Jesus emphasizes the condition of the heart in His parable about the Pharisee and the Tax Collector at prayer (Luke 18). Jeremiah's reminder of our need to repent and the effects of sin on the world around us are an example of the heart of humility (Jeremiah 16). St. Paul's Second letter to Timothy reminds us of our need to be vigilant of Godly teaching and Holy Living while remaining humble before each other and our Lord.

Jesus follows His teaching on the Second Coming with a reminder to pray always (Luke 18). Unceasing prayer is a habit that we can only acquire through the tenacity and perseverance Jacob displays as he faces his brother, Esau (Genesis 32). We can build the persevering habits of regular prayer and the study of Holy Scripture that St. Paul prescribes to St. Timothy for his ministry (2 Timothy 3-4), for our ministry is no different and requires no less.

Jesus heads to Jerusalem (Luke 17) to offer Himself as the final sacrifice. Ruth is an example of the sacrificial life devoted to God that St. Paul teaches Timothy (2 Timothy) is exemplified by the soldier, the athlete and the farmer.

Fr. Russ Smith shared the Good News of Christ's saving work among rural peoples in Chile. Citing St. Paul's Second Letter to Timothy, he described the importance of family, evangelism and discipleship among people who may only have access to Holy Communion once per year.

Unlike His previous parables in this sequence, Jesus uses specific names and places; Lazarus, Abraham, Moses and Hades (Luke 16:19-31). This ultimate summary of His radically new understanding of Sabbath Rest at God's banquet is hacked by Amos's reminder to grieve rebellion and St. Paul's admonishment to use wealth in the service of others (Amos 6:1-7; 1 Timothy 6:11-19).

Jesus continues to teach Sabbath rest that allows honest self-reflection and prudent planning for our future judgement (Luke 16:1-13). Amos warned against Sabbath rest that produced sin and famine from the Word (Amos 8:4-12). We too suffer from famine of the Word when we read the First Letter of Timothy and the traditional roles of men and women in the church. Be not mistaken, the women of the church midwife the faithful, from the myrrh-bearing women to St. Macrina and St. Monica to the women who pray with their children and read the word in their homes today.

In St. Luke, Chapter 15, Jesus answers the Pharisees' grumbling over sinners by telling the parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin and the Lost Son. The Israelites were Lost in Exodus 32, when they decided to gather themselves according to their own desires. St. Paul had been lost in ignorance but was found by the patience of God and His desire to save all sinners (1Timothy 1).

Jesus summarizes His teaching on the Sabbath and three parables on meals with a shocking charge to hate our lives in order to become His disciples. Moses's reminder to the Nation of Israel, teaching them to choose life and the Love of God gives us foundational daily practice in Holy Living. The result of Holy Living is the reversal of ethnic ties and social class in humility, like St. Paul calls Philemon to do by accepting Onesimus as a brother.

The Letter to the Hebrews (13:1-8) teaches us to '...let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral...' and while the world dismisses the simplicity of marriage, without it, we cannot understand God's love for His church or the church's call to be faithful to God. Jesus's radical teaching (Luke 14:1,7-14) about the Sabbath is also grounded in the humble etiquette of the Wedding Guest, which we practice in the humility of Ecclesiasticus (10:7-18). chapter 10.

Jesus journeyed toward Jerusalem, in Luke chapter 13, for His Loving Sacrifice on the Cross and He invites us to Strive alongside Him in His establishing the Heavenly City with Justice and Righteousness. The Prophet Isaiah, in chapter 28, reminds us that the Lord is the precious cornerstone. The grace of the cornerstone is available when we participate in that grace and holiness but is lost if we reject Him as the Letter to the Hebrews describes Esau had done in chapter 12.