenced by so many things from our upbringing to the media, from our experience of Church to our experience of relationships with those outside the Church. Each of these could have a positive or negative impact. So how do we ensure that we get to know Jesus as He truly wants to be known? That is a prayer I make often: ‘Jesus, I want to know You as You want to be known’ and I spend time listening to His Word, examining His character and how He loves by reading the Scriptures. I hear from other Christians who speak or sing about Who Jesus is and I weigh that up against what I have found in the Scriptures. I read and discuss with other people what they think and again weigh it up against the evidence I can find. I trust the Holy Mother Church who has such beautiful teaching that challenges me to expand my knowledge and understanding. And above all I ‘waste’ time with Jesus in prayer, siting, listening, asking for Him to increase the capacity of my heart so that I can know Him more fully. You may have lots of other ways that you do this too! Who do YOU say Jesus is and how do you allow that image to be challenged, shaped and expanded so that you come closer to knowing Him in His fullness?
-Ruth
**As it is a Solemnity, after the Gospel passage you will find some commentary split into two sections.**
**1) Some teaching points to consider in this passage**
**2) What does this mean for me and my life today?**
**We hope you will find it useful!**
**Gospel Matthew 16:13-19**
**When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ Then Simon Peter spoke up, ‘You are the Christ,’ he said ‘the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.’**
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ Then Simon Peter spoke up, ‘You are the Christ,’ he said ‘the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.’
**1) Some teaching points to consider in this passage**
**Context**
Jesus has taken the disciples to Caesarea Philippi. We are told of nothing else that happens here yet all three synoptic Gospels include this important interaction. Why take the disciples to this particular place which was a predominantly Gentile city north of Palestine and would have been a day’s walk away? The location is everything! Originally known as Paneas, this was the site of a shrine to the Greco-Roman god Pan where animal and even human sacrifices were made as well as sexual rites to the god of fertility. The Shrine was based around a deep cave out of which flowed a vast spring, so deep in fact that the people believed it must flow from the underworld. During Jesus’ time, the city had been renamed Caesarea Philippi by Philip the son of Herod the Great – named after Caesar Tiberius (son of Caesar Augustus) and himself, both considered sons of ‘gods’. This was a place that Jews would avoid and would be warned against by their Rabbis, yet Jesus deliberately takes his disciples right to the heart of it.
In front of both the pagan shrine and the temple erected to the ‘sons of gods’, Jesus asks the key question which prompts Peter’s great confession ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God’. Peter declares confidently in the midst of all these other ideas of god that Jesus is the Anointed One, the Messiah, not just a prophet and that He is the Son of the *Living* God, not like these ‘gods’ who are dead and gone. Jesus then assures them that even the gates of the underworld, again illustrated in front of them, cannot stand against Him.
**Who do people say I am?**
This is still a pertinent question today. Who do the voices around you say Jesus is? Some of the most common answers might be ‘a wise teacher who said some good things’, ‘an unassuming guy who just wanted to point people to God and then others have used him for their agenda, falsely making him into a god so that they could seize power’ or even ‘a fairy tale who never existed’. All of these ideas can be easily debunked with even a small amount of study, but let’s face it, most people just want their opinion regardless of how well formed it may or may not be. If I were to ask most people ‘do you believe in Socrates and what he stood for?’ their answer would most likely be more measured. A quick search on the internet will reveal that Socrates was a Greek philosopher from [Athens](en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_Athens) who is credited as one of the founders of [Western philosophy](en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_philosophy). Yet Socrates left no writings of his own behind. We mainly know of him, his sayings and philosophies from his disciple Plato. However, no one would say he was just a fairy tale or that Plato just took advantage of the situation to spread his own agenda despite the fact that even over 2000 years later the ‘Socratic method’ is used to examine key moral concepts such as Good and [Justice](en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justice) and is considered a defining element of legal education.
So why is there such resistance and reluctance to accept that Jesus really existed or that He is God? Because, to truly believe in Jesus, is not comfortable and convenient. Believing in Socrates and his ideas of philosophy, does not necessarily affect my day to day life, but if Jesus is Who He said He is then I have to sit up and listen and my life will never be the same again!
**Church**
The word ‘church’ has become so familiar to us that you might be forgiven for thinking that Jesus talks about it a lot. But you would be mistaken. Jesus only refers to the church twice in all of the Gospel accounts (both in Matthew’s account, see also Matt 18:17) and the first is here in today’s passage. Much more often Jesus talked about the Kingdom of God, what it is like, how you enter, that everyone has a place etc. The word ‘church’ is used in the Greek Old Testament however to denote the congregation or assembly of Israel united to God and in today’s passage we see Jesus forming a new Covenant community of which Peter is to take the lead and, along with the other disciples, build this new community.
