What does this intriguing parable tell us about God and prayer? This parable stands in unmistakable comparison to The Parable of the Friend at Midnight (Luke 11:5-8). The two are set in a context of instruction on prayer, and in both the main characters are determined not to give up in the face of resistance. This parable […]
Author: Bernard Camiré, SSS
Eucharistic Spirituality · September / October 2021
The Parable of the Rich Fool (Lk 12:13-21)
Where did this “rich man” go so wrong that he is called a “fool” by God? The evangelist Luke introduces this parable by recounting a request made of Jesus to settle the matter of a disputed inheritance. In his somewhat harsh-sounding response to the one who made the request, Jesus does not directly address the matter […]
Eucharistic Spirituality · July / August 2021
Pondering the Parables: The Parable of the Lost Coin (Lk 15:8-10)
The Narrative of the Parable The structure and meaning of the Parable of the Lost Coin is similar to the parable that immediately precedes it, i.e., the Parable of the Lost Sheep, a parable found also in the Gospel of Matthew (18:12-14). In speaking of a woman’s search for a lost coin as an image of […]
Eucharistic Spirituality · May / June 2021
Pondering the Parables: The Parable of the Friend at Midnight (Lk 11:5-8)
What does the parable of the Friend at Midnight (Lk 11:5-8) teach us about perseverance? The Narrative of the Parable This parable, which illustrates the attitude that should characterize Christian prayer, is found within a collection of sayings attached to the evangelist Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer. It is often compared to the parable of […]
Eucharistic Spirituality · March / April 2021
Pondering the Parables: The Parable of the Good Samaritan
In every age we return to the ever-important question asked of Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” The Narrative of the Parable Luke alone, among the evangelists, records this parable, whose protagonist has been memorialized not only in the New Testament scripture but also in our everyday speech. To speak of a “good Samaritan” is to refer […]
Eucharistic Spirituality · July / August 2020
Pondering the Parables: The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Mt 25:31-46)
What does it mean to be called a “brother or sister of Christ?” The scene described in this passage of Matthew’s Gospel, the final section of Jesus’ concluding discourse, is one of power and grandeur. Though it is frequently called a parable, the formal parabolic element here is the comparison of the separation of the nations […]
Eucharistic Spirituality · January / February 2020
Pondering the Parables: The Parable of the Faithful and Wise Servant (Mt 24:45-51)
Jesus asks us, “Who is the faithful and wise servant… ?” (Mt 24:25) The parable of the faithful and wise servant begins with a rhetorical question: “Who, then, is the faithful and wise servant …?” which sets the tone for this and the two parables that follow (Mt 25:1-13 and 25:14-30). Since the parable makes […]
Eucharistic Spirituality · November / December 2019
Pondering the Parables: The Parable of the Wedding Feast
Parables were integral to Jesus’ teaching ministry. His stories engaged the minds and hearts of his listeners and revealed the deeper meaning of their lives and God’s power at work in and around them. The Parable of the Wedding Feast in Matthew 22:1-14 is also found in Luke 14:16-24, but in a form that reflects […]
Eucharistic Spirituality · September / October 2019
Pondering the Parables: The Parable of the Two Sons
Parables were integral to Jesus’ teaching ministry. His stories engaged the minds and hearts of his listeners and revealed the deeper meaning of their lives and God’s power at work in and around them. This parable (Mt 21:28-32), peculiar to Matthew, is rather simple in character and has none of the elements of surprise and […]
Eucharistic Spirituality · July / August 2019
Pondering the Parables: The Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard
Parables were integral to Jesus’ teaching ministry. His stories engaged the minds and hearts of his listeners and revealed the deeper meaning of their lives and God’s power at work in and around them. Far from depicting an imaginary situation, the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard (Mt 20:1-16) describes something that occurred frequently […]