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The Word today, 29C

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October 20 - October 25, 2025



Romans 4:20-25 What do we mean by the word faith? Often we mean believing “things.” Paul has a different way of looking at it.


Luke 12:13-21 A simple and practical question elicits an unexpected response from Jesus. As usual, he goes to the heart of the matter and challenges us all to think again about our real priorities.



Romans 5:12, 15, 17-21 In trying to reconcile Gentiles and Jews in the Roman churches, Paul wants to show that every human being, no matter what background etc., stands in need of God’s grace in Christ. Symbolically, Adam’s story is our story.


Luke 12:36-38 Parables of watchfulness are not uncommon but this one contains a major role reversal: the master will put on an apron, sit them down at table and wait on his own slaves. The story of the washing of the feet in John’s Gospel comes to mind as does another sentence from Jesus: “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45).


St John Paul II, bishop of Rome


Romans 6:12-18 As always, Paul’s message is one of freedom. Being set free in Christ, he insists that we continue to be free from whatever keeps us from God.


Luke 12:39-48 The gentle Luke is not always as gentle as we fondly imagine. Today’s reading moves smoothly from night-time burglary to keeping watch. The violent and brutal imagery (cut off, strokes of the lash) is indeed arresting: Luke wants to wake up us to action.


St John of Capistrano, priest


Romans 6:19-23 Paul often bring up the contrast between how we used to be and how we are now in Christ. What is the point of persistence? God’s gift of eternal life in Christ.


Luke 12:49-53 Fire is a cultural image for judgement. By contrast, baptism can be a metaphor for destiny only in light of Christian tradition. With these contrasting images of judgement and death, Jesus links his own fate with his mission from God. The second paragraph reflects what happened to people who made (and make) a radical choice for Jesus. The social and familial cost was and still can be considerable.


St Anthony Mary Claret, bishop


Romans 7:18-25 We know a lot about Paul because he himself tells us a great deal. In today’s reading, we get really under his skin in some very honest reflections. Our experience is in there somewhere too!


Luke 12:54-59 What has the weather to do with going to court? The two sets of parabolic sayings may seem disparate but in reality are related. The link is time and the good use of time in the now. Interpreting the times is the duty of us all; acting on that interpretation is the call of us all.


St Thaddeus MacCarthy, bishop


Romans 8:1-11 How can we ever come to true inner peace? How can we become our true selves as God intended? Paul describes the path, using a language which is his, but based on an experience which is ours.


Luke 13:1-9 Bad things happen to good people, then and now. Coping with the unpredictable invites repentance, but not in the sense of sorrow for sin. Rather, metanoia is better rendered “conversion”, i.e., a fundamental change of attitude to life, to God and to others, a real turn around. The fig tree is rich in metaphorical resonance from the book of Genesis onwards. In the Gospels, it often bears the message of judgement, as in the cursing of the fig tree. That prophetic action is not recounted in Luke and instead we have a very different story of yet another chance. Luke is telling us to dig around, get manure, create the conditions for bearing fruit…otherwise!


References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2025cl, October 19). Twenty-ninth Sunday in ordinary time. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101925.cfm

-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings


 
 
 

The Word today, 28C

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October 13 - October 18, 2025



Romans 1:1-7 Paul wrote to Christians in Rome because they were in conflict with each other over how much of Jewish tradition to keep. The opening greeting is enriched with a careful account of the core convictions of the faith.


Luke 11:29-32 In Luke’s Gospel, the foundational portrait of Jesus is that of prophet, one who speak on behalf of God a penetrating word. Asking for a sign is to doubt that the prophet comes from God. Jesus, in this passage, has a robust self-understanding, ending in a challenge for us today as well.


St Callistus I, bishop of Rome, martyr


Romans 1:16-25 Paul is writing to Gentiles and Jews who have become Christians. He starts by reminding the Gentiles where they came from: idolatry and immorality. No doubt they felt uncomfortable being reminded of their past!


Luke 11:37-41 Lest we sit back in satisfaction, it may help to recall that all religious activity tends towards prizing externals, a reality today as much in the life of Jesus. What lies at the heart of religion? Jesus gives a direct answer in today’s Gospel.


St Teresa of Ávila, religious and doctor


Romans 2:1-11 Yesterday, Paul outlined Gentile sin and perhaps sneakily led the Jews into judging. Now he turns on them, his co-religionists. The path for all is repentance.


Luke 11:42-46 Experts and “higher ups” always seek honour and titles. Jesus has no time at all for such nonsense, especially when it goes hand it hand with burdensome regulations.


St Hedwig, religious; St Margaret Mary Alacoque, religious; St Gall, abbot and missionary


Romans 3:21-30 Today we hear one of the most difficult passages in Paul. In a word: Jesus’ own faithfulness discloses the faithfulness of God. I would recommend a better translation for these key verses, such as the NET bible ( available at www.bible.org).


