7 octobre 2026 -- Mercredi de la 27^ème semaine « A »

Gal 2,1-2. 7-14 ; Luc 11, 1-4.

H O M É L I E

          Jean-Baptiste, comme les autres maîtres spirituels de son temps, y compris les Pharisiens et les Sadducéens et les docteurs de la Loi, enseignait à ses disciples des méthodes, des gestes et des formules de prière.  Aussi les disciples de Jésus, dont plusieurs avaient été disciples de Jean, lui demandèrent un jour de leur enseigner à prier « comme Jean l’a appris à ses disciples ».  Ils étaient sans doute intrigués du fait qu’ils voyaient souvent Jésus se retirer, surtout la nuit, pour prier dans le secret, mais qu’il ne leur enseignait ni méthode ni formule.  La réponse de Jésus, résumée dans ce que nous appelons le « Notre Père », n’est pas une « formule de prière » qu’il les invite à répéter, mais bien un enseignement très riche sur ce qu’est la prière. (Il est généralement admis par les exégètes, que cette version du Pater, en Luc, plus brève que celle de Mathieu, est la plus originale).

7 September 2026 -- Wednesday of the 27th week « A »

Gal 2:1-2. 7-14; Luke 11, 1-4.

Homily

John the Baptist, like the other spiritual teachers of his time, including the Pharisees and Sadducees and the doctors of the Law, taught his disciples methods, gestures and formulas for prayer. So, one day, Jesus' disciples, many of whom had been disciples of John, asked him to teach them to pray “as John taught his disciples”. They were no doubt intrigued by the fact that they often saw Jesus withdraw, especially at night, to pray in secret, but that he taught them neither method nor formula. Jesus' response, summed up in what we call the “Our Father”, is not a “prayer formula” that he invites them to repeat, but a very rich teaching on what prayer is. (It is generally accepted by exegetes that this version of the Our Father in Luke, which is shorter than the one in Matthew, is the most original).

October 4, 2026 -- 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Isaiah 5:1-7; Philippians 4:6-9; Matthew 21:33-43

H O M I L Y

Among the books of the Old Testament, there is one—the Song of Songs—that is entirely a love song, or a series of love songs. Although Cartesian thinkers have often expressed surprise at finding this kind of poetry in the Bible, the great Jewish and Christian mystics of all ages have seen in it an image of the loving relationship between God and his people. And more than one of these mystics—St. Bernard, for example—has commented on it at length. Yet we find other similar examples throughout the Bible; and the song of the beloved to his vineyard, which we heard in the first reading from the prophet Isaiah, is a fine example of this.