Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is from the Gospel
of Luke, chapters 11 through 13. Chapter 11 Now
it came to pass, as he was praying in a certain
place, when he ceased, that one of his disciples
said to him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John
also taught his disciples. So he said to them,
When you pray, say, Our Father in heaven, hallowed
be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be
done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us day
by day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins.
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted
to us. And do not lead us into temptation, but
deliver us from the evil one. And he said to
them, Which of you shall have a friend, and go
to him at midnight, and say to him, Friend, lend
me three loaves. For a friend of mine has come
to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set
before him. And he will answer from within and
say, Do not trouble me, the door is now shut,
and my children are with me in bed. I cannot
rise and give to you. I say to you, though he
will not rise and give to him, because he is
his friend, yet because of his persistence he
will rise and give him as many as he needs. So
I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you.
Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be
opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives,
and he who seeks, finds. and to him who knocks
it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from
any father among you, will he give him a stone?
Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a
serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for
an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you
then, being evil, know how to give good gifts
to your children, how much more will your heavenly
Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask
Him? And he was casting out a demon, and it was
mute. So it was when the demon had gone out that
the mute spoke, and the multitudes marveled.
But some of them said, He casts out demons by
Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons. Others, testing
him, sought from him a sign from heaven. But
he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, Every
kingdom divided against itself is brought to
desolation, and a house divided against a house
falls. If Satan also is divided against himself,
How will his kingdom stand? Because you say,
I cast out demons by Beelzebub. And if I cast
out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons
cast them out? Therefore, they will be your judges.
But if I cast out demons with the finger of God,
surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.
When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own
palace, his goods are in peace. But when a stronger
than he comes upon him and overcomes him, He
takes from him all his armor in which he trusted
and divides his spoils. He who is not with me
is against me, and he who does not gather with
me scatters. When an unclean spirit goes out
of a man, he goes through dry places seeking
rest, and finding none, he says, I will return
to my house from which I came. And when he comes,
he finds it swept and put in order. Then he goes
and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked
than himself. and they enter and dwell there
and the last state of that man is worse than
the first and it happened as he spoke these things
that a certain woman from the crowd raised her
voice and said to him blessed is the womb that
bore you and the breasts which nursed you and
he said more than that blessed are those who
hear the word of god and keep it and while the
crowds were thickly gathered together he began
to say this is an evil generation it seeks a
sign and no sign will be given to it except the
sign of jonah the prophet for as jonah became
a sign to the ninevites so also the son of man
will be to this generation the queen of the south
will rise up in the judgment with the men of
this generation and condemn them for she came
from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom
of solomon and indeed a greater than solomon
is here The men of Nineveh will rise up in the
judgment with this generation and condemn it.
For they repented at the preaching of Jonah,
and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. No one
when he has lit a lamp puts it in a secret place
or under a basket, but on a lampstand that those
who come in may see the light. The lamp of the
body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is
good, your whole body also is full of light.
But when your eye is bad, your body also is full
of darkness. Therefore take heed that the light
which is in you is not darkness. If then your
whole body is full of light, having no part dark,
the whole body will be full of light, as when
the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.
And as he spoke, a certain Pharisee asked him
to dine with him. So he went in and sat down
to eat. When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled
that he had not first washed before dinner. Then
the Lord said to him, Now you Pharisees make
the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your
inward parts is full of greed and wickedness,
foolish ones. Did not he who made the outside
make the inside also? But rather give alms to
such things as you have, then indeed all things
are clean to you. But woe to you Pharisees, for
you tithe mint and rue, and all manner of herbs,
and pass by justice and the love of God. Then
one of the lawyers answered and said to him,
Teacher, by saying these things, you reproach
us also. And he said, Woe to you also, lawyers,
for you load men with burdens hard to hear, and
you yourselves do not touch the burdens with
one of your fingers. Woe to you, for you built
the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed
them. In fact, you bear witness that you approve
the deeds of your fathers, for they indeed killed
them, and you built their tombs. Therefore the
wisdom of God also said, I will send them prophets
and apostles, and some of them they will kill
and persecute, that the blood of all the prophets
which was shed from the foundation of the world
may be required of this generation, from the
blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who
perished between the altar and the temple. Yes,
I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.
