Fifth Sunday of lent and palm Sunday 3 and 10 April 2022
Fifth Sunday of Lent (John 8:1-11)
The theme of forgiveness is prominent, as on previous Sundays, Jesus is being tested, as so often by the religious leaders of his day. The matter of fidelity to the Law of Moses is raised in a dramatic way. The actions of Jesus are eloquent. He crouches down to write on the ground, turning away from judgement and condemnation. He then ‘stands up’ to deliver words of forgiveness, words which restore her life to the woman and allow her to rise. Words of forgiveness empower us to stand erect, and to accept the challenge not to sin again.
Am I prepared to understand and pardon the sinner?
Do I value the Sacrament of Reconciliation as a way of receiving for myself the new future offered to the woman in the gospel passage?
We pray for readiness to seek the forgiveness of Christ.
We pray for all those trapped in lifestyles of abuse.
Passion (Palm) Sunday (Luke 22:14-23:56)
The gospel reading, which includes the words of Jesus on the cross and the account of his death, is only part of Luke’s story of the Passion. Even amid suffering Jesus shows great compassion to others. He prays for forgiveness for his executioners, who ‘do not know what they are doing’. He promises paradise to the criminal who seeks forgiveness.
Jesus’ final words in Luke are taken from Psalm 31, ‘Into your hands I commit my spirit.’ The evangelist tells us of the trust of Jesus at the moment of death. Jesus knows that the Father will not abandon him but raise him up on the third day. As the story of Jesus’ death concludes, the hope of resurrection remains.
What are the striking features of the story of the passion as told by Luke?
Take time this week to read the complete story of the Passion and death of Christ.
We pray for the willingness to die with Christ to rise with him to new life.
Let us join with the Church throughout the world to live Holy Week to the full.
Fr Adrian Graffy
Third and Fourth Sundays of Lent (Year C) 20 and 27 March 2022
Third Sunday of Lent (Luke 13:1-9)
This gospel reading contains material found in no other gospel which raises crucial questions about the justice of God and the need for repentance. We frequently hear about human suffering, suffering inflicted by other people or resulting from ‘natural disasters. Suffering and tragedy have always led to the question ‘Why me?’ The random nature of human suffering leads many to question the existence of a loving God. What Jesus makes clear in the first part of this gospel passage is that suffering is not necessarily brought about by sin. Those who suffered at the hands of Pilate and in the collapse of the tower of Siloam were no guiltier than their fellows. Jesus does not explain at this point the meaning of innocent suffering. He acknowledges that it is part of the human condition. The answer he will give will be seen on Calvary.
The second part of the gospel reading contains the parable of the fig tree. Whereas in the gospels of Matthew and Mark, Jesus is seen cursing the fig tree which carries no fruit (Mark chapter 11 and Matthew chapter 21), here in Luke Jesus uses a parable to make the same point., The fig tree symbolises the people and their lack of fruitfulness. The gardener makes his appeal, but we are not told the reply. We may presume that the fig tree was granted a reprieve, but for how many years?
How long do I wait before responding to the call of God, the call of conscience?
What consolation can a Christian offer in the face of innocent suffering?
We pray for, openness to learn from the words of Christ.
We pray for generosity in living out the gospel.
Fourth Sunday of Lent (Luke 15:1-3, 11-32)
The father welcomes back the return of his younger son with great extravagance. Nothing is too much to offer, such is God’s delight at the return of a sinner.
The contrasting attitude of the elder son is the main message of the parable, which is told for those who contest Jesus’ welcoming attitude to sinners (15:1-3). Perhaps the elder son has a reasonable grievance. Did the father never show gratitude to him for his commitment, his ‘slaving’? The words of the father to this elder son are truly healing words: ‘My son, you are with me always and all I have is yours.’
Do I have a welcoming attitude to those who seek God after going astray?
Would I, like the elder son, refuse to go in?
We pray for generous appreciation of the commitment of others.
We pray that we may have the humility to change our ways.
Fr Adrian Graffy
Seventh and Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time 20 and 27 February 2022
Seventh Sunday (Luke 6:27-38)
We continue reading from Luke’s collection of the teachings of Jesus known as the ‘Sermon on the Plain’. The essence of this reading is found in verses 27 and 28. There is a radical new commandment here, given to all the disciples of Jesus, that we should love our enemies. This commandment is found in Matthew and Luke, in their respective collections of Jesus’ teaching, and in both gospels this new precept challenges the opinions of the contemporaries of Jesus: ‘I say this to you.’ The commandment is elaborated in the following verses and repeated in verse 35. We are called to be like God, because we are children of God.
