Daily Retreat 10/18/07
2007 Oct 18 Thu: Luke, ev F
2 Tm 4: 10-17b/ Ps 144(145): 10-11. 12-13. 17-18/ Lk 10: 1-9
From today’s readings: “Luke is the only one with me.... Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of Your Kingdom.... The Kingdom of God is at hand for you....”
The Best of Jesus
This year, the gospel readings on Sunday have generally been from Luke. As the Church celebrates his feast today, consider reading through the entire Gospel according to St. Luke - many find it their favorite book of the Bible!
As you read through the Gospel, you will notice that Luke is a bit of an investigative reporter - he’s very good about researching the history, of going into the background, doing all those things, then putting the pieces together to help us understand and get the clearest picture of what happened in the life of Jesus.
However, for all Luke’s attention to historical detail, one thing that we have to remember from the start is that none of the Gospels are simple biographies of Jesus. And by saying this, I don't mean to say that they are untrue, they're unhistorical, they're unbiographical-I don't mean to say that at all! They are true (they’re literally the Gospel Truth!), they are biographical, they do tell about the life of Christ, but they're still not biographies about Christ. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John did not write so that you could pass a history test about who was Jesus. They wrote Gospels (as we know is translated “good news”) so that we could not just know who Jesus is, but believe in Him!
This means that every detail in the life of Jesus is an example for us, is an inspiration for us and is an important part of who He is. So as you’re reading, ask yourself, What is it about Jesus that is important for me to know from this verse, from this passage, in order to believe in Him more fully, in order to understand who He is more completely, in order to follow Him more wholeheartedly?
St. Luke also makes sure that we get a close-up of the best side of Jesus, the best of Jesus. Not that there's a “worst” of Jesus, of course, but I think we can say there is a “best of Jesus”: the Jesus who so loved, the Jesus who is so compassionate, the Jesus who is so forgiving, the Jesus that is so much with us! St. Luke really shows best how Jesus is in solidarity with us. He's one with the downtrodden (like the Good Samaritan was, for example). He's one with those, such as lepers, who are marginalized in society, He's one with the poor (such as the widow who generously gives her last pennies), He’s one with those who have done something so bad that they've been excluded by their sins from society (such as the prodigal son and adulterous woman) and He's there to bring them back and reconcile. And so in all of this, we have a picture of the Jesus that we love best. Perhaps that summarizes the portrayal of Jesus in the Gospel of St. Luke: the Jesus that we love best!
2 Tm 4: 10-17b/ Ps 144(145): 10-11. 12-13. 17-18/ Lk 10: 1-9
From today’s readings: “Luke is the only one with me.... Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of Your Kingdom.... The Kingdom of God is at hand for you....”
The Best of Jesus
This year, the gospel readings on Sunday have generally been from Luke. As the Church celebrates his feast today, consider reading through the entire Gospel according to St. Luke - many find it their favorite book of the Bible!
As you read through the Gospel, you will notice that Luke is a bit of an investigative reporter - he’s very good about researching the history, of going into the background, doing all those things, then putting the pieces together to help us understand and get the clearest picture of what happened in the life of Jesus.
However, for all Luke’s attention to historical detail, one thing that we have to remember from the start is that none of the Gospels are simple biographies of Jesus. And by saying this, I don't mean to say that they are untrue, they're unhistorical, they're unbiographical-I don't mean to say that at all! They are true (they’re literally the Gospel Truth!), they are biographical, they do tell about the life of Christ, but they're still not biographies about Christ. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John did not write so that you could pass a history test about who was Jesus. They wrote Gospels (as we know is translated “good news”) so that we could not just know who Jesus is, but believe in Him!
This means that every detail in the life of Jesus is an example for us, is an inspiration for us and is an important part of who He is. So as you’re reading, ask yourself, What is it about Jesus that is important for me to know from this verse, from this passage, in order to believe in Him more fully, in order to understand who He is more completely, in order to follow Him more wholeheartedly?
St. Luke also makes sure that we get a close-up of the best side of Jesus, the best of Jesus. Not that there's a “worst” of Jesus, of course, but I think we can say there is a “best of Jesus”: the Jesus who so loved, the Jesus who is so compassionate, the Jesus who is so forgiving, the Jesus that is so much with us! St. Luke really shows best how Jesus is in solidarity with us. He's one with the downtrodden (like the Good Samaritan was, for example). He's one with those, such as lepers, who are marginalized in society, He's one with the poor (such as the widow who generously gives her last pennies), He’s one with those who have done something so bad that they've been excluded by their sins from society (such as the prodigal son and adulterous woman) and He's there to bring them back and reconcile. And so in all of this, we have a picture of the Jesus that we love best. Perhaps that summarizes the portrayal of Jesus in the Gospel of St. Luke: the Jesus that we love best!
posted by FrPitstick | 10/16/2007
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