Woe to you, lawyers, for you have taken away
the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves,
and those who were entering in you hindered.
And as he said these things to them, The scribes
and the Pharisees began to assail him vehemently,
and to cross -examine him about many things,
lying in wait for him, and seeking to catch him
in something he might say that they might accuse
him. In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude
of people had gathered together, so that they
trampled one another, he began to say to his
disciples first of all, And I say to you, my
friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the
body and after that have no more that they can
do. But I will show you whom you should fear.
fear him who after he has killed has the power
to cast into hell yes i say to you fear him are
not five sparrows sold for two copper coins and
not one of them is forgotten before god but the
very hairs of your head are all numbered do not
fear therefore you are of more value than many
sparrows also i say to you whoever confesses
me before men The Son of Man also will confess
before the angels of God. But he who denies me
before men will be denied before the angels of
God. And anyone who speaks a word against the
Son of Man, it will be forgiven him. But to him
who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will
not be forgiven. Now when they bring you to the
synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do
not worry about how or what you should answer
or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will
teach you in that very hour what you ought to
say. Then one from the crowd said to him, Teacher,
tell my brother to divide the inheritance with
me. But he said to him, Man, who made me a judge
or an arbiter over you? And he said to them,
Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's
life does not consist in the abundance of the
things he possesses. Then he spoke a parable
to them, saying, The ground of a certain rich
man yielded plentifully. And he thought within
himself, saying, What shall I do? since I have
no room to store my crops. So he said, I will
do this, I will pull down my barns and build
greater, and there I will store all my crops
and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul,
you have many goods laid up for many years. Take
your ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God
said to him, Fool, this night your soul will
be required of you. Then whose will those things
be which you have provided? So is he who lays
up treasure for himself and is not rich toward
God. Then he said to his disciples, Therefore
I say to you, do not worry about your life, what
you will eat, nor about the body, what you will
put on. Life is more than food, and the body
is more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for
they neither sow nor reap, which have neither
storehouse nor barn, and God feeds them. Of how
much more value are you? than the birds? And
which of you, by worrying, can add one cubit
to his stature? If you, then, are not able to
do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?
Consider the lilies, how they grow. They neither
toil nor spin. And yet I say to you, even Solomon
in all his glory was not arrayed like one of
these. If, then, God so clothes the grass, which
today is in the field, and tomorrow is thrown
into the oven, how much more will he clothe you,
O you of little faith? And do not seek what you
should eat or what you should drink, nor have
an anxious mind. For all these things the nations
of the world seek after, and your Father knows
that you need these things. But seek the kingdom
of God, and all these things shall be added to
you. Do not fear, little flock, for it is your
Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Sell what you have and give alms. Provide yourselves
money bags which do not grow old, a treasure
in the heavens that does not fail. where no thief
approaches nor moth destroys. For where your
treasure is, there your heart will be also. Let
your waist be girded and your lamps burning.
And you yourselves be like men who wait for their
master when he will return from the wedding,
that when he comes and knocks, they may open
to him immediately. Blessed are those servants
whom the master when he comes will find watching.
Assuredly I say to you that he will gird himself
and have them sit down to eat and will come and
serve them. And if he should come in the second
watch or come in the third watch and find them
so, blessed are those servants. But know this,
that if the master of the house had known what
hour the thief would come, he would have watched
and not allowed his house to be broken into.
Therefore, you also be ready, for the Son of
Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Then
Peter said to him, Lord, do you speak this parable
only to us or to all people? And the Lord said,
Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom
his master will make ruler over his household,
to give them their portion of food in due season?
Blessed is that servant, whom his master will
find so doing when he comes. Truly I say to you
that he will make him ruler over all that he
has. But if that servant says in his heart, My
master is delaying his coming, and begins to
beat the male and female servants, and to eat
and drink and be drunk, The master of that servant
will come in on a day when he is not looking
for him, and at an hour when he is not aware,
and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion
with the unbelievers. And that servant who knew
his master's will and did not prepare himself
or do according to his will shall be beaten with
many stripes. But he who did not know, yet committed
things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten
with few. For everyone to whom much is given,
from him much will be required. And to whom much
has been committed, of him they will ask the
more. I came to send fire on the earth, and how
I wish it were already kindled. But I have a
baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed
I am till it is accomplished. Do you suppose
that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you,
not at all, but rather division. for from now
on five in one household will be divided three
against two and two against three father will
be divided against son and son against father
mother against daughter and daughter against
mother mother -in -law against her daughter -in
-law and daughter -in -law against her mother
-in -law then he also said to the multitudes
whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west
immediately you say a shower is coming and so
it is And when you see the south wind blow, you
say, there will be hot weather, and there is.