**You are Cephas
**‘Petros’ from which we derive ‘Peter’ was a common word in Greek but there is no evidence that it was ever used as a name for a person before Jesus gave it to Simon in this encounter. Jesus renames Simon ‘the rock’ upon which He will build His Church. This is further compounded by the fact that Jesus would most likely have been speaking in Aramaic, using the word ‘kepha’ from which we get ‘Cephas’ (see John 1:42, 1 Cor 1:12, 15:5, Gal 1:8 etc) denoting a ‘sizeable rock’, one suitable to be used as a foundation.
There are also many important comparisons between Peter and Abraham in this passage. Both are blessed by God (Matt 16:17, Gen 14:19), both respond with heroic faith (Matt 16:16, Heb 11:8), both receive a divine mission (Matt 16:18, Gen 12:1-3), both have names changed (Matt 18:18, Gen 17:5), both called ‘rock’ (Matt 18:18, Is 51:1-2), both assured authority over enemies (Matt 18:18, Gen 22:17). Abraham is the Father of Faith in the Old Covenant and now Peter becomes the Father of Faith in the New Covenant.
**Keys and Authority**
In the Old Testament Davidic empire, the King appointed a cabinet of ministers for specific tasks in the kingdom (1 Kings 4:1-6, 2 Kings 18:37). Of these, a prime minister was elevated to unique status of authority, ranking second only to the King. This government structure was common among kingdoms in the ancient Near East (Gen 41:39-43, Esther 3:1-2). Jesus here evokes Isaiah 22:15-25, where the prime minister’s office is handed on to a successor by the symbolic act of handing on the ‘key of the house (ie kingdom) of David’. In Matthew’s account of the Gospel, Jesus is the new Davidic King Who appoints Peter the prime minister of the kingdom of heaven in the church. As in Isaiah 22, Peter’s position is designed for him and his successors with the office meant to endure as long as the kingdom itself. Entrusted with the keys, Peter wields Christ’s own royal authority.
**2) What does this mean for me and my life today?**
**Revealed by my Father in Heaven
**The revelation of Who Jesus is can only come from the Father, no ‘flesh and blood’ can ever make you believe. That is why faith is a gift! Of course there are ways and means of helping others and ourselves be more open to receiving that gift, but ultimately we cannot earn or create faith. But the good news is that faith is a free gift that God desires for each and every person – He desperately wants you to know Him and His unconditional love for you. And all those for whom you desire that faith, maybe spouses, children, friends, the lost etc, God desperately wants that for them too! We cannot give them that gift but we can help them want it by loving them and sharing our own faith with them so they know what they are missing!
**Identity
**Have you noticed that Peter receives his clear identity in today’s passage and that it only happens after he has understood Who Jesus truly is? We can only know who we truly are when we know *Whose* we truly are. There are so many labels that we put on ourselves to ‘find’ our identity today – ‘the clever/stupid one’, ‘the outgoing/shy one’, ‘the gay/straight one’, ‘the success/failure’, ‘the holy/sinful one’, ‘the passionate/purposeless one’, ‘the beautiful/ugly one’ ‘the one who conforms/doesn’t conform’, the spouse, child, sibling, loner, sportsman, musician, nerd, entrepreneur, key-worker etc, etc etc…..
Of course all of these shape our life experience and our character BUT THEY ARE NOT WHO WE ARE!!! You are a precious Child of the Living God, nothing more and nothing less (as if there could be anything more!) Your identity is only found in Him because that is how you were created – to be one with Him forever! As St Augustine of Hippo said ‘“Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.” And that is not restrictive but completely freeing! You have nothing to prove and nothing to lose by being completely and utterly yourself and by devoting all of your being, ambitions, character, sexuality, fears, doubts, hopes and relationships to Him Who is your Loving Father. You can confidently allow Him Who has perfect plans for you to continually transform you into the person He created you to be before the temptations, struggles, hurts, and burdens of this world effected your ‘identity’. God has something so much more wonderful for you than you could ever ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20)
**He will Build**
Although Jesus appoints Peter as the rock upon which the church will be built, notice that Jesus says* I* will build *MY* church. It can sometimes seem like the Church has lost her way, that we are not living the call that Jesus has given us and that there is much to be done. Well, perhaps that is the case, but it is important to remember that Jesus is building His Church not my church as I would like it. Does that mean that I should just sit back and allow Him to get on with it? Absolutely not!!! He calls us to be co-operators with Him. But we must always remember exactly that – we are co-operators, not lone operators. Jesus is the head and we are the body. A body that is pulling in all different directions will get no-where and only damage itself. But of course Jesus wants the Church to be as holy, good and beautiful as possible and most importantly to reach out with His Life-giving Truth, and so we must ensure we are listening to Him and following His lead.
