Before Reading.
- Centering prayer— Pray for illumination, “Lord, open my heart and mind by the power of the Holy Spirit,” and remain in silence.
Reading.
- Read slowly, keeping any words or phrase that come to your mind, and mark on them.
- Close eyes and meditate on what you read.
- Take a note if you have question, inspiration.
Read Luke 21
Commentary.
Jesus taught two teachings in chapter 21 three days before his Passion began in Jerusalem.
The widow’s offering (1-4) —- Jesus saw two different kinds of giving, giving out of wealth and giving out of poor. Jesus taught about proportional giving by saying that the poor widow gave more because out of her poverty she gave all she had to live on.
Signs of the end of the Age (5-36) —- This was an apocalyptic teaching of Jesus. The word apocalypse means revelation, pertaining about what would happen in the future. All events, happenings Jesus taught were focused on the end of the world with signs and events such as ,deceives, false teaching, terror, hostility, natural disaster, tribulation and sufferings. The apocalyptic message always contained two elements; judgement and hope of redemption. “Watch and pray,” is Jesus’ teaching, so that we may able to stand at the last day before the Lord.
The Mount of Olive (37-38) — The Mount of Olive was the place where Jesus had a time of solitude with prayer and rest, daily retreat to encounter God, which gave him a source of strength during his Passion.
After Reading —- Reflection and prayer.
- Reflect on this question, “What does God speak to me today in this chapter?
- Reflection: “how do you have your daily time of solitude?”
- Pray that God’s word today be the way, the life, and the truth to you.
- Live it out through the day.