Hypocrites, you can discern the face of the sky
and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern
this time? Yes, and why, even of yourselves,
do you not judge what is right? When you go with
your adversary to the magistrate, make every
effort along the way to settle with him? lest
he drag you to the judge the judge deliver you
to the officer and the officer throw you into
prison i tell you you shall not depart from there
till you have paid the very last mite chapter
thirteen there were present at that season some
who told him about the galileans whose blood
pilate had mingled with their sacrifices And
Jesus answered and said to them, Do you suppose
that these Galileans were worse sinners than
all other Galileans because they suffered such
things? I tell you, no. But unless you repent,
you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen
on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them,
do you think that they were worse sinners than
all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell
you, no. But unless you repent, you will all
likewise perish. He also spoke this parable.
A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard,
and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.
Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, Look,
for three years I have come seeking fruit on
this fig tree, and find none. Cut it down. Why
does it use up the ground? But he answered and
said to him, Sir, let it alone this year also,
until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if
it bears fruit, well, but if not, after that
you can cut it down. Now he was teaching in one
of the synagogues on the Sabbath, and behold,
there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity
eighteen years, and was bent over and could in
no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her,
he called her to him and said to her, Woman,
you are loosed from your infirmity. And he laid
his hands on her, and immediately she was made
straight and glorified God. But the ruler of
the synagogue answered with indignation, because
Jesus had healed on the Sabbath. And he said
to the crowd, There are six days on which men
ought to work, therefore come and be healed on
them, and not on the Sabbath day. The Lord then
answered him and said, Hypocrite, does not each
one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey
from the stall and lead it away to water it?
So ought not this woman, being a daughter of
Abraham, whom Satan has bound, think of it, for
eighteen years. be loosed from this bond on the
Sabbath? And when he said these things, all his
adversaries were put to shame, and all the multitude
rejoiced for all the glorious things that were
done by him. Then he said, What is the kingdom
of God like, and to what shall I compare it?
It is like a mustard seed which a man took and
put in his garden, and it grew and became a large
tree, and the birds of the air nested in its
branches. And again he said, To what shall I
liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven,
which a woman took and hid in three measures
of meal, till it was all leavened. And he went
through the cities and villages, teaching and
journeying toward Jerusalem. Then one said to
him, Lord, are there few who are saved? And he
said to them, Strive to enter through the narrow
gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter
and will not be able. When once the master of
the house has risen up and shut the door, and
you begin to stand outside and knock at the door,
saying, Lord, Lord, open for us. And he will
answer and say to you, I do not know you. Where
are you from? Then you will begin to say, We
ate and drank in your presence, and you taught
in our streets. But he will say, I tell you,
I do not know you. Where you are from? Depart
from me, all you workers of iniquity. There will
be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see
Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets
in the kingdom of God and yourselves thrust out.
They will come from the east and the west, from
the north and the south, and sit down in the
kingdom of God. And indeed, there are last who
will be first, and there are first who will be
last. On that very day, some Pharisees came saying
to him, Get out and depart from here, for Herod
wants to kill you. And he said to them, Go tell
that fox, Behold, I cast out demons and perform
cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I
shall be perfected. Nevertheless, I must journey
today, tomorrow, and the day following, for it
cannot be that a prophet should perish outside
of Jerusalem. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one
who kills the prophets and stones those who are
sent to her, how often I wanted to gather your
children together. as a hen gathers her brood
under her wings, but you are not willing. See,
your house is left to you desolate, and assuredly
I say to you, you shall not see me until the
time comes when you say, Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord. I hope you enjoyed today's
reading as much as I did, and I look forward
to seeing you again tomorrow to continue on our
journey. God bless you and have a great day.