In the northern hemisphere November is traditionally associated with those who have died The flowers have wilted the leaves are dropping and the grass has ceased to grow The freshness of spring and the warmth of summer are distant memories Yet amid these signs of death there is the expectation

Today is a recurrent and important word in Lukes Gospel From Jesus inaugural discourse in the synagogue at Nazareth to his death resurrection and ascension today marks the time of Jesus ministry as a special time the center between the times of Israel and of the church a time when all the energ

Today we consider the second part of Jesus second instruction about prayer in Luke 18 The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector reminds us that God hears the prayers of some surprising persons and that we all must approach God in prayer with humility The Old Testament passage from Sirach 3

Luke rsquo s Gospel is sometimes called ldquo the Gospel of Prayer rdquo because in it Jesus prays at the most important moments in his life and because it contains two substantial instructions devoted to Jesus rsquo teachings on prayer 11 1-13 and 18 1-14 In the first passage Jesus offers a s

We hear and say the word thanks fairly often though perhaps not often enough and usually without much thought Thanksgiving Day is our most popular national holiday yet few of us recognize and acknowledge the religious dimension of that day Last Sunday rsquo s master-servant parable reminded us t

Perhaps the most obvious component of Christian spirituality is faith In general the virtue of faith refers to considering something to be true and therefore worthy of trust In the Christian tradition faith is a theological virtue because it has its origin and object in God We believe and trust