Neli ML

  Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost 2025 Luke 21:5-19 Rev. Neli Miranda             In today’s Gospel, Jesus announces: “ Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven” (21,10-11). Does this imagery resonate with our current time? Indeed, it reflects not only our present circumstances but also those of the first century, the medieval era, the twenty century and throughout history, as hardship has consistently been a part of the human experience.             The belief in Jesus’ imminent second coming was widespread among his earliest followers. They had heard his promise regarding this return and the ultimate establishment of the Kingdom of God. Consequently, they were convinced that this event would occur so...

  Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost 2025 Persistence in Prayer: A Reflection on Faith, Hope, and Justice Luke 18:1-8 Revd. Neli Miranda                         Throughout the Old Testament, the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the stranger are consistently identified as vulnerable groups deserving of special consideration. They are presented not merely as objects of pity, but as recipients of God’s direct care and protection. The Law of Moses contained strict statutes for their defense. In God’s eyes, it was crucial that their legal rights were not ignored, as Deuteronomy 24:17 commands: “You shall not deprive a resident alien or an orphan of justice; you shall not take a widow’s garment in pledge”.   Specific instructions were also given for communal care, such as setting aside a portion of the tithe to support these groups (Deuteronomy 14,28-29). Ultimately, God Himself is their defen...

  Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost 2025 Luke 16 :1-13 Rev. Neli Miranda   Today’s Gospel presents one of Jesus’ most intriguing parables, one that speaks directly to the issue of wealth. It is important to note that Jesus never condemned wealth in itself, but he consistently challenged the systems that allowed for its accumulation in the hands of a few. His constant teaching was to share resources with the poor, who made up the vast majority of the population in his time. To understand this challenging parable, we must place it in the economic context of first-century Palestine under Roman occupation. By this time, much of the land had been taken from its original family owners and given to local elites and Roman rulers. Land was concentrated in a few hands, forcing most people to become tenant farmers or day laborers. Furthermore, although God’s Law forbade it, the system allowed landowners to charge exorbitant interest rates, which they used to seize more land and ...

  Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost 2025 Lucas 14:1, 7-14 Rev. Neli Miranda   The “ honor and shame” culture ruled in some ancient societies, including first-century Palestine.   These were two pivotal values that structured the public life of Jewish society.   Honor was the fundamental “social currency” which was a reputation ascribed at birth in a recognized family and achieved through power, wealth, and social standing. Shame, on the other hand, was not merely private guilt but a public reality. It meant the loss of face and status in the community’s eyes. In Jesus’s time, most of the population—the poor, the sick, the despised tax collectors and prostitutes, and those considered criminals—lived in a state of shame, excluded from the circles of the honorable elite. Shame and honor governed public behavior and was a strong incentive that marked people’s daily actions. Maintaining one’s status was a primary motivation even if it meant stepping over others. So...

  Tenth Sunday After Pentecost. August 17, 2025. Lucas 12:49-56 Rev. Neli Miranda   Fire, division, hypocrites! These are harsh words to hear from Jesus in today’s Gospel. To understand their meaning, we must place ourselves with Jesus on his journey to Jerusalem. Time is short, opposition is intensifying, the cross is approaching, and many still fail to understand the urgency of his message. From the beginning of his proclamation, Jesus has faced the opposition and rejection of the Jewish leadership, yet, he continues his proclamation and “has set his face to go to Jerusalem” (9:51). This journey to the religious and political center of Israel is a point of no return. He knows it would lead to his execution, having already told his disciples, “ The Son of Man [He himself] must undergo great suffering and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes and be killed . . .” (9,51) . It is in this context of intense, anxious movement toward the fulfillment of ...

Ninth Sunday After Pentecost 2025 Luke 12:32-40 Revd. Neli Miranda   Last Sunday we reflected on the parable of the rich fool who, in his desire to accumulate wealth for himself, was unaware that his life would be demanded of him that very night. In light of this, Jesus offers us a crucial exhortation: “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” This message continues to resonate in our hearts today, emphasizing that “. . .life does not consist in the abundance of possessions” (12,15). Today, Jesus deepens his teaching on possessions. Before we delve into today’s Gospel, let us recall the verses that immediately precede it, where Jesus encourages us not to worry or be anxious about our material needs. He assures us that God, like a loving father, knows our needs and provides for them: “. . . do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying… your ...