“Denying one’s self” is more profound than daily acts of “mortification.” It means displacing one’s self from the center of our consciousness while looking to the true self embodied by Jesus’ teaching.

Today’s Gospel and Luke’s whole theology of the Spirit, which will unfold in Acts, is a chronicle of the way God can walk with us in surprising, often unknown ways, reversing our path from fear and disappointment to make of us bearers of the power of the risen one.

The shepherd imagery is deeply rooted in biblical thought.

He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave (Phil. 2:7)

For Christ, while we were still godless, died at the appointed time for the ungodly (Rom. 5:6)

Eating with Jesus should be a time of healing, which can shock even customary religious sensitivities.