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Sunday Links, Pentecost 12, Aug. 31, 2025
Recent Articles, Pentecost 12, Aug. 31, 2025
Pentecost 12 – Compassion and a warning against pride.
Newsletter Aug. 22, 2025
The readings for the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 17, are unified by the themes of humility and self-giving love as the foundation of a life that honors God. Sirach warns that pride leads to ruin, emphasizing that true power and honor come from the Lord, not from human arrogance. Psalm 112 describes the righteous as generous, just, and fearless, grounded in humility and trust in God. Hebrews exhorts believers to live lives of hospitality, compassion, and praise, reminding them to honor Christ through loving deeds and shared sacrifices. In the Gospel, Jesus teaches a parable about choosing the lowly place at a banquet, underscoring that those who humble themselves will be exalted. Together, these passages call the faithful to embody humility, generosity, and hospitality as expressions of true discipleship.
Lectionary Pentecost 12, Year C
Commentary Pentecost 12
Visual Lectionary, Aug 31, 2025
The Gospel – Luke 14:1, 7-14 – Pentecost 12. The Way Up With God Is Down
Cultural background of the Gospel
Thoughts on Labor Day
Remembering…
Beheading of John the Baptist, Aug 29
Augustine of Hippo, Aug. 28
Sunday Links, Pentecost 11, Aug. 24, 2025
Recent Articles, Pentecost 11, Aug. 24, 2025
Pentecost 11 – Liberation, the Sabbath
Newsletter Aug. 22, 2025
Lectionary Pentecost 11, Year C
Commentary Pentecost 11
Visual Lectionary, Aug 24, 2025
The four passages for Proper 16 (Isaiah 58:9b-14, Psalm 103:1-8, Hebrews 12:18-29, Luke 13:10-17) share a central theme of God’s transformative power and compassion, calling believers to live lives of justice, worship, and liberation. The example of liberation is at the Sabbath. Isaiah 58 urges the people to turn from empty religiosity to acts of mercy —loosening the bonds of injustice and honoring the Sabbath—as the true path to restoration. Psalm 103 echoes this with a celebration of God’s mercy and grace, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Hebrews contrasts the fearsome Mount Sinai with the joyous assembly at Mount Zion, emphasizing the awe-inspiring yet accessible presence of God now revealed through Christ. In Luke, Jesus heals a woman on the Sabbath, confronting legalism with compassion, embodying God’s desire to lift burdens and restore wholeness. Together, these readings call the faithful to recognize God’s holy presence not in rigid observance, but in merciful action and reverent joy.
Focus on the Gospel
Gospel – “Woman you are set free”
The Woman in the Gospel is revealing
Remembering…
St. Bartholomew, Aug 24
Recent Articles, Pentecost 10, Aug. 17, 2025
Pentecost 10 – Fire!
Lectionary Pentecost 10, Year C
Commentary Pentecost 10
A Word or Two about each Reading
Visual Lectionary, Aug 17, 2025
The four readings from the lectionary are united by the theme of God’s presence, justice, and the challenging call of faith. Jeremiah 23:23–29 reminds us that God is not distant but actively involved, with a word like fire and a hammer that breaks rock—powerful and transformative truth that challenges falsehood. Psalm 82 reveals God standing in judgment over corrupt powers, calling for justice for the weak and needy, echoing the divine demand for righteousness. Hebrews 11:29–12:2 continues this call through the faith of those who endured trials and upheaval, urging us to persevere by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. In Luke 12:49–56, Jesus declares that he brings not peace but division, emphasizing how the gospel confronts and disrupts the status quo, forcing decisions about justice, truth, and faith. Together, these readings call believers to courageous, discerning, and enduring faith in a God who acts decisively in history and in our lives.
Focus on the Gospel
Gospel, “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! “
Voices from the Gospel, Pentecost 10
Remembering
Clare of Assisi (1194-1253), Aug. 11
Jonathan Myrick Daniels (1939-1965), Aug. 14
Virgin Mary, Aug 15
Sunday Links, Pentecost 10, Aug. 17, 2025
Visual Lectionary Vanderbilt, Seventh Sunday after Pentecost, July 27, 2025
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Sunday Links, Pentecost 7, July 27, 2025
Visual Lectionary Vanderbilt, Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, July 20, 2025
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Sunday Links, Pentecost 6, July 20, 2025
Recent Articles, Pentecost 5, July 13, 2025
“Summer at St. Peter’s”
Pentecost 5 – Good Samaritan
Lectionary Pentecost 5, Year C
Commentary Pentecost 5
Visual Lectionary Pentecost 5
The Gospel in July, 2025
The Good Samaritan
5 minute podcast-the Good Samaritan
A Current Samaritan story
The Good Samaritan – ‘What must I do to inherit eternal life?’
Background of the Good Samaritan
Van Gogh’s Depiction of the Good Samaritan
Martin Luther King on the Good Samaritan
Focus on Neighbor, Compassion, Reversal
Here and There on the Web – miscellaneous discoveries
Anything but Ordinary! Ordinary Time
Green is for growth in Ordinary Time
Sunday Links, Pentecost 5, July 13, 2025