Document Title
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
A NOW YOU KNOW MEDIA WRITTEN GUIDE A Retreat with the Gospel of Luke Presented by Fr. Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. A RETREAT WITH THE GOSPEL OF LUKE WRITTEN GUID E Now You Know Media Copyright Notice: This document is protected by copyright law. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. You are permitted to view, copy, print and distribute this document (up to seven copies), subject to your agreement that: Your use of the information is for informational, personal and noncommercial purposes only. You will not modify the documents or graphics. You will not copy or distribute graphics separate from their accompanying text and you will not quote materials out of their context. You agree that Now You Know Media may revoke this permission at any time and you shall immediately stop your activities related to this permission upon notice from Now You Know Media. WWW.NOWYOUKNOWMEDIA.COM / 1 - 8 0 0 - 955- 3904 / © 2 0 1 2 2 A RETREAT WITH THE GOSPEL OF LUKE WRITTEN GUID E Table of Contents Program Summary ............................................................................................................... 4 About Your Presenter ........................................................................................................... 5 Conference 1: Luke’s Gospel and Prayer .......................................................................... 6 Conference 2: Luke’s Infancy Narrative .......................................................................... 11 Conference 3: Preparations for Jesus’ Ministry ............................................................... 15 Conference 4: Jesus, the Messianic Prophet .................................................................... 19 Conference 5: Miracles, Disciples, and Controversies .................................................... 22 Conference 6: Jesus’ Radical yet Merciful Teachings ..................................................... 26 Conference 7: Jesus Embraces the Poor and Lowly ........................................................ 30 Conference 8: Prayer and Repentance, Forgiveness and Joy .......................................... 34 Conference 9: Hospitality and Meals, Wealth and Possessions ...................................... 38 Conference 10: Passion I: Last Supper, Prayers, and Arrest ........................................... 41 Conference 11: Passion II: Trials, Crucifixion, and Burial ............................................. 45 Conference 12: Jesus’ Resurrection and Ascension ........................................................ 49 Recommended Readings and Resources ............................................................................ 54 Appendix A: Three Methods of Biblical Prayer ................................................................ 56 Appendix B: Use of Luke in the Lectionary for Mass ....................................................... 59 WWW.NOWYOUKNOWMEDIA.COM / 1 - 8 0 0 - 955- 3904 / © 2 0 1 2 3 A RETREAT WITH THE GOSPEL OF LUKE WRITTEN GUID E Program Summary Welcome to A Retreat with the Gospel of Luke! This audio retreat program and its accompanying written guide are designed to help you spend prayerful time with Jesus Christ, using the Gospel according to Luke. Luke’s Gospel presents a portrait of Jesus that is significantly different from the other three Gospels. In Luke, the Holy Spirit guides all the action and empowers the life and ministry of Jesus. Luke portrays Jesus as a great prophet who reaches out to the poor and the needy, the sick and the suffering, women and children, sinners and foreigners. Luke’s Jesus is the Lord of all nations and the Savior of all peoples; so also, disciples are called to be just like Jesus, embracing all people regardless of social status, loving their enemies, welcoming strangers, praising God, praying for forgiveness, and using their possessions to care for the needy. This audio retreat program combines an insightful examination of Luke’s Gospel with three methods of biblical prayer—reflective meditation, imaginative contemplation, and centering prayer—to help you grow in your relationship with Jesus. You can use this program to make your own spiritual “retreat” in several different ways, according to your personal preferences. Designed primarily for persons doing individual prayer, you can also use these conferences in small-group settings with opportunities for communal prayer and sharing. You can listen to each talk while driving, taking a walk, or relaxing at home, and then use this written guide to prayerfully reflect on what you’ve heard. You can flexibly adapt this program to fit your own schedule, doing this retreat at your own pace, using either two conferences per day (for a one-week retreat), or one conference per day (on a longer retreat), or three or more conferences per day (a briefer, more concentrated retreat). You will learn much by listening to each conference, but more importantly, you will also benefit greatly from the question for reflection and suggestions for personal prayer that are given at the end of each conference. This program is intended for anyone who wants to spend some prayerful time with the Gospel according to Luke, not only priests, deacons, and religious who do annual retreats, but all lay people as well. If you wish to grow closer to Jesus, you will cherish this program. WWW.NOWYOUKNOWMEDIA.COM / 1 - 8 0 0 - 955- 3904 / © 2 0 1 2 4 A RETREAT WITH THE GOSPEL OF LUKE WRITTEN GUID E About Your Presenter Fr. Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D., is the Director of Biblical Education at the Loyola Institute for Spirituality in Orange, California. After receiving his Doctorate in New Testament Studies from Yale University, he taught at Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles), the University of San Francisco, and Santa Clara University. He was also director of the Center for Religion and Spirituality at LMU, and dean of the Lay Ecclesial Ministry and Deacon Formation Programs for the Diocese of Las Vegas. Fr. Just is involved in a wide variety of adult faith-formation programs: he regularly teaches biblical and theological courses, gives public presentations for parishes and diocesan groups, instructs in the Catholic Bible Institute of several dioceses, and leads biblically-based days of prayer, parish missions, spiritual retreats, and pilgrimages. He is the author of several other audio programs from Now You Know Media, including The New Testament: A Guided Tour; The Lectionary for Mass: A Treasure for Liturgy and Prayer; and four different audio retreats, based on each of the four New Testament Gospels. Fr. Just has long been an active member of the Catholic Biblical Association and the Society of Biblical Literature. He is webmaster for several academic organizations and also maintains his own internationally-acclaimed website of “Catholic Resources for Bible, Liturgy, Art, and Theology” (http://catholic-resources.org). WWW.NOWYOUKNOWMEDIA.COM / 1 - 8 0 0 - 955- 3904 / © 2 0 1 2 5 A RETREAT WITH THE GOSPEL OF LUKE WRITTEN GUID E Conference 1: Luke’s Gospel and Prayer I. Welcome and Thanks A) Various possible formats for your retreat with Luke 1) One-Week Retreat (two conferences per day) 2) Extended Retreat (one conference per day) 3) Shorter Retreat (three or more conferences per day) B) Don’t listen to all twelve conferences at once; take time in between for 1) Personal prayer after each conference 2) Reading the sacred scriptures, esp. Luke’s Gospel 3) Silence, exercise, art, music, or journaling C) Let this be a spiritual retreat, not just academic Bible study 1) Leave aside historical and literary issues for now (a) As needed, see http://catholic-resources.org/Bible/Luke.htm 2) After your retreat, use other audio programs by Now You Know Media: (a) The Gospel of Luke, by Sr. Barbara Reid, O.P. (b) The New Testament: A Guided Tour, by Fr. Felix Just, S.J. D) Biblical prayer 1) Goal is primary: union with God; encountering Jesus 2) Means are secondary: using Luke’s Gospel or other biblical texts 3) “Day by day, O dear Lord, three things I pray: to see you more clearly, love you more dearly, follow you more nearly” 4) Meditate on Gospels: Jesus’ life, teachings, actions (esp. Luke) E) Suggestions for biblical art and liturgical music: 1) “Biblical Art and Music” – http://catholic-resources.org/Art/ 2) “Biblical Art on the WWW” – http://biblical-art.com 3) The Feast of Life: Stories from the Gospel of Luke, by Marty Haugen (GIA, 2000) WWW.NOWYOUKNOWMEDIA.COM / 1 - 8 0 0 - 955- 3904 / © 2 0 1 2 6 A RETREAT WITH THE GOSPEL OF LUKE WRITTEN GUID E 4) As a River of Light: A Contemporary Music Drama based on the Gospel of Luke, by John Foley, SJ (Epoch/OCP, 1989) 5) “Recommended Readings and Resources” on pages 54-55 below II. Luke among the Gospels A) Third Gospel, ca. 80’s; uses several previous sources, esp. Mark 1) gospel = oral proclamation of “good news” 2) Gospel = written account of Jesus’ life and teachings B) Four Gospels: Same Jesus? 1) Yes, in a historical/foundational sense 2) No; each has different contents written for different communities 3) Luke is not necessarily better, but is different from the other Gospels 4) See http://catholic-resources.org/Bible/Four_Gospel_Chart.htm C) Christological Emphases of the Four Gospels 1) Mark: powerful Son of God; suffering Son of Man 2) Matthew: great king like David; great teacher like Moses 3) John: divine Revealer, Word of God, I Am, the Father’s Son 4) Luke: Christ, Lord, Savior, Healer, Messianic Prophet III. The Gospel according to Luke A) Gospel of Prayer: blessing, praising, repenting, giving thanks;