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For more commentary on this week's readings, see the Reflections on the Lectionary page. For full-text access to all articles, subscribe to the Century.
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July 21 Ordinary 16C Luke 10 38 42
There are not all that many named women in the Gospels. If asked to come up with a list, we might start with Mary the mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene; before long we would get to Mary and Martha, the subjects of this week’s reading from Luke. This is one of those stories that provokes howls of rage from some readers. Like the parable of the prodigal son, it can trip our “That’s not fair!” switch. It’s easy to see how the good Samaritan can be the model for our behavior. The Mary and Martha story prickles us more.
Being a pastor within the secular frame means teaching people how to pray
Prayer is ministry, and ministry is prayer.
Reading Paul through Paul Galatians 3 23 29
Galatians 3 does not sound like something that could be constrained by pragmatism elsewhere.
July 14 Ordinary 15C Luke 10 25 37
In the Gospel reading for this week, Luke gives us one of the stories that even non-Christians are likely to have heard before: the parable of the good Samaritan. Those of us who go to church have likely heard it regularly, and this repetition should tell us how important it is to love our neighbor. But hearing the story regularly also makes it easy to lose sight of this message.
The confidence to call shots Romans 5 1 5
Paul encourages his readers to trust an outcome they cannot yet see.
July 7 Ordinary 14C Luke 10 1 11 16 20 Isaiah 66 10 14 Galatians 6 1 6 7 16
I want to be like Lizzo when I grow up.
Robert Alter s Hebrew Bible translation is at once accurate and eloquent
Precision and beauty have kissed.
The Good Samaritan from the Codex Purpureus Rossanensis early sixth century
The sixth-century Codex Rossanensis is one of several “purple codices” written on expensive, purple-dyed vellum. It is possibly the oldest extant illuminated manuscript of the New Testament, containing Matthew and most of Mark. The Rossano Gospels include a cycle of miniatures that are sequentially arranged according to lectionary readings. The scene depicting the parable of the Good Samaritan in the upper register (with the four evangelists below) is read from left to right, beginning with the city of Jerusalem.
June 30 Ordinary 13C Luke 9 51 62 1 Kings 19 15 16 19 21
As a newly minted community organizer, I often find myself wondering what this role should cost me. Organizing is work that somehow manages to be demanding and forgiving at the same time. It is laden with losses and yet invigorating. It pulls out of me a fierceness and a drive to fight for a world where I won’t have to fight anymore—where I won’t have to push and claw for the justice and freedom due to every human.