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seen from United States
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The Things We Store Away
The Rich Fool of our parable gets a bad rap. Compared to other parables, there is no wrongdoing, no theft, inflating invoices, skimming off the top, no taking advantage of workers in the vineyard. Maybe he is just preparing for his retirement where he and his family can finally rest and relax, – and sure, eat, drink, and be merry. His goals seem similar to our own concerns with our savings and…
Needs, Wants and Vanity
The writer Patricia Datchuck Sánchez offers a great insight in her commentary on this week’s readings: In an effort to lead her young charges on an exploration of their values, a second grade teacher gave the following assignment to her class. Take a large piece of poster paper or cardboard and draw a line down the center. On the left side of the paper, write “Needs”; on the right side, put…
The Parable of the Poor Rich Man
This coming Sunday is the 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time. The parable is not unique to Jesus – consider this passage from Sirach 11:18-19 18 A man may become rich through a miser’s life, and this is his allotted reward: 19 When he says: “I have found rest, now I will feast on my possessions,” He does not know how long it will be till he dies and leaves them to others. It is possible Jesus’…
A Word About Greed
This coming Sunday is the 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time. “Take care to guard against all greed” The text uses two verbs (horate & phylassesthe) in the present tense imperatives, i.e., continual action, in other words “continually take care” and “continually guard yourself from.” Perhaps this is a Lucan warning that the human condition is akin to alcoholics and their desire for alcohol, we are…
The Question of Inheritance
This coming Sunday is the 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time. One of Jesus’ hearers was having trouble with his brother about the proper division of an inheritance. Jewish laws of succession covered most cases (cf. Deut. 21:17), but there was sometimes room for doubt and in this case the man who spoke up felt that an injustice was being done. His brother was clearly in possession and he wanted Jesus to…
Law, Land and Inheritance
The dispute and the parable appears only in Luke among the gospels, situated within the on-going travel narrative as Jesus and the disciples move ever forward towards Jerusalem. Although the inheritance in question (v.13) is not specifically mentioned as land, given the parable’s setting (v.16) one might safely assume land was the issue. In the western legal system, inheritance law, the core…
Luke 16: Smart Money - Master investing for lasting returns
This year we are learning how to follow Jesus from the book of Luke in the Bible. One of Luke’s special themes is economics or finance. Jesus tells parables or stories about relationships between rich and poor people, employers and their staff, creditors and debtors. He teaches about how we spend money And use our possessions. How to make smart investments. When I joined KiwiSaver, I had to…
Teacher, tell my brother (Proper 13C)
Teacher, tell my brother (Proper 13C)
In this week’s gospel, someone asks Jesus to make his brother share—the perfect opportunity for a parable. Photo by Pixabay Here are some ways I approach this text: ReflectionReflection on treasureBetween Proper 12 & 13Video Past Sermons: 20192016
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