The Gospel According to Luke 13:22-30
Jesus passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went making his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” He answered them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough. After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ He will say to you in reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ And you will say, ‘We ate and drank in your company, and you taught us on the streets.’ Then he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!’ And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out. And the people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the Kingdom of God. For behold, some are last who will be first, and some who are first will be last.”
Reflection: On the surface, it might seem that this Gospel is a lesson we’ve heard before… but what we hear is the continuation of Jesus’ teaching on possessions. Simply…we can’t take them with us because they have no value where we are going.
How many of us work hard, earn money, save so that we can buy and collect all the things we “need’ We move from our first humble homes to a bigger home, sometimes we move again with more space for more cars. Then when we get to a certain age…and what do we do…we downsize.
Jesus is reminding us Not to Worry… about storing up our possessions for ourselves, but to give freely to our neighbors who don’t have as much as we do.
Just after Jesus tells the parable of the rich fool, he goes on to speak about how we ought not be unduly concerned and worried about things like food, clothing, drink, and all these things that are essential for our survival.
God does care for us and sustains us. On top of that he gives ALL of us, even MORE than we need. He gives us exactly what we need plus MORE! Let’s consider our personal relationships, within our home, our workplace, our neighborhoods…how do they appear in God’s eyes.
The Lord’s Prayer is a beautiful reminder that we ask God for our daily bread, not our weekly bread, but our daily bread. This implies, that we might not be here tomorrow…but today, God has given us His gift of life.
Action of the Day: When is the last time that you actually prayed the ‘Our Father Prayer’ by itself, not at church, but simply as a solemn prayer to God? Try starting your day praying this universal prayer slowly and reverently. Try it with your spouse and/or your children. Absorb it’s content and true meaning, it just might change your whole attitude to everyone you encounter each day.
Audio Reflection:
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