Make for yourselves friends by means of unrighteous wealth; so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. [Lk 16:9] Have you heard the expression, you owe it to yourself? Is there a Dutch equivalent? The Cambridge Online Dictionary says the phrase means “to deserve and need to do something that will be good for you: [for example] Take a few days off work – you owe it to yourself.” If we are healthy, we know it is…
Parable of the dishonest steward. What a difficult passage we have as today’s Gospel! Jesus told this parable specifically to his disciples, to those who had already committed themselves to following him. They must have been a bit taken aback and maybe were thinking, ‘Surely, Jesus, you are not saying we should be dishonest and underhand in our dealings with one people? That goes against all that we have understood of your life and teaching…
Make for yourselves friends by means of unrighteous wealth; so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. [Lk 16:9] This morning’s parable is considered by many to be the hardest parable to understand of all Jesus’ parables. When the Church of England came up with a series of Old Testament lessons to accompany the ancient lectionary that we use, they also provided an alternative gospel parable for this morning. But…
Everyone who strives for the mastery is temperate in all things. We are continuing a thematic approach to these evenings, focusing on the virtues of the soul. Tonight we are considering “Temperance”, the cardinal virtue that has been associated with the appetitive aspect of the soul. A week ago Tuesday night, Simone led the Bible study on Temperance and prepared a wonderful summary and excellent questions for reflection, which has helped me prepare tonight. ———— A virtue…