Reflections of Caritas

GOSPEL: LUKE 12:(13-21)

"The Vanity of Vanities!"

Dear Sisters and Brothers in the Lord,

Riches and wealth come from God (Prov. 10:22) and no one succeeds by his (her) own strength; it all comes from God (1 Samuel 2:9). With these in mind, we ought to see riches as divine provisions to aid our eternal journey. This means that riches should not be allowed to master our lives; that is, when riches become vain. The Psalmist (62:10b) advised that when riches increase, we should not set our heart upon them.

Beyond vain riches, we are called upon in today’s Gospel to focus on the giver of riches; God Himself. The rich man in the Gospel does not appear to have committed any acts of evil. He is simply consumed by his desire to grow richer and he is totally immune from what goes on around him. Yet he is condemned for being insular and closing himself off from others. Like the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, it is not the sin of commission but that of omission, that failure to act justly that constitutes a reproachable behavior.

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FIRST READING: GENESIS 18:(20-22)

GOSPEL: LUKE 11:(1-13)

"Perseverance in Prayer"

Dear Sisters and Brothers in the Lord,

Our Lord Jesus Christ draws our attention to the need to always turn to God in prayer in all circumstances of our life. He reminds us that prayer is the key to unlock and enter the heart of God. Jesus not only taught us how to pray but also reassures us that if we pray God will not fail to answer us. All we need is to be persistent, patient, and humble as Abraham in Genesis 18:20-32. Abraham found himself in a difficult situation. His nomadic journey had taken him to Sodom where he had settled with his clan. However, because of the evil done there, destruction was inevitable. Strange as it sounds to us, Abraham bargained with God.

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Gospel: Luke 10:38-42

Dear Friends,

The Gospel of Luke presents to us the account of Jesus visiting Martha and Mary.  Martha is frustrated because Mary sits and listens to Jesus while she, Martha, has to do all the work.  We experience right away the two different kinds of host mentioned in the above examples: Martha who is doing her “role” and Mary who is caught up in the happenings—no doubt learning something new and experiencing true joy in the process. Martha even complains to Jesus, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself?”

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"BE EACH OTHER’S NEIGHBORS"

Gospel: Luke 10:25-37

Dear Friends,

The meaning of love is many times mistaken with different beliefs and opinions. However, Jesus teaches us the most important commandment of all which is “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself" (Luke 10: 26). Jesus uses the story of the Good Samaritan to illustrate to us the meaning of this commandment. In this parable Jesus presents to us a challenge: "Who is my neighbor?" The answer is clear: everyone is my neighbor insofar as they enter my life. Everyone who is in need is my neighbor. Everyone who has compassion on others and treats them with love is a neighbor to them. Jesus is very clear that he is not speaking just about the people next door!

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