Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Gospel: Luke 15: 1-10

The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So Jesus addressed this parable to them.
“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them
would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert
and go after the lost one until he finds it?
And when he does find it,
he sets it on his shoulders with great joy
and, upon his arrival home,
he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them,
‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’
I tell you, in just the same way
there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
than over ninety-nine righteous people
who have no need of repentance.

“Or what woman having ten coins and losing one
would not light a lamp and sweep the house,
searching carefully until she finds it?
And when she does find it,
she calls together her friends and neighbors
and says to them,
‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’
In just the same way, I tell you,
there will be rejoicing among the angels of God
over one sinner who repents.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Jesus can never be outdone in humility. 

Unlike most in this world, he always sought the place of least importance. He was born in a stable amongst animals, he spent his infancy as a refugee, he ate and drank with sinners, and he died willingly on a cross, a form of torture reserved only for the worst of criminals.

His humble heart is revealed again in today’s Gospel parable. “What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine and go after the lost until he finds it?” he asks.

In ancient Palestine, shepherds were lumped into the same low-class band of characters as tax collectors. They were considered to be ritually unclean and thieves because they often wandered onto other people’s land.

Yet this is the image Jesus gives us of God – a humble herder of animals, who will risk his own life to save one of his creatures.

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Often we associate the lost sheep as being the “black sheep,” the outsider, the untouchable person in society, who is not one of “us.”

However, this is not an accurate read of the parable.  

This sheep is considered to be part of the flock, one of the one hundred. There is no indication that it was the sheep’s fault it got separated; the focus is on the shepherd who risks everything to find it.

What, then, was the Lord saying to the religious leaders of his day? 

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By creating hundreds of strict, nearly impossible, rules for ordinary believers to follow, the scribes and Pharisees made religion – and, ultimately access to God – untenable. They were the ones who caused people of good will to become separated from the flock.

Jesus was urging them to seek the lost and to bring them back.

Similarly, in what ways do believers today push people away from God? How might we bring them back?

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Humility.

Today may we live like the God who has, “loved us and given himself for us.”

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Image credits: (1) Be Humble and Proudly, New York Times (2) North Texas Catholic (3) Amino Ads

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Gospel: Luke 14: 25-33

Great crowds were traveling with Jesus,
and he turned and addressed them,
“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother,
wife and children, brothers and sisters,
and even his own life,
he cannot be my disciple.
Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me
cannot be my disciple.
Which of you wishing to construct a tower
does not first sit down and calculate the cost
to see if there is enough for its completion?
Otherwise, after laying the foundation
and finding himself unable to finish the work
the onlookers should laugh at him and say,
‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’
Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down
and decide whether with ten thousand troops
he can successfully oppose another king
advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops?
But if not, while he is still far away,
he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms.
In the same way,
everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions
cannot be my disciple.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Christ’s parables are endlessly rich, capable of being interpreted in a variety of ways. 

Consider the parable of the two kings in today’s Gospel. “What king marching into battle,” Jesus says, “would not first sit down and decide… whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king with twenty thousand troops?” 

Who are these two kings?

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One spiritual writer interpreted the stronger king to be Jesus, and we, the weaker king. The battle is over divine judgment. Since none of us can overpower the Lord or justify ourselves, we should spend our lives performing good works in order to gain his mercy.

Another interpreted the weaker king to be Satan. 

Jesus, the stronger king, has already counted the cost of going into battle against evil. He knows he is stronger than Satan – and stronger than death – so his disciples should not fear when he is sent to the Cross. 

Although the cost will be excruciating, the victory is his.

Similarly, the disciples should not fear when Jesus sends them into battle like, “lambs among wolves.” Every disciple must pay a price for following the Lord, for sharing his Word, for ridding ourselves of temptation, for carrying our cross, and keeping God first in our lives.

There are real consequences for our decisions. But, as Saint Paul writes, “What can separate us from the love of Christ? Nakedness, or peril, or the sword? No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who has loved us.”

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How has my faith come at a cost? In what ways am I fighting to keep God’s Word? 

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May we fight the good fight. 

Victory is ours, thanks be to God, our King.

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Image credits: (1) Lincoln Presbyterian Church (2) Bible Study Tools (3) Bible.com

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Gospel: Luke 14: 15-24

One of those at table with Jesus said to him,
“Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God.”
He replied to him,
“A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many.
When the time for the dinner came,
he dispatched his servant to say to those invited,
‘Come, everything is now ready.’
But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves.
The first said to him,
‘I have purchased a field and must go to examine it;
I ask you, consider me excused.’
And another said, ‘I have purchased five yoke of oxen
and am on my way to evaluate them;
I ask you, consider me excused.’
And another said, ‘I have just married a woman,
and therefore I cannot come.’
The servant went and reported this to his master.
Then the master of the house in a rage commanded his servant,
‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town
and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.’
The servant reported, ‘Sir, your orders have been carried out
and still there is room.’
The master then ordered the servant,
‘Go out to the highways and hedgerows
and make people come in that my home may be filled.
For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.'”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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We’ve all made different commitments in life. Some of them are quite demanding.

For example, there’s marriage, family, friends, work, ministry, sports, leisure, and so on. If we ordered them from most to least important, which commitment would come out on top? Which one would be second? Third?

We really don’t need to answer the question with words; how we spend our time speaks for itself.

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In today’s Gospel, we encounter three people who’ve made the same commitment – to attend a friend’s dinner party.

However, when the time for the party arrives, each says to the host, “I ask you, consider me excused.”

One just purchased a new plot of land. Another bought five oxen. A third was just married and preferred to be alone with his wife, even though they could’ve gone to the banquet together.

Being attentive to your spouse, tending your land, and caring for your animals are all good things. But each of these three people fell victim to a timeless temptation: choosing what is good over what is great.

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The Lord uses this imagery of hosting a dinner party to describe God’s invitation for us to join him at Mass.

Often, we say “yes,” as we should. 

But when do we find ourselves saying, “I ask you, consider me excused?” What life priorities trump Sunday worship?

It could be one of the many other commitments we’ve made: work, our child’s sports schedule, even feeling tired after a dinner party the night before. When this happens, the Lord falls from first to second place in our lives.

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“Come, everything is ready,” Jesus says to us. Will we accept his invitation this week?

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Image credits: (1) Oakwood Church of Carrollwood (2) LinkedIn (3) Jesus with the Eucharist at the Last Supper, Juan de Juanes