14 Oct Sunday

Here begins reflections on the readings of Ordinary Time 29 C. So, in Luke’s telling of the gospel, Jesus continues his journey to Jerusalem, and immediately after the healing of the ten lepers in some unnamed village, arguably Samaritan, some Pharisees come into view (were they traveling with him?) and ask about the coming of the reign of God, which precipitates a teaching by Jesus on the reign that is among them and teachings about the end of the world. Luke may very be remembering the Jewish War of AD 67-71 which ended in the fall of Jerusalem to the Romans. The teaching leads Jesus to the Parable of the Judge and the Widow and the necessity of persistent prayer. Indeed all the teachings and events of Luke 18 are about the coming and present reign of God as Jesus himself nears Jerusalem.

The last verse of the parable of the unjust judge and the widow signals that Jesus tells this parable in the contexte of his previous sayings about the reign of God. The very next parable next Sunday continues the same themes about prayer. Both parables and teachings are only found in Luke.

Luke’s gospel addresses the broad theme of faith(fulness) which the gospels presents found in right action and right prayer. Faith acts and prays in light of the reign of God. We might ask ourselves if our prayer informs our actions and our actions informed by prayer. This motif is the axis of the two parables on prayer in the gospel of Luke.