Trinity I- Luke 16:31

 This Sunday's Gospel from Luke 16:19-31 contains the Parable of the Rich Man and the Beggar Lazarus.  (The rich man is sometimes called "Dives" from the Latin for "rich.") This passage brings us several themes, including the importance of compassion and the nature of the afterlife. In rereading the passage this week, another theme was noticeable. In Luke 16:31, the Gospel concludes, "And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead." 

This statement highlights the basic human spiritual and moral problem. God has created human beings to be spiritually and morally responsible. He expects them to love Him and their neighbors. In His mercy, God has provided and still provides revelations of His expectations. In nature, in the Mosaic Law, and in the prophets, the divine expectations are clear for those willing to see and hear. In the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God has revealed His expectations even more clearly. Moreover, He has revealed the possibility of repentance, faith, pardon, and renewal after human failure. God offers redeeming grace. 

Unfortunately, human beings are often like the rich man in the parable. They ignore both divine expectations and divine grace. They persist in hardness of heart. They continue in their selfish sinfulness. Not only are they immoral, but they are also unspiritual. Their attitude is the central problem. They are not open to divine holiness, love, or grace. They have no transcendent faith. Their confidence is in themselves and their earthly status or possessions. And such hardened attitudes have eternal consequences.

Fortunately, such a sad state can be remedied. Sinful and selfish human beings are offered grace. In His mercy, God can change them and soften hardened hearts. With God, all things are possible. People can turn from sin, and faith can arise in unexpected ways. All humans (even a poor Lazarus) are sinners who can develop humble and faithful attitudes through the divine grace revealed in Jesus Christ. May we have eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to believe this good news!

Trinity VII- Mark 8:1-9

 The Gospel for the Seventh Sunday after Trinity is from St. Mark 8:1-9. This is one of several gospel accounts of feeding the multitudes (there is similar account in St. Mark 6). In addition to the miracle itself which is a manifestation of Christ's divine power over nature, the story of Christ feeding the 4000 shows us several things about our Lord's earthly mission.  It shows Christ's compassion toward the physical hunger of crowds (8:2). In addition, the setting of this particular feeding is in a Gentile area near Galilee. This fact implies that Christ's compassion extends to all sorts and conditions of humanity.

Furthermore, the context shows that our Lord has a deep concern for spiritual hunger. The people that He feeds physically are those who hunger for His words, His spiritual nourishment. They are people who have followed Jesus out into the countryside and listened to His teachings for three days. They are physically hungry because in the words of the Sermon on the Mount, they "hunger and thirst after righteousness" (Matthew 5:6). So here we see Christ's special mercy for those who seek to follow Him.

Besides telling us about Christ's earthly ministry, our Gospel also teaches us about the continuing mission of the Church.  1) Like our Lord, we should manifest compassion for the basic physical needs of human beings, such as hunger. 2) Christian concern for both physical and spiritual needs is universal. That is, compassion extends to all people. Although compassion is most often expressed in our everyday human contacts, it must extend to anyone that we meet who has a physical or spiritual need.

3) This compassion for human hunger also has spiritual dimensions. Indeed, while it may be less obvious, spiritual hunger is a deeper need. Human beings are designed for fellowship with God. Even when people are not aware of its existence, there is a spiritual hunger in every soul which can only be supplied by Jesus Christ. As Christians, we are all called to point others to Christ who continues to nourish human souls through His Word and His Sacraments.

Trinity XVI- Luke 7:11ff

The Gospel for the Sixteenth Sunday is from St. Luke 7:11ff. It recounts the story of Jesus raising the son of the widow from the village Nain. In this brief account, we see two very important points. First, we see Jesus' compassion. Of course, He is merciful to the young man, but even more, His compassion is for the mother. She is a widow left alone, and our Lord cares for her. Secondly, this account shows who Jesus is and the powers He has. Jesus is more than a country rabbi. He is the divine Christ who can conquer death. For those with eyes and hearts to see and understand, this miracle is a testimony to Christ's divine mission and nature.

