18th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)

Ecc. 1:2; 2:21-23; Col. 3:1-5, 9-11; Lk. 12:13-21

Some years ago, in a bustling European city, there lived a wealthy banker known for his enormous success and lavish lifestyle. His house was filled with rare paintings, his cars were custom-built, and he wore the finest suits. When asked how he managed such prosperity, he would smile and say, “I worked hard. I planned well. I invested wisely.” He was admired—and envied. But the day he died, something curious happened. Among all the estate papers, lawyers couldn’t find a single note about donations, family plans, or even a will. One of his distant relatives finally asked, “All this wealth, whose will it be now?”

This haunting question echoes the voice of Jesus in today’s Gospel: “And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” (Luke 12:20).

In today’s Gospel the story begins innocently enough. A man approaches Jesus with what seems like a fair request: “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” (v.13). It’s not unreasonable. Many of us, too, have been entangled in

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)

 Gen. 18:20-32; Psalms 138:1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8; Colo. 2:12-14; Gospel: Luke 11:1-13.

In Luke 11:1–13, we find one of the most formative teachings on prayer in all of Scripture. The passage opens with a remarkable moment: “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’” This request is unique. Nowhere else in the Gospels do the disciples ask Jesus to teach them how to do something—not how to preach, not how to perform miracles, but how to pray. Because they saw something in Jesus’ prayer life that was different—deep, powerful, intimate.

The prayer that Jesus taught was filled with meaning.

1. “Father, hallowed be your name”

To begin the prayer with “Father” is to claim intimacy with God, not as a distant God, but as a loving parent. This invocation was revolutionary for Jesus’ time. The Jews knew God as Yahweh—holy, unapproachable—but Jesus taught His disciples to

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)

 Gen 18:1-10; Col 1:24-28; Lk 10:38-42

Hospitality is a great virtue hailed in all the world civilizations. To the ancient Greeks and Romans, hospitality was a divine right. In the Biblical tradition hospitality is an obligation. The most extreme example is provided in Genesis (19:8), Lot provided hospitality to a group of men. When a mob tried to attack them, he offered his daughter as substitute and pleaded to spare his guests. 

Celtic societies valued the concept of hospitality, especially, in terms of protection. A host who granted a person’s request for refuge was expected not only to provide food and shelter to the guests, but to make sure they did not come to harm while under their care. 

A real-life example of this is rooted in the history of the Scottish Clan MacGregor from the early seventeenth century. The chief of Clan Lamont arrived at the home of the MacGregor, chief in Glenstrae, told him that he was fleeing from foes and requested refuge. The MacGregor welcomed his brother chief with no