Today’s readings invite us into prayer, into relationship with God. Because relationships feel more natural when we know one another well, Sirach encourages us to know God better. In his wisdom, Sirach tells us what God is like: fair, open-minded, compassionate, and attentive. “The Lord will not delay,” he says. Knowing that God’s help comes right on time, whenever we need it, calms our hearts and helps us trust the Lord. In his second Letter to Timothy, Saint Paul demonstrates his own trust in God. Despite the grueling struggles Saint Paul has faced because of his Christian faith, he praises the Lord for rescuing him time and again. Today’s Gospel draws us close to Jesus too, revealing his special love for the poor and humble. As Jesus tells his parable about the prayer habits of a Pharisee and a tax collector, our hearts long to become as gentle as Christ’s.

Today’s readings are about persistence, passionate persistence. Exodus tells of a battle won despite weariness because Moses, with help from Aaron and Hur, held his hands raised. Timothy asks that same persistence of his community and us. Luke tells of a court case won by a widow, despite the dishonesty of the judge, because she will not leave him alone. The psalm reminds us that God is everywhere, guarding us from harm day and night, coming and going, now and forever. The readings are about persistence, the relentless, unwavering pursuit of what must not be lost. The readings are about God’s passionate persistence in pursuing us, seeking to win our hearts.

The readings today speak of healing and salvation. In Second Kings, Naaman, a commander of the army of the king of Syria, develops leprosy. He goes to a stranger, a prophet from Israel, when no one else can cure his disease. Much to his surprise, after a simple bath in the river, he is cured. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus cures ten lepers and sends them to the priest. Only one, a Samaritan, returns to thank Jesus for his cure and only he hears the words, “Your faith has saved you.” The psalm and Timothy remind us that salvation involves justice, kindness, and faithfulness and forever links us with Jesus. In a world as broken as ours, both healing and salvation are necessary.

Today our readings are about faith, frustration, and how much is enough. Habakkuk is a complainer having an argument with God. Timothy is encouraging a community challenged by cowardice and the apostles want more faith than they have. Things aren’t happening fast enough for any of them or for us. All of them and we want God to do something sooner rather than later and we want God to give us a reason to believe that it will all work out. What does God do? God puts it back on them—and us—telling Habakkuk to describe the world he wants; telling the apostles to do more than the expected. Doing more with less is a familiar phrase today and a reminder that a little faith may be enough even for the most difficult times.

Today’s readings are again directed to believers, communities of faith. As in last week’s reading, Amos confronts us with a condemnation of those whose lives are focused on pleasure and self-absorption. The psalm contrasts that focus with the Lord’s—justice for the oppressed; food for the hungry; freedom for captives; sight to the blind; raising of those who are bowed down; loving the just; protecting strangers, orphans, and the widow; and by doing so, thwarting the way of the wicked. Timothy urges the pursuit of righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. Luke tells the familiar tale of the wealthy man and the poor beggar at his doorstep, who experience life very differently in this world and in the next. We are once again being given clear indications about how God intends for us to live our lives.

Two of today’s readings make it quite clear that God is on the side of the poor. Amos describes in detail the exploitation of the poor and needy. The psalm repeats that God acts to benefit the poor and lowly. But Luke turns things upside down, telling a tale of a conflicted steward, about to be fired, who demonstrates his cleverness and is rewarded. Like the community to whom Paul writes in Timothy, these readings are personal, directed to believers, members of the Jewish and Christian communities, who struggle to deal with personal choices about how to conduct their lives. They offer an outline for how God wishes us to live in a world as complicated and as confusing as

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Welcome to "Lost and Found Sunday"! Just in case being in church makes us proudly consider ourselves especially religious, today's Gospel suggests that we'd be wiser to admit that we're sometimes lost. Then we'll eventually be happily counted among Jesus' "found," because today Jesus focuses on a lost sheep, lost coin, lost son. Jesus does so because the Pharisees and scribes, proudly considering themselves especially religious, "began to complain" that Jesus "welcomes sinners and eats with them." So Jesus warns them—and us—to stop judging others. Marvel instead that God's amazing grace has found us! Indeed, we should become Jesus' friends lovingly trying to find others. So Exodus asks, if God "relented in punishment" and pardoned us, shouldn't we forgive fellow sinners graciously? Even Paul admits his "arrogance" as "foremost among sinners." We too, happy at being "mercifully treated," should share with everyone else Jesus' unfailing patience.

With any luck, summer delights will continue a while past last weekend’s Labor Day: refreshing recreation (with maybe an occasional swim) or enjoyable relaxation on the deck (with tasty outdoor grilling). Truth is, for some of us, this year’s Labor Day came way too early. With many schools back in session for a while already, mealtimes and driving schedules needed readjustment to coordinate youth sports with adult commitments. Some religious education and parish programs resumed, too. No surprise, then, that this weekend’s scriptures sound a little like post-summer challenges. For instance, Wisdom reminds us that believers in God can never be content with “timid deliberations” and “unsure plans.” Paul challenges longtime friend and follower Philemon to “let the good you do be voluntary.” Jesus instructs “great crowds” traveling with him—including us—on three things necessary for all true disciples to accomplish. On this early autumn weekend, our scriptures describe disciples’ lifelong labors.

The readings today center on mindfulness, awareness of where we stand in God's plan. The mountain of Sinai carries a message of the majesty and distance of God, while Jesus' presence as host of the banquet speaks of intimacy and mystery. September's shadow calls us all to mindfulness as we prepare to return to life outside of summer. The Christian life holds these two places of knowledge of God in careful balance. Even in the accounts of the Passion we see the table of the upper room in balance with the Mount of Olives.

The wonderful diversity of life and worship among Roman Catholics of East and West is an example of God writing straight with crooked lines. The steady hand of the villainous Emperor Diocletian drew a line across Europe and Africa that split the empire in two, and for the most part determined how Christians would worship two thousand years later.

Prophets have always had a tough row to hoe. Their words, often unwelcome, are used against them to persecute and even kill them. Such was the fate of the Old Testament prophets, and Jeremiah is a great example of this. Jesus endured opposition from sinners, and did not turn back from a shameful death in order to rise to a glorious new life. The ultimate prophet, Jesus sought to warn the people of his time and ours of the divisions that his words would cause, showing himself to be the prophet of all time. We all need to look at our divisions and dilemmas in light of Jesus’ teachings and warnings, and seek to understand all that he has proclaimed and taught about what will happen if we fail to listen.

Faith and hope are closely united in today's readings. The Israelites knew when the Passover was coming, and so were not in fear, but had faith and courage, "putting into effect with one accord the divine institution." In this we can see a foretelling of the Eucharist that we celebrate according to Christ's command, "Do this in memory of me."

We see that Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Jacob died in faith, although they did not see fulfillment of the promise. We live in hope that our faith will be fulfilled every time we celebrate this sacrament. We too are not to be afraid, but to have hope that ourfaith will be fulfilled in the coming of Christ.

A jar of honey lasts practically forever. The oldest jar of honey ever discovered was over five thousand years old. Honey is quite different from market-fresh produce, then; because most fruits and vegetables last only a few days, we treat them carefully. At this time of summer, we rush to find recipes for cherries and cucumbers so we won’t waste a single one. We wouldn’t feel that same urgency about honey.

In our own way, we are as delightful and fragile as ripe produce. Today’s readings urge us not to spoil, but to make good use of our limited time onearth. Ecclesiastes reminds us that because God provides for us now and always, we can manage our daily affairs without anxiety. Saint Paul encouragesthe Colossians to keep thoughts of heaven in everything they do, and Jesus himself asks us to treasure not earthly wealth, but God alone.