**Who do you say I am?
**Jesus still asks each one of us this essential question every day – But YOU, who do YOU say I am? Our image of God can be influenced by so many things from our upbringing to the media, from our experience of Church to our experience of relationships with those outside the Church. Each of these could have a positive or negative impact. So how do we ensure that we get to know Jesus as He truly wants to be known? That is a prayer I make often: ‘Jesus, I want to know You as You want to be known’ and I spend time listening to His Word, examining His character and how He loves by reading the Scriptures. I hear from other Christians who speak or sing about Who Jesus is and I weigh that up against what I have found in the Scriptures. I read and discuss with other people what they think and again weigh it up against the evidence I can find. I trust the Holy Mother Church who has such beautiful teaching that challenges me to expand my knowledge and understanding. And above all I ‘waste’ time with Jesus in prayer, siting, listening, asking for Him to increase the capacity of my heart so that I can know Him more fully. You may have lots of other ways that you do this too! Who do YOU say Jesus is and how do you allow that image to be challenged, shaped and expanded so that you come closer to knowing Him in His fullness?
-Ruth
**Every week a member of the Metanoia team shares their thoughts on the day’s Gospel . We thank Christine this week for sharing her thoughts and giving us a chance to dive deeper into God’s Word. Please do share anything , in doing so we can all keep diving deeper together !**
**Gospel**
**Luke 9:51-62**
As the time drew near for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely took the road for Jerusalem and sent messengers ahead of him. These set out, and they went into a Samaritan village to make preparations for him, but the people would not receive him because he was making for Jerusalem. Seeing this, the disciples James and John said, ‘Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to burn them up?’ But he turned and rebuked them, and they went off to another village.
As they travelled along they met a man on the road who said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus answered, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’
Another to whom he said, ‘Follow me’, replied, ‘Let me go and bury my father first.’ But he answered, ‘Leave the dead to bury their dead; your duty is to go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.’
Another said, ‘I will follow you, sir, but first let me go and say goodbye to my people at home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’
**Reflection**
Today’s reading starts with Jesus taking the road to Jerusalem and we hear how the Samaritans would not receive him. James and John wanted to call down fire from heaven to punish them, but Jesus wasn’t interested in retaliation, he didn’t get distracted with the rejection of the Samaritans. It says “Jesus resolutely took the road to Jerusalem” – he was focussed on what was ahead, on the cross and dying for our sins so that we could be forgiven. How often do I get distracted by people’s reactions around me? Thankfully Jesus didn’t let the rejection of others stop him from following God’s plan and making a way so that we could receive freedom and healing.
James and John wanted revenge for what the Samaritans did – they wanted to teach them a lesson. When we’re hurt or offended by someone it’s easy to want to see them punished. But Jesus’ way is always one of forgiveness and unconditional love. God has given us a free will and he doesn’t punish us when we get it wrong. Nothing we do can change his love for us.
In the next verses Jesus is making a strong point that he needs to be the centre of our life and our relationship with him needs to be more important than anything or anyone else. He’s not saying not to love our families, friends, and home but that our love for him must be first. Do I truly love Jesus above everyone and everything else in my life?
The first man said, “I will follow you wherever you go”. Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem and death on a cross, he knew this man’s heart so explained there is a cost in following him. It reminded me of Peter at the last supper saying “I will lay down my life for you” but soon after he denied Jesus three times. It’s easy to make big gestures without fully thinking them through. There is a cost to following Jesus and it won’t always be easy. Peter did eventually lay down his life for Jesus but only after he was empowered by the Holy Spirit. The second reading today reminds us that we need to be led by the Spirit.
Jesus’ response was “foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head”. Through volunteering in the homeless drop-in, I’ve meet refugees who have had to leave their country, their homes and their families when they have converted to Christianity. Their love for Jesus was so strong that they’ve given all. We may not be asked to do something so radical, but every day Jesus asks us to put him first and to share our faith with others - “your duty is to go and spread the news of the kingdom of God”. Is sharing the good news a high priority in my life?
Two of the people in the reading said they would follow Jesus “but ….” We may say “I will follow you Jesus but first let me ….” What are the “buts” in my life that stop me moving forward with Jesus? From truly giving myself fully to him?
There is often a crucial moment or special grace to do something and if not done at that time, then that moment can be lost. We hear about Elisha in the first reading who recognised that moment and left everything to follow Elijah.
