Fifth Sunday in Lent 2025 John 12:1-8 Rev. Neli Miranda On the fifth Sunday in Lent, our Gospel readings shift from Luke to John’s account, where Jesus arrives in Bethany, the home of Mary, Martha, and their brother Lazarus whom Jesus had raised from the dead. As John details in the preceding chapter, this act by Jesus has placed the Jewish authorities on high alert. So, after this event, the chief priests and the Pharisees concerned about Jesus’ growing influence, called a council meeting and asked themselves, “What are we to do? This man is performing many signs” (11:47). They feared the potential political repercussions of Jesus’ action in the eyes of the Roman authorities; thus, they begin to plot Jesus’ death. Aware that Jesus is coming to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover, the chief priests and the Pharisees have given orders that anyone knowing his location should report it, so that they might arrest him and silence his message. Today’s gospel begins by no...
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Third Sunday in Lent 2025 Luke 13:1-9 Rev. Neli Miranda On the Third Sunday of Lent, we continue our journey with Jesus toward Jerusalem. This is a journey rich in learning, transformation, and growth, for, as Luke tells us, as Jesus made his way to Jerusalem, he continued teaching and challenging the oppressive religious system that in collusion with the political system perpetuated injustice in Israel. In today’s passage we read of an incident where, as Jesus was teaching, some in the crowd informed him about some anti-Rome Galileans murdered by Pilate—the Roman governor—in the temple. These Galileans, it seems, were offering sacrifices when Pilate violently ordered their deaths, mingling their blood with that of their sacrifices. Jesus’ response suggests that those giving him this violent news, based on a retributive justice system—the belief that suffering is punishment for sin—assumed that these Galileans deserved this punishment. Known for their resistance aga...
Second Sunday in Lent 2025 Luke 13:31-35 Rev. Neli Miranda https://www.chickensforbackyards.com/what-you-should-know-about-mother-hens/ Following his baptism in Judea, Jesus returned to Galilee, where he has carried out most of his ministry. He now journeys towards Jerusalem as Luke has indicated in earlier passages: “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem” (9:51). Luke describes Jesus traveling through towns and villages, proclaiming the Kingdom of God as he makes his way to Jerusalem. Today we read that, while Jesus teaches, some Pharisees warn him of Herod’s murderous intent: “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you” (13,31). This is Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee and Perea, a Roman puppet king who feels threat...
First Sunday in Lent March 9, 2025 Luke 4:1-13 Rev. Neli ML The first Sunday in Lent directs us to the wilderness, where Jesus confronts evil forces before beginning his proclamation of the Kingdom of God. According to Luke, as Jesus commits to God in his baptism, he faces evil forces opposing to his ministry: A fter his baptism, Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil (4,1). Jesus responds to the devil’s temptations with quotes from Deuteronomy Chapters 6-8, which recount the Israelites’ experiences in the wilderness. Just as the Israelites faced temptations in the Sinai desert when they committed themselves to be the people of God, Jesus also faces similar temptations. Unlike the Israelites, Jesus triumphs over these temptations, resisting the forces of evil and teaching us how to remain faithful to God in our time. The Devil ( Diabolou in Greek), is...
Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany February 23, 2025 Lucas 6:27-38 Rev. Neli Miranda Today’s Gospel continues Jesus’ teachings addressed to a large crowd of disciples gathered on a plain, as we heard last Sunday. He speaks to a multitude of impoverished, needy people whom he calls “blessed”—a term traditionally reserved for those who possessed material wealth and high social status. However, Jesus subverts this conventional understanding by declaring his disciples blessed, stating, “. . .yours is the Kingdom of God”. This radical statement affirms the dignity of his followers and establishes the foundation for a new community, the community of the Kingdom of God. Jesus and his first followers faced enemies, those in positions of power who dominated and oppressed the people, persecuting and murdering all those who cried out for justice, beginning with Jesus himself. Amidst this reality, marked by violence and hostility, Jesus urges the new community to live in a transfo...
Sixth Sunday after Epiphany. February 16, 2025 Luke 6:17-26 Rev. Neli Miranda During the past weeks we have witnessed the arrival of the Epiphany in the different villages in Galilee and so have we in our own lives. Today, on the sixth Sunday after the Epiphany, the Epiphany comes down from a mountain to a level place where a needy multitude awaits Jesus. In the preceding verses Luke tells us that Jesus appointed twelve of his disciples as apostles on a mountain. Now, as he descends with them and stands on a level place, he finds a large crowd gathered, comprised not only of his disciples but also of a multitude of people seeking good news, comfort, healing, and liberation. The call on the mountain was not a privatized experience for the twelve; rather, it was a preparation to bring the Epiphany down to those in need, to the level ground where the marginalized awaited the good news. Who are these people eagerly awaiting Jesus? They are the destitute, the despised no...
The presentation of Jesus in the temple Luke 2:22 - 40 Rev. Neli Miranda During the past Sundays we witnessed Jesus’ epiphanies, particularly in Galilee where he began his ministry in the synagogue of Nazareth. Today, as we we celebrate the fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, we pause in the narrative to celebrate a special feast, the presentation of Jesus in the temple. Today’s gospel brings us an endearing image of Jesus and his parents in the temple, forty days after Jesus’ birth. As was customary and being a devout family, Mary and Joseph bring Jes...