Friday, September 20, 2024 | Luke 8:1-3

In the course of his teaching Jesus said to the crowds,"Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robesand accept greetings in the marketplaces,seats of honor in synagogues, and places of honor at banquets.They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretextrecite lengthy prayers. They will receive a very severe condemnation." He sat down opposite the treasuryand observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums.A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them,"Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in morethan all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth,but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had,her whole livelihood."

Since the Passover of the Jews was near,Jesus went up to Jerusalem.He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves,as well as the money-changers seated there.He made a whip out of cordsand drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen,and spilled the coins of the money-changersand overturned their tables,and to those who sold doves he said,"Take these out of here,and stop making my Father's house a marketplace."His disciples recalled the words of Scripture,Zeal for your house will consume me.At this the Jews answered and said to him,"What sign can you show us for doing this?"Jesus answered and said to them,"Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up."The Jews said,"This temple has been under construction for forty-six years,and you will raise it up in three days?"But he was speaking about the temple of his Body.Therefore, when he was raised from the dead,his disciples remembered that he had said this,and they came to believe the Scriptureand the word Jesus had spoken.

Jesus said to his disciples, “A rich man had a stewardwho was reported to him for squandering his property.He summoned him and said,‘What is this I hear about you?Prepare a full account of your stewardship,because you can no longer be my steward.’The steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do,now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me?I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg.I know what I shall do so that,when I am removed from the stewardship,they may welcome me into their homes.’He called in his master’s debtors one by one.To the first he said, ‘How much do you owe my master?’He replied, ‘One hundred measures of olive oil.’He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note.Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.’Then to another he said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’He replied, ‘One hundred measures of wheat.’  He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note;write one for eighty.’And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.For the children of this worldare more prudent in dealing with their own generationthan the children of light.”

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 themwould not leave the ninety-nine in the desertand go after the lost one until he finds it?And when he does find it,he sets it on his shoulders with great joyand, 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 waythere will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repentsthan over ninety-nine righteous peoplewho have no need of repentance. “Or what woman having ten coins and losing onewould 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 neighborsand 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 Godover one sinner who repents.”

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 mecannot be my disciple.Which of you wishing to construct a towerdoes not first sit down and calculate the costto see if there is enough for its completion? Otherwise, after laying the foundationand finding himself unable to finish the workthe 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 downand decide whether with ten thousand troopshe can successfully oppose another kingadvancing 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 possessionscannot be my disciple.”

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 oxenand 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 townand bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.’The servant reported, ‘Sir, your orders have been carried outand still there is room.’The master then ordered the servant,‘Go out to the highways and hedgerowsand 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.’”

On a sabbath Jesus went to dineat the home of one of the leading Pharisees.He said to the host who invited him,"When you hold a lunch or a dinner,do not invite your friends or your brothers or sistersor your relatives or your wealthy neighbors,in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.Rather, when you hold a banquet,invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

Jesus said to the crowds:“Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,because I came down from heaven not to do my own willbut the will of the one who sent me.And this is the will of the one who sent me,that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,but that I should raise it on the last day.For this is the will of my Father,that everyone who sees the Son and believes in himmay have eternal life,and I shall raise him on the last day.”

Jesus said to the crowds:“Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,because I came down from heaven not to do my own willbut the will of the one who sent me.And this is the will of the one who sent me,that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,but that I should raise it on the last day.For this is the will of my Father,that everyone who sees the Son and believes in himmay have eternal life,and I shall raise him on the last day.”

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.He began to teach them, saying:"Blessed are the poor in spirit,for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.Blessed are they who mourn,for they will be comforted.Blessed are the meek,for they will inherit the land.Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,for they will be satisfied.Blessed are the merciful,for they will be shown mercy.Blessed are the clean of heart,for they will see God.Blessed are the peacemakers,for they will be called children of God.Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute youand utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.Rejoice and be glad,for your reward will be great in heaven."