Throughout Luke’s gospel Jesus reveals the compassion of God, and the call is for us to ‘be compassionate as your Father is compassionate’. The vocation of the Christian is not to ‘treat others as you would like them to treat you’, but, in a far more demanding manner, to ‘do as God does’.
To what extent do I live the gospel command to ‘love your enemies’?
Is compassion a guiding factor in my dealings with others?
Let us pray that we may truly imitate the love of Christ.
Let us pray for generosity of heart in all we do.
Eighth Sunday (Luke 6:39-45)
We continue reading from Luke’s collection of the teaching of Jesus known as the ‘Sermon on the Plain’. Jesus speaks first about the teacher and the disciple. If the teacher does not see clearly he will not be able to guide the disciple. And the disciple must respect his teacher and be willing to learn.
We need clear sight for ourselves too. We tend to prefer correcting others to recognizing our own faults. We can be blind to so much in ourselves and still insist on correcting others. Once again, Jesus is stressing the need for the teacher tom be a disciple first, to learn lessons, and then to give them.
The following verses speak of good and bad fruit. The teacher, and every faithful disciple, must produce good fruit. A good heart is necessary. This will be obvious when someone speaks, and, as the first reading from Ecclesiasticus maintains, conversation and speech are the ‘test of men’.
Am I more willing to direct others than to learn for myself?
Do I fool myself with false judgements about myself?
Let us pray for honesty and humility, and a readiness to learn especially from the poor and the inadequate.
Let us seek always to speak with integrity.
Fr Adrian Graffy
Fifth and Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time 6 and 13 February 2022
Fifth Sunday (Luke 5:1-11)
Luke sometimes presents the gospel stories in a different order from Mark and Matthew. This is the case with this story of the call of the first disciples, which he places after the visits to Nazareth and Capernaum. The story is also fuller than the short accounts in Mark and Matthew. Jesus is preaching ‘the word of God’ when he gets into Simon’s boat in order to teach the crowds from there. The miracle of the enormous catch of fish gives further background to the call of Simon Peter.
Luke makes clear that the disciples had already heard the preaching of Jesus and witnessed his miracles when they left everything to follow him. They respond ‘at the Lord’s word’. They ‘hear the word and put it into practice’.
Simon Peter is deeply aware of his unworthiness, an echo of the call of the prophet Isaiah in the first reading. Jesus responds, ‘Do not be afraid.’ These words are heard repeatedly in the Scriptures when a person is called to take up a mission for God.
Does hearing the word of God make a difference in my life?
Am I able to trust the words of Christ ‘Do not be afraid’?
Let us pray for the courage needed to respond to our vocation.
We ask for the wisdom, courage and love to be ‘fishers of men’.
Sixth Sunday (Luke 6:17, 20-26)
Luke’s ‘Sermon on the Plain’ is much shorter than the more famous ‘Sermon on the Mount’ in Matthew’s gospel. Both these collections of Jesus’ teaching begin with beatitudes, introduced by ‘blesses’ or ‘happy’. In Luke there are four, and they are followed by four ‘woes’, speeches which begin in our translation with ‘alas’.
It is quite clear from the beatitudes that Jesus challenges the opinions of his own day, and indeed of ours. We encounter here the mystery which lies at the heart of the gospel and at the heart of life: that suffering, and loss are an extraordinary channel of blessing. How difficult it is for Christians to fathom this truth? The loving self-sacrifice of Jesus on the cross is the best aid to reflecting on this mystery.
Jesus was sent to bring ’good news to the poor’. He will show repeatedly in Luke’s gospel that lack of attachment to the good things of the world leaves a person free to discover the values of God. At the same time, to bring assistance to those in material poverty is a gospel imperative. When he speaks of the persecution of the prophets, and foresees the sufferings of Christians, Jesus points to his own fate.
In what sense is poverty a channel of blessing in my life?
How do I view the abuse people suffer for being Christian?
Let us pray for a profound detachment from material things.
Let us ask for courage and love in our dealings with those who deride us. Fr Adrian Graffy
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time and Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time 23 and 30 January 2022
Third Sunday (Luke 1:1-4, 4:14-21)
This Sunday we finally begin our reading of the Gospel of Luke, the gospel laid down to be read in Year C. There are two separate passages in today’s gospel reading. We begin with the opening four verses of chapter 1, in which the evangelist sets down his method of working and his intention. Luke tells us that other evangelists have already written gospels. His sources are eyewitnesses of Jesus, and those who have preached the gospel. Luke assures Theophilus, to whom the gospel is addressed, and all who hear or read it, that the gospel is trustworthy.
