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We can never stop fine-tuning our faith and relationship with our Lord. It's a lifetime process. Thank God we have this faith community of St. Paul's that we journey together on.
A quick summary of Luke's gospel, what we've heard and studied and reflected upon this past year is priceless. Luke emphasizes important biographical and theological details not always found in the other gospels. In the first two chapters of Luke, we hear the infancy narrative - the Annunciation to Mary and the birth of John the Baptist. We hear Mary's song, the Magnificat; Zechariah's prophecy in the Benedictus; and Simeon's song in the Nunc Dimittis. We've read about the presentation of Jesus in the temple and the meeting with Simeon and Anna the Prophetess. And we heard the only recount of Jesus teaching in the temple at the age of twelve from Luke's gospel.
We've listened to some inspiring scripture passages with Luke’s parables emphasizing God’s grace for social outcasts, the dangers of wealth, and the need for persistent prayer.
Remember The Good Samaritan, when the despised Samaritan stops to help an injured man whom a priest and a Levite ignore. True neighborliness transcends religious, social, and ethnic barriers. There was The Prodigal Son, when a younger son wastes his inheritance, returns repentant, and is joyfully restored by his father. The father's boundless, unconditional grace brings about rejoicing over the lost son being found.
Luke told us about The Rich Fool, that wealthy farmer who built bigger barns to hoard his grain and then dies that night, warning us against greed and materialism, and stressing that life is not found in earthly possessions. Remember the woman with The Lost Coin who frantically searches until she finds it. The parable highlighted the value of every individual to God and the joy in the community when it is found.
The Rich Man and Lazarus is a memorable parable; a wealthy man who ignores a poor beggar, Lazarus, outside his front gate. The parable dramatically illustrates social reversal and the eternal consequences of ignoring the poor. Just a few weeks ago we heard about The Persistent Widow, or as I referred to her as, The Bad-Ass Widow. She spoke truth to power, stood up for justice, and was persistent and unwavering in her prayer and actions. And most recently we had the parable of The Pharisee and the Tax Collector - two men praying, one self-praising Pharisee, and the other a humble and repentant tax collector. Remember, only the tax collector is justified with God.
This past year we have seen Jesus healing the sick, healing ten lepers, expelling demons, and raising Lazarus from the dead. We have witnessed Jesus' compassion and inclusivity, and we have seen him numerous times in deep prayer. He taught us the Lord's Prayer.
Luke emphasizes themes that strongly resonate with the core values and practices of our worshipping community: Universal Salvation with the inclusion of Gentiles and Samaritans; Ministry to the Poor and Outcast with the focus on the poor, women, sinners, and marginalized in a constant call to action, social justice, and charity; the prominent role of the Holy Spirit in the life-giving work in the church; Luke features several meal scenes, climaxing in the Last Supper and the Breaking of the Bread at Emmaus, all of which connect us to our Holy Eucharist each Sunday.
The Gospel of Luke’s unique stories and parables function to portray Jesus as the universal Savior who came to reverse the world's social order, bringing good news and grace to everyone, particularly those whom society had rejected. Let us give thanks to God for Luke's Gospel and how it has influenced our faith and our actions. And may we look forward to our new Liturgical Year A which follows Matthew's Gospel, beginning on November 30th, the 1st Sunday of Advent.
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