Rama Ramanathan

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Mercy Over Merit: Lessons from the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

To honour God, we must do much and avoid much. The Bible has many positive lists[3] and many negative lists.[4] But we know that no one has always done all the positive things, and no one has always avoided all the negative things.[5] The Pharisee left this knowledge out of his description of himself. The tax collector put this knowledge in the centre of his description of himself.

Faith That Heals: Lessons from the Ten Lepers

The work of the Catholic priest Father Damien in Hawaii is perhaps best recorded and most forgotten. He chose to live in an isolated leper colony on a hard-to-reach island. He raised funds, built houses, hospitals, and church buildings for lepers. His chief joy was celebrating the mass, the Roman Catholic version of the Lord’s Supper, uttering the words “Kyrie Eleison” and “Lord have Mercy.” Eventually, he contracted leprosy.

Faith as small as a mustard seed for what?

Now we see why the disciples asked Jesus to increase their faith. They asked because they understood faith as a gift. But Jesus answer about the sufficiency of faith as small as a mustard seed shows that he understood faith as a commitment: as a commitment to step out and do things which would be very challenging, very dangerous. And what was Jesus’ answer?

The Wisdom of the Dishonest Manager: A Biblical Perspective

This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder Luke 16:1-13. The English Standard Version supplies the lection with the heading “The Parable of the Dishonest Manager.” For a long time, I wished this story wasn’t in the Bible. I wished Jesus hadn’t told it. But now I see that it’s stories like this one which …

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God’s Relentless Pursuit: Lessons from the Rich Shepherd and the Poor Widow

This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder Luke 15:1-10. The English Standard Version supplies the selection with two headings. The first heading, for verses 1-7, is “The Parable of the Lost Sheep.” The second heading, for verses 8-10, is “The Parable of the Lost Coin.” I used to think the first story is absurd. …

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Did Jesus really say Christians must hate their families?

This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder Luke 14:25-33. The English Standard Version supplies the heading “The Cost of Discipleship.” Luke introduces the story by telling us that great crowds joined Jesus. Today, when we think of crowds, we think of stadiums; sports; bands; protests. Security issues. Success. Success is what lead singers, politicians, …

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Why did Jesus tango with rich Pharisees on a Saturday?

The story unfolds in occupied territory, like Malaya during the Japanese occupation from 1941-1945. Occupation rulers feel especially insecure because they’re foreigners. If they feel threatened, they will act. Quickly.

The sabbath was a distinguishing marker for the Jews – it’s a day of rest, a day for re-centring on God by reading his word, remembering why he made people, and how he relates to us.

Why did Jesus straighten a bent over woman in a synagogue on the day of rest?

Image credit: Barbara Schwarz OP This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder Luke 13:10-17. The English Standard Version supplies the passage with the title “A Woman with a Disabling Spirit.” J B Phillips, in his paraphrase, supplies the title “Jesus reduces the Sabbatarians to silence.”[1] Sabbatarians are people who maintain that we must do …

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