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Here is a link to the New Revised Standard edition for the Gospel of Luke. Bible Study Tools provides an online version as well as a printable version of each of the Chapters of Luke. I have chosen to use the NRS edition this season but Bible Study Tools provides a variety of translations of the Bible if you seek a more literal or more dynamic translation. Each day I will provide a link to the daily reading, as well as my thoughts. Happy reading.
Luke 1 begins with one of my favorite Bible stories. It is the story of the Angel Gabriel appearing to Zechariah. Gabriel tells Zechariah that his wife, Elizabeth, will bear a son and to name him John. Elizabeth is said to be barren, yet she concieves a precious child that helps pave the way for the coming of Jesus. It reminds me that faith and prayer can truly cause our family to grow for I was once barren and now have two beautiful children.
This scripture is among my favorites because of I am Elizabeth, the daughter of John and the mother of Gabriel.
Luke 2 begins with the birth of Jesus. It speaks of the manager scene and the visit of the shepherds but for me The Return to Nazareth is what stirs my soul. On Sunday, I was in full panic mode. I had lost Fiona. I had gone into the backyard to untangle the dogs lead while her and Gabe were playing inside. When I came back in, she was no where to be found. I yelled her name and tore covers off of beds, ran up and down the stairs, checked the cabinets and storeroom. She was gone. I ran to grab my phone to call my parents and found her asleep hiding in my bedroom. My heart was racing and I can only imagine the fear and anxiety of Mary and Joseph having lost Jesus for 3 days. I was ready to call the search party after just 30 minutes.
Luke 3 provides the geneology of Jesus and I find it fascinating. I also love that I can find many family names among the lineage.
Yet, it is the baptismal story that most touches my heart. We baptized my sweet Gabriel recently and the ease it provided my heart to know that he had been baptized into the faith and was a member of our Church family. It was a time for each of us to renew our baptismal promise and to band together to help raise him in the Catholic faith. I am so thankful for the Sacrament of Baptism and the bond it builds between our children and the Church.
Luke 4 reminds me to avoid temptation. No matter what we seem to do temptations always seem to be there. It can definitely be hard when temptation is always close by and begging for our justification to stay strong.
Sometimes, we fail. Sometimes we let silly things interfere with what we know is right but we can always look to Jesus as an example. He stayed strong was untempted by the devil and we too must strive to ignore that devil seeking to destroy us....even if that devil is a second piece of devil's food cake this holiday season.
"Those who are well have no need for a physician." I work in a profession where the government, the administration, the parents and at times the students, all assume they know more than I do about how to do my job. See teachers understand what their students need, just as Jesus understood that the sinners needed his help far more than the devoted. Prescribing antibiotics to a well person does not cure the sick person next to him. Telling teachers how to teach without acknowledging who is in need of teaching does not make others more educated. Luke 5 reminds me that showing patience and compassion to those in most need is worth far more when the person in need of love doesn't know how to ask for love.
"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them." It is hard to love the people that frustrate us but the biggest lesson I have learned in teaching is that the people who need the most love ask for it in the least loving ways. Kids are especially like this. The toddler screaming at your feet, the preschooler that is melting down because they don't want to wear the shirt they picked out, the preteen who is arguing about every request just because they can. Sometimes it can be very hard as a teacher to brush off the rude comment or the angry outburst because it is directed at you but it isn't about you. It is about the struggles of home and school and society. Teachers are just often the easiest targets and we offer unconditional love.
"Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof..." I love this during the mass. It is such a beautiful expression of humility. In a world where gluttony is everywhere, the mass provides us with a constant reminder to humble ourselves in the world and before the Lord. It is so hard for me to understand how someone could reject the Sacrament of Baptism. I struggled horribly with the wait to baptize Gabriel. We were determined to have Father Charlie baptize him into the Catholic Church but we also needed to fly Father Charlie from New Orleans. It made it a little more scheduling complicated. After Gabe's baptism, it was like a weight had been lifted, like suddenly he was safer in this crazy world.
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