A major theme in the Gospel of Luke is the importance of the care of the poor in the life of discipleship. In the parable found in today's Gospel, Jesus contrasts the life of a rich man and the poor man, Lazarus, who lives in the shadow of the rich man and his wealth. Both die. Lazarus finds himself in heaven; the rich man in hell. The rich mar asks for assistance from Lazarus in his torment. Both Abraham reminds the rich man of the good things he had in his life and describes the current situation as a reversal of fortunes.

In the Parable this Sunday, the steward or manager of property of a wealthy man, faces destitution because of his imminent dismissal. In this crisis the manager acts with foresight and resolution, ensuring a secure future. He responds with cleverness to his circumstances and so in a sense is a '' prudent'' man, by worldly standards. His prudent and decisive action is the key idea of today's parable.

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross traces its origin to 4th Century. According to tradition, Saint Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, journeyed to the Holy Land around 326 AD, where she discovered the True Cross, the cross upon which Jesus was crucified. To honor this discovery and mark the sacred sites of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, Constantine ordered the construction of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher. The church was consecrated on September 13, 335 and the next day, September 14, the cross was publicly displayed for veneration. By the 7th Century, this became an annual celebration across Eastern and Western Churches.

The first words we hear from Jesus in this Sunday's Gospel passage might almost startle us. They are spoken by the Lord to convey without the shadow of a doubt, a very important message to his followers. The words of Jesus are these: '' if any one comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.'' Those are very tough words and what are we to make of them? Why does Jesus say we must ''hate'' our loved ones and even ourselves? The strong language used by the Lord stems from his setting and times, what we would now call a Sematic worldview, where very strong language was used to convey a teaching in no uncertain terms. so, without a doubt we can say the term ''hate,'' as we normally understand the word, is not to be taken literally but what is the underlying message?