The story this week (Luke 19:1-10) is about Zacchaeus, a tax collector. This meant that he collaborated with the enemy, the Romans, and collected the high taxes for them. To these taxes he added something more on top for himself – he ripped off his own people. Zacchaeus was despised, hated, rejected, excluded and ostracised. […]
The parable of the pharisee and the tax collector in this week’s gospel bears out the common theme with the previous week’s gospel, the parable of the unjust judge. The common thread is the theme of vindication, justification, exoneration. Last week, the widow’s just cause was vindicated; the widow represents those who were suffering oppression. […]
The gospel this week (Luke 18:1-8) tells about the parable of the unjust judge. He draws sharp lines of contrast between this man and a widow who comes to him for justice. This widow, because of who she was and where she found herself, this widow had no other option than continually beating a path […]
Most of us have felt the sting of ingratitude, but few have felt it as painfully as Ed Spencer. He was a divinity student at Garret Theological Seminary, Illinois. On 8 September, 1860, Spencer was drawn into a situation that changed the direction of his life. That night he was awakened by the shouting of […]
Connections are essential to life and who we are as people. At every level we find ourselves connected – to people, place, the earth and its creatures, culture, and the Divine that pervades all life. Founder of the Centre for Action and Contemplation, Richard Rohr, says that ‘The universe is relational at every level, and […]
Transforming society justlyThe unbridgeable structural chasm of inequality created by the rich and powerful 1. As the churches around the world set aside this Sunday as Social Justice Sunday, in our reading from Luke 16:19-31 the Lukan Jesus creates a parable about the unbridgeable structural chasm that divides the rich person from poor Lazarus who […]
A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco. “Mum and Dad, I’m coming home, but I have a favour to ask. I have a friend I’d like to bring home with me.” “Sure,” they replied, “We’d love to meet […]
In our reading this week, Luke 14:25-33, we are confronted by the most disturbing and misunderstood injunctions of Jesus: To follow you must “hate” family and even life itself, that you can only follow if you take up your cross, and finally, you can only be a follower if you sell all your possessions. William […]
Jesus is teaching in a worship service in a synagogue on the Sabbath. And as we read in our text: And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus interrupts the service to […]
Father Frank Brennan“It is not just about migrants”.Reflection for Migrant and Refugee Sunday, 25 August 2019 At our national borders, we expect our political leaders to maintain security and order while admitting migrants and refugees in generous and manageable numbers. … We all have the right to determine who enters our homes and who dines […]