The problem in our Gospel today is not money. But the cause and the root of the issue is. The problem is hardness of heart. The cause is love of money. And the result is that the poor are forgotten.
Author: Fr. Michael Brungardt
Fr. Michael Brungardt (S.T.B, M.Div.) is a priest of the Diocese of Wichita and the pastor at St. Paul in Lyons, Holy Name of Jesus in Bushton, and Holy Trinity in Little River, Kansas.
When Trust Is Broken
When trust is broken or destroyed, the process to healing is difficult and long and unclear.
This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.
It is the Pharisees and scribes who, unbeknownst to them, proclaim the good news: “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
Éste recibe a los pecadores y come con ellos.
Son los fariseos y los escribas quienes, sin saberlo, proclaman las buenas nuevas: “Éste recibe a los pecadores y come con ellos.”
The Law of Discipleship
Jesus bluntly and unequivocally rejects this “forge your own path” mentality. And he lays down the “Law of Discipleship” and says, “Hating one’s family, taking up our cross/suffering/discomfort, renouncing our possessions. That’s what it’s going to take.”
La Ley del Discipulado
Jesús rechaza sin rodeos e inequívocamente que esta mentalidad de “forja tu propio camino”. Y él establece la “Ley del Discipulado” y dice:”Odiando a la familia, asumiendo nuestra cruz/sufrimiento/incomodidad, renunciando a nuestras posesiones. Eso es lo que va a tomar.”
“Will you let me love you as you are?”
Being humble is the pre-condition for receiving the love and mercy and life of God. We all need to picture the Lord before us, and picture him asking us, “Will you let me love you as you are?”
“¿Me dejarás amarte como eres?”
Ser humilde es la condición previa para recibir el amor, la misericordia y la vida de Dios. Todos necesitamos imaginar al Señor delante de nosotros, y preguntándonos: “¿Me dejarás amarte como eres?”
Discipleship and the Narrow Gate
Many will eat and drink in his company, many will be around him and hear his teaching. But Jesus says it is not proximity or “status” that saves, but a life of discipleship.
Discipulado y la Puerta Angosta
Muchos comerán y beberán en su compañía, muchos lo rodearán y escucharán sus enseñanzas. Pero Jesús dice que no es la proximidad o el “estado” lo que salva, sino una vida de discipulado.
The Beggar 