Luke begins the story of Jesus’ ministry with his visit to the synagogue in Nazareth. Jesus reads from the book of Isaiah at the sabbath service and declares that the text he reads is being fulfilled. Luke wants us to recognise that Jesus is the long-awaited anointed one of God (the Messiah, the Christ). He brings ‘good news to the poor’, not those who have little in a worldly sense, but those who recognise their poverty in the sight of God, their need of God. Luke is already answering the question ‘Who is Jesus?’ The Nazareth story will continue next week.
What can we deduce from this gospel about how the gospels came to be written?
What do you understand by the word ‘fulfilment’?
Let us pray that our hearts will be open to new insights as we begin reading Luke.
Let us pray that we ourselves may be ‘good news to the poor’.
Fourth Sunday (Luke 4:21-30)
The story of Jesus’ visit to Nazareth, which we began reading last week, is placed by Luke at the very start of Jesus’ ministry. The people are delighted by the ‘gracious words’, literally ‘the words of grace’, which he spoke. Quite suddenly, the atmosphere changes, and Jesus challenges the people’s expectations. He knows that their approval is superficial. Prophets are generally rejected by their own.
Jesus illustrates this be referring to the two Old Testament prophets. Elijah and Elisha. Elijah encountered persecution in Israel and both prophets performed mighty works for those who were not Jews. Jesus stresses that the healing mercy of God is for all. The people of Nazareth react in annoyance, reject their own prophet and threaten physical violence.
Luke anticipates here the different reactions to the preaching of Jesus found in the rest of the gospel. Acceptance, rejection and violence will all be present.
What is my reaction to the preaching of Jesus?
Have I ever experienced being ‘a prophet rejected by his own people’?
We ask that Jesus’ words of grace will heal all bitterness an resentment.,
We ask that we ourselves may be ‘good news’ to the stranger.
Fr Adrian Graffy
The Baptism of the Lord and Second Sunday in Ordinary Time 9 and 16 January 2022
The Baptism of the Lord (Luke 3:15-16, 21-22).
This is the final feast of the Christmas season. Having celebrated his birth and his manifestation as the Messiah for all nations, it is appropriate to conclude the season with the event which begins his public ministry.
Our gospel reading contains two verses about the work of John the Baptist. John was a major figure during Advent, for it was he who prepared the way for the coming of Christ. Now we see him as the one who offered baptism to Christ in the Jordan. John clarifies that he himself is not the Christ. He knew he was a servant, one who would point the way to someone ‘more powerful’. John was a strong and effective preacher of forgiveness and new life. Jesus will show his power above all by his works of healing. John alludes to the Spirit who will accompany the work of Jesus and to his new kind of baptism.
The evangelist Luke presents the baptism of Jesus in a unique way. Jesus, who is in no need of conversion himself, shows solidarity with all those coming to John for baptism. Luke hardly mentions then baptism itself but concentrates on the manifestation of the Spirit and on the voice heard. As so often in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is presented as praying after his baptism. It is as if he is at prayer as he awaits the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Most remarkable is Luke’s description of the Spirit ‘in bodily form’, whereby the evangelist insists on the reality of the Spirit’s presence. The vision is seen by all, and the voice similarly to be heard from all. The words are inspired by the Servant Song which is our first reading from the Book of Isaiah: ‘Here is my servant, in whom my soul delights.’
Why did Jesus seek baptism from John?
How similar is John’s baptism to that of Jesus?
Let us seek renewal of the grace of our own baptism.
Let us prepare to accompany Jesus in Luke’s soy of his ministry throughout the coming weeks.
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (John 2:1-12).
This Sunday’s Gospel shows our reluctance to leave the Christmas season behind. It tells of the third of the ‘manifestations’ of Jesus associated with the Christmas season, the others being the Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord.
The key to understanding the place of today’s gospel in our liturgy is the statement that ‘He let his glory be seen.’ The Gospel of John contains seven major signs by which the true identity of Jesus, his glory, is made known. The transformation of the water into wine tells us that Jesus brings a new time, a time of richness and fulfilment. An enormous amount of wine is provided. Although the ‘hour’ of Jesus, the hour of his death and resurrection, has not yet come, this sign is a pointer towards the ‘glory’ of Jesus.
The role of the mother of Jesus, who is addressed by Jesus as ‘Woman’, is significant. As in the stories of Jesus’ birth, so here in John, she collaborates with God’s ways in a humble and self-giving manner. She is the woman of the new covenant, as Eve was the woman of the old.
What is the role of the mother of Jesus in the events of our salvation?
What do I take away from the Christmas season as ordinary time takes over?
Pray for the vision to see the hidden glory of God in today’s world.
Pray for those who are searching for the signs of God’s presence.
Fr Adrian Graffy