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You’ve heard these “travel hints” found in today’s Gospel for the discipleship road before: Enter by the narrow gate; be prepared for the Master’s coming; be open and flexible. Why? Because the Kingdom of God will include unexpected challenges.
In today’s Gospel, we’re seeing the many faces of the early Christians for whom Saint Luke preached and wrote the Gospel. They must have faced persecution from outside–a harsh baptism of fire–and divisions internally, as these first-century followers of Christ put his message into practice.
Today’s Gospel is about preparedness, and having our priorities straight. Luke wanted his community to hear Jesus’ stern words about being prepared for the Master’s return. He also wanted them to hear Christ’s admonition about priorities. When more is entrusted to you, more will be expected.
In today’s Gospel Jesus invites us to ponder what are the true riches in human life. Jesus teaches that those who rely solely on material goods and allow them to control their existence to the point of greed and possessiveness are storing up treasures that will not last.
In countless ways, Saint Francis of Assisi celebrated and preached the Incarnation. Jesus came to reveal in his humanity the awesome reality of who God is for us. In Jesus we see “the human face of God.” The God Francis reflected was a God of love, forgiveness and mercy.
Last Sunday the story of the Good Samaritan urged us to take a risk to become involved with others as a true neighbor. Today we have the “how-to” of Christian neighborliness.
“Who is my neighbor?” is an important question for every Christian community. Though we may take pride in the history and traditions of our parish, we cannot exclude strangers or newcomers.