Elisha had been ploughing behind twelve yoke of oxen when he was called and Jesus refers to ploughing in the gospel “once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God”. Imagine ploughing a field in the way Elisha was. You would need to keep looking forward to guide the oxen and ensure the furrows were straight. Jesus is reminding us that we can’t keep looking back at the past, living with regrets or thinking how good things were before. We need to keep moving forward and trusting our lives (past, present and future) into God’s hands. I’m reminded of the hymn “I have decided to follow Jesus, no looking back, no looking back”. We are called to move forward in our faith and Jesus promises us that when follow him we are never alone because he walks with us and gives us the Holy Spirit to help us.
It is a challenging reading today, but Jesus doesn’t want us to feel condemnation if we’re not living up to this but to come to him just as we are. We can take comfort that the disciples were not perfect, but they followed Jesus and were loved and taught by him.
The song in my heart today is “Jesus be the centre, be my source, be my light, Jesus …” Amen
- Christine
**Gospel**
**Luke 9:51-62**
As the time drew near for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely took the road for Jerusalem and sent messengers ahead of him. These set out, and they went into a Samaritan village to make preparations for him, but the people would not receive him because he was making for Jerusalem. Seeing this, the disciples James and John said, ‘Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to burn them up?’ But he turned and rebuked them, and they went off to another village.
As they travelled along they met a man on the road who said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus answered, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’
Another to whom he said, ‘Follow me’, replied, ‘Let me go and bury my father first.’ But he answered, ‘Leave the dead to bury their dead; your duty is to go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.’
Another said, ‘I will follow you, sir, but first let me go and say goodbye to my people at home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’
**Reflection**
Today’s reading starts with Jesus taking the road to Jerusalem and we hear how the Samaritans would not receive him. James and John wanted to call down fire from heaven to punish them, but Jesus wasn’t interested in retaliation, he didn’t get distracted with the rejection of the Samaritans. It says “Jesus resolutely took the road to Jerusalem” – he was focussed on what was ahead, on the cross and dying for our sins so that we could be forgiven. How often do I get distracted by people’s reactions around me? Thankfully Jesus didn’t let the rejection of others stop him from following God’s plan and making a way so that we could receive freedom and healing.
James and John wanted revenge for what the Samaritans did – they wanted to teach them a lesson. When we’re hurt or offended by someone it’s easy to want to see them punished. But Jesus’ way is always one of forgiveness and unconditional love. God has given us a free will and he doesn’t punish us when we get it wrong. Nothing we do can change his love for us.
In the next verses Jesus is making a strong point that he needs to be the centre of our life and our relationship with him needs to be more important than anything or anyone else. He’s not saying not to love our families, friends, and home but that our love for him must be first. Do I truly love Jesus above everyone and everything else in my life?
The first man said, “I will follow you wherever you go”. Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem and death on a cross, he knew this man’s heart so explained there is a cost in following him. It reminded me of Peter at the last supper saying “I will lay down my life for you” but soon after he denied Jesus three times. It’s easy to make big gestures without fully thinking them through. There is a cost to following Jesus and it won’t always be easy. Peter did eventually lay down his life for Jesus but only after he was empowered by the Holy Spirit. The second reading today reminds us that we need to be led by the Spirit.
Jesus’ response was “foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head”. Through volunteering in the homeless drop-in, I’ve meet refugees who have had to leave their country, their homes and their families when they have converted to Christianity. Their love for Jesus was so strong that they’ve given all. We may not be asked to do something so radical, but every day Jesus asks us to put him first and to share our faith with others - “your duty is to go and spread the news of the kingdom of God”. Is sharing the good news a high priority in my life?
Two of the people in the reading said they would follow Jesus “but ….” We may say “I will follow you Jesus but first let me ….” What are the “buts” in my life that stop me moving forward with Jesus? From truly giving myself fully to him?
There is often a crucial moment or special grace to do something and if not done at that time, then that moment can be lost. We hear about Elisha in the first reading who recognised that moment and left everything to follow Elijah.
Elisha had been ploughing behind twelve yoke of oxen when he was called and Jesus refers to ploughing in the gospel “once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God”. Imagine ploughing a field in the way Elisha was. You would need to keep looking forward to guide the oxen and ensure the furrows were straight. Jesus is reminding us that we can’t keep looking back at the past, living with regrets or thinking how good things were before. We need to keep moving forward and trusting our lives (past, present and future) into God’s hands. I’m reminded of the hymn “I have decided to follow Jesus, no looking back, no looking back”. We are called to move forward in our faith and Jesus promises us that when follow him we are never alone because he walks with us and gives us the Holy Spirit to help us.
It is a challenging reading today, but Jesus doesn’t want us to feel condemnation if we’re not living up to this but to come to him just as we are. We can take comfort that the disciples were not perfect, but they followed Jesus and were loved and taught by him.
The song in my heart today is “Jesus be the centre, be my source, be my light, Jesus …” Amen
- Christine
