Tag: Sunday Reflection

In our parable for today, we have the witness of a widow who came to a dishonest judge and continuously begged him for a just judgment. Though the judge did not care about the woman, he eventually rendered a just decision for her because she was so persistent. It’s interesting that Jesus used the image of a “dishonest judge” to teach us about persistent prayers being answered. He does so because He wants us to understand that if even those who are dishonest respond to persistence, then so much more will the Just Judge of Heaven respond to persistence. Will God answer any prayer you pray if you offer that prayer day and night, day after day without fail? Does God eventually give into our requests as a parent might give into a child who keeps begging for something? Not exactly. One of the most important qualifiers mentioned in this parable is the word “just.” We read that the woman’s plea before the judge was, “render a just decision for me…” At the conclusion of the parable, Jesus gives this interpretation: “Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night?” When we pray, we ought not pray for whatever we want. We ought not pray for our preference, selfish desires, or our own ideas. We must pray only for the justice of God. When we do so with unwavering perseverance, God will secure our rights and bring forth His justice.

No rational person would want to go to hell. The rich man in this parable certainly did not desire hell, but his actions led him there. Most people, however, do want to be rich in this world. In fact, many people would think it irrational not to desire wealth. It is very rare to find a person who chooses to live in simplicity as a means to deeper spiritual fulfillment and as preparation for the riches of Heaven. But one clear message from our Gospel story today is that the life that Lazarus lived on earth was far better than that of the rich man. So which life do you prefer here and now? While it is true that the rich man’s riches were not the exclusive cause of his eternal damnation, it is also true that his riches imposed upon him a temptation toward selfishness and indifference to the needs of others, which ended in his eternal demise.

This Sunday, the Gospel presents us with the parable of the unfaithful manager, a story that invites us to reflect on the management of the assets that God has entrusted to us. We can imagine the scene as that of a businessman who discovers that his dishonest manager has been cheating. Faced with the imminent dismissal and the lack of preparation to face the challenges of hard work, the manager seeks out his boss’s creditors, collecting debts for lower amounts, thus making friends for his future. Jesus, in His wisdom, praises the prudence of this manager, stating that the children of this world are more shrewd than the children of light.

Vigilance, hard work, determination, attentiveness, fidelity—these are some of the qualities that Jesus is speaking about. To “gird your loins” means that you are immediately prepared for some challenging task. You are ready for the hard work ahead and are…

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1

Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Luke 10:38–39

In a quiet corner of the hills, far from the noise of cities and the distractions of daily life, thousands gathered around a man who spoke not just with words, but with compassion that fed the soul. These people came with emptiness, some of body, some of spirit, and they found in the presence of Jesus, more than they ever expected. They were met not with scarcity, but with abundance. Not with dismissal, but with welcome. This moment, where five loaves and two fish became a feast for thousands, we are invited to live it anew.

The community of disciples, together with the Apostles and the Virgin Mary, gathered in expectation. The Lord Jesus, the master and teacher they cherished had returned to His glory with the Father, completing His “Passover”—the transition from death to life and the fulfilment of His redemptive mission. His resurrection was not merely a triumph over death but a revelation of the eternal glory He possessed from the beginning, which He fully enjoyed with his return to His Father. Before His departure, He reassured His followers, saying “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper/Comforter, will not come to you” (Jn 16:7). At first, this seemed a paradox. How could His leaving be good? Would their Teacher and Savior not be more valuable to them in His visible presence?  This mystery puzzled me for a long time, but understanding the connection between the Jewish Feasts of Passover and Pentecost allowed me to have a deeper understanding of God’s plan for salvation.

This Sunday’s Gospel Reading is set at the Last Supper.  Yet Jesus speaks in veiled terms about His Ascension to the Father, which of course took place less than seven weeks after the Last Supper.  In Sunday’s Gospel Reading, we hear Jesus proclaim:  “If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father”.  But how could we expect the apostles to rejoice over Jesus leaving them?