Luke 11:47-54 Prophets are often blunt, and none blunter than Jesus himself. He does speak offensively and you can see why the officials of the day were offended and why he roused opposition, proving eventually to be lethal.


St Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr


Romans 4:1-8 Abraham was important because he was considered in “right relationship” (= justified) independently of good deeds (= circumcision, dietary laws and Sabbath observance). In other words, it was always possible to be justified without good deeds on the basis of faith.


Luke 12:1-7 Yeast, which causes inflation, provides a ready metaphor for hypocrisy (lit. mask wearing). The second paragraph assure the friends of Jesus of God’s boundless care for them. There’s even a flash of humour in the attempt at hyperbole: you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows (two could be bought for a penny!).


St Luke, gospel writer


2 Timothy 4:10-17 The reading is chosen for the feast because it mentions a certain “Luke.” This is unlikely to be the same as the writer of the Gospel and Acts. However, the reading shows somewhat wavering support for the apostle or, in reality, for those sustaining the Pauline tradition in a later context.


Luke 10:1-9 The sending the seventy-two—unique to Luke and anticipating the wider mission in the Acts— portrays a picture of fleetfooted evangelisers, who travel lightly and without hindrance of any kind.


References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2025cj, October 12). Twenty-eighth Sunday in ordinary time. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101225.cfm

-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings


 
 
 

The Word today, 27C

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October 06 - October 11, 2025


St Bruno, monk


For three days we read from the book of Jonah. This intriguing novella belongs to a group of intertestamental stories (e.g. Tobit or Judith), designed to encourage or challenge Jews and Jewish practice of the time. Using drama, pastiche, irony and wit, the writer challenges tendencies to religious exclusivity and national superiority. Even the Ninevite moo cows do penance, after all, for whatever sins they might have committed!


Jonah 1:1-2:1, 11 This reading sets up the opening story of the very reluctant prophet Jonah, but God “nets” him at the end.


Luke 10:25-37 The teaching of this passage is very clear and needs almost no comment. The mention of the Samaritan — traditionally despised “cousins” — creates an intentional shock. To recreate the sense of shock, we need to explore our own prejudices. Is there anyone in our society of whom we would not expect such goodness?


Our Lady of the Rosary


Jonah 3:1-10 Jonah is called a second time and proclaims God’s word among the people of Nineveh, who are non-Jews. To his surprise (and chagrin), they listen to him! Even the cows do penance—part of the distorting wit of the book. (Bovine sins do not feature elsewhere in the Bible.)


Luke 10:38-42 Balancing life and prayer, the active and the contemplative, is always a challenge. Years ago, Archbishop Temple noted that it is not that action matters and prayer helps, but rather that prayer matters and action is its test. In this way, he moves away from the tempting either/or towards a more integrated approach.



Jonah 4:1-11 Jonah is very disappointed because his preaching is successful (!) and he gets to see no fireworks against Nineveh. God’s outreach beyond the confines of Israel is exactly the point of the book, which ends with a great question from God.


Luke 11:1-4 The Lord’s Prayer arises in Matthew and Luke. Luke’s setting is much more realistic and may touch our own need to be taught how to prayer. The prayer is also briefer and may be close to the original. Lord, teach us to pray!


St John Henry Newman, priest, religious and doctor; St Denis, bishop, and companions, martyrs


Malachi 3:13-20 Our reading reflects on a questions we all feel from time to time: what’s the point in believing, seeing that evil doers evidently prosper?


Luke 11:5-13 There’s a double teaching here, a kind of marvellous tension between persistence / resistance and the natural desire to give what is good to you children.



The book prophet Joel comes from the post-Exilic period, some time around 445-353 BC. It is usually regarded as a late book because of its cross-references to other books and on account of its complex eschatology.


Joel 1:13-15,2:1-2 This reading sounds more like something for Ash Wednesday: it is a clarion call to repentance, to a change of heart and of life.


Luke 11:15-26 It still shocks that some people attributed Jesus’ powers to the spirit of evil. There is, however, a kind of logic: if not from God, then from where? Jesus’ own logic is irrefutable: even evil cannot be selfdestructive!


St John XXIII, bishop of Rome; St Canice, abbot


Joel 4:12-21 You might sometimes wonder where our images regarding the end of time come from. This reading is the source of much of it—a bit scary, but at the same time “the Lord will be a shelter for his people”. The reading closes on a positive note.


Luke 11:27-28 This is an unexpected story, given the substantial profile of the mother of Jesus in Luke 1-2. The unknown woman utters a beatitude, an acclamation of blessing. Jesus, in his reply, gives an a fortiori response, profiling the hearing and keeping of the word of God.


References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2025ch, October 5). Twenty-seventh Sunday in ordinary time. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/100525.cfm

-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings


 
 
 
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