Reflecting upon this miracle, let us be aware of Jesus' compassion toward all who are in need, and let us seek to follow Him in showing mercy. Let us also understand and have faith in the person of Jesus Christ. He is a compassionate man, but He is also very much more. He is God the Son come among us. And He embodies divine power over death and all destructive forces. On many occasions, He has restored physical life, and beyond that, He remains the source of eternal spiritual life!

Trinity IX- Prodigals- Luke 15: 11-32

The traditional Gospel for this Sunday from St. Luke 15:11-32 is well known. In fact, it might be so well known that we overlook its depth of meaning. It has often been called the Parable of the Prodigal Son, and certainly the prodigal or wasteful son is important, but we must notice that there are three central characters in the story: 1) the ungrateful and wasteful son who repents and returns home, 2)  the legalistic and resentful older brother who is jealous and hurt, and 3) the merciful, gracious and forgiving father who celebrates the prodigal's return and admonishes the older son.

Focusing on any of the three characters can provide much food for thought. The example of the prodigal or wasteful son is significant. He represents all of us when we abuse our birthright as God's children, run away from God, eventually come to our senses, and finally return to our heavenly Father in repentance. The other son is also an important example. He seems to be mature, dutiful, and disciplined, but he is self-righteous, and he also needs to repent in a different way. He represents us in our smugness and our moral or spiritual pride. Even at our best, the most dutiful of God's children still need to be humble enough to repent. 

Although both the sons are important and although we should examine our lives in light of their examples, the key character in the parable is the forgiving father. It is the Father who exemplifies the qualities of God the Father. He cares for both sons. He respects their freedom and allows them to develop in their individual ways. He gives them guidance and sustenance, and He is saddened when they misunderstand Him, make mistakes, and drift away from Him in their different ways. Nevertheless, His love endures and is ready to express itself when one of His children repents and returns in humility. In His graciousness, He is ready to rejoice and have a feast when the penitent returns. We all have such a loving, gracious, and forgiving heavenly Father; so let us arise and go to Him in humility.

Trinity VII- Hungering for Righteousness- Mark 8:1-9

The Gospel for this Sunday from St. Mark 8:1-9 is one of several gospel accounts about Jesus feeding the thousands who came to hear Him (in this case, 4000 people). One can see several points in the account- Christ's miraculous power, His compassion for those in need, and the somewhat ambiguous response of His disciples. However, in re-reading the story this week, I was struck by another point: the identity of the people who received His miraculous act of compassion.

Without a doubt, the compassion of our Lord extends in some ways to all people. He surely cares for all hungry people. But in this instance, the physically hungry are not random human creatures. They are people who have followed Jesus out into the countryside and listened to His teachings for three days. They are physically hungry because in the words of the Sermon on the Mount, they "hunger and thirst after righteousness" (Matthew 5:6). So here we see Christ's special mercy that nourishes those who seek to follow Him.

Trinity XVI- Ephesians 3: 13-21; Luke 17:11-17

The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity emphasizes God's compassion in different ways. The Collect prays for the pity of God to cleanse and defend the Church which cannot continue in safety without divine aid.

The Epistle from Ephesians 3:13-21 is an exhortation by the Apostle Paul for the church to remain steadfast in faith. Remaining strong in faith depends upon power from the "Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith..." Through God's work, believers "know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge...." Again the initiative lies in the mercy, grace, and love of God revealed in Jesus Christ.

The Gospel for the day is from St. Luke 7:11-17. Instead of verbal teaching or discourse, this passage shows divine compassion in one of our Lord's actions- the restoration to life of the son of widow from the village of Nain. Certainly, both the death of a young person and a parent losing a child can arouse a special pity. However, in this case, Christ's compassion is more focused on the woman because her situation is particularly dire. The young man was her only son, and she was a widow. In first-century society, that meant that she was being left alone and without livelihood or protection. Thus, in compassion, our Lord raised the young man and restored him to his mother. (We might also note the crowd's reaction: both fear and respect for the work of Christ.)

On this Sunday then, let us focus upon the mercy and compassion of God for His people. Human beings in general and Christians in particular are constantly dependent upon Him. We need cleansing and protection. We need inspiration from the Holy Spirit and awareness of the loving presence of Christ. Whatever our trials in this world, Christ reaches out in compassion to help us and lift us up. May we be open to Him!