Another attempt to trap Jesus is contained in the Gospel this Sunday. Opinions and arguments about which was the greatest commandment were common among the Pharisees and questions about it were frequently asked of rabbis. Clearly, those who asked this question of Jesus were trying to disconcert or ‘wrong foot’ Jesus in an attempt to discredit him with his reply.

Pope Francis has called Friday 27 October a day of fasting, prayer and penance.

"Dear brothers and sisters, our thoughts turn to Palestine and Israel. The number of victims is rising and the situation in Gaza is desperate.

What is on display in this story from Matthew’s Gospel is not Jesus’ clever reply, but the image of God he presents.

Today's Gospel is a parable told in the context of a wedding feast by a great King. It's a parable told in three parts.

Grief is an emotional response when we lose someone or something we love.

Fresh violence erupted unexpectedly in the Holy Land on Saturday, when Palestinian Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israel, firing hundreds of rockets and making armed incursions into Israel.

Pope Francis has published an Apostolic Exhortation building on his 2015 encyclical. We’re not reacting enough, he says, we’re close to breaking point. He criticises climate change deniers, saying that the human origin of global warming is now beyond doubt. And he describes how care for our common home flows from the Christian faith.

“’Praise God’ is the title of this letter. For when human beings claim to take God’s place, they become their own worst enemies.”

This week’s parable asks us how we have used the gifts that God has entrusted to us.

You can download and save the scripture texts, reflections and prayers for Lectio Divina for each day of this month. Lectio Divina is a traditional way of praying the Scriptures. Visit our Lectio Divina page for more information about how to pray using Lectio Divina. Join our Lectio Online group. We meet every Friday at 10am (Australian Eastern Daylight Time) [You are welcome to join from other time zones, eg. Perth/Singapore/Philippines: 7am; Timor-Leste/Tokyo: 8am; New Zealand: 12pm; Los Angeles: Thursday 4pm; New York/Toronto: Thursday 7pm] to prayerfully reflect on the Gospel of the coming Sunday.

Today, Fr Bruce Clark (Prior Provincial) and Professor Peter Sherlock (Vice-Chancellor of the University of Divinity) announced a new partnership