SALVATION AND GLORY AND POWER BELONG TO OUR GOD

XXIX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Matthew 22:15-21

When God’s a plan, he will carry it out, no matter how much we try to oppose it, as the Portuguese proverb puts it: God writes straight in crooked lines. And for that purpose, God works through what seems to be completely human and natural. Cyrus was the founder of the Persian Empire, who became well known for his conquests and his tolerance towards the conquered nations. After conquering Babylon, he allowed the Jews to return to their homeland and to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. Taking into account his lenient policy towards the Jewish people, the prophet Isaiah considers him as the Anointed of the Lord:

It is for the sake of my servant Jacob,

of Israel my chosen one,

that I have called you by your name,

conferring a title though you do not know me.

(Isaiah 45:1, 4-6).

The text of the first reading, taken from Isaiah, invites us to read behind the events and the personalities involved in them to discover a divine purpose and find God’s presence and action. What seems purely secular and without any religious motivation may be pregnant with God’s purpose.

However, there is always the danger of acting as if everything is done in God’s name or as if God is always absent from human history. God is present and active everywhere, even when we try to exclude him. In this secular society of ours, we put God aside and walk along as if he doesn’t exist. And, when we less expect it, there is an explosion of the divine, forcing us to relate to the God of surprises.

In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus gives a piece of advice: "Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar – and to God what belongs to God.” Caesar – that is, political power – cannot take God’s place, since the exercise of political power is always guided by earthly values. Those in power are ruthless towards anything and anybody that may be a threat to their power. Whenever political power takes God’s place, it is a false god that enslaves those exercising it and those upon whom it is exercised. Despite that danger, political power is needed to establish laws, organise society and protect the harmony and peace of a nation. That’s why Christians are taught to respect those in authority, to obey their laws and to pay the taxes that keep the machinery of the state running. 

We should never forget that God is supreme; being the Most High, there is nothing that supersedes him. From him, we received life, and a life's worth of living belongs to him. We can never worship anything but God.

Hallelujah!

Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.

(Rev 19:1)

 I SHALL DWELL IN THE LORD’S HOUSE

XXVIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Matthew 22:1-14

Isaiah speaks about a banquet taking place on the Lord’s mountain, where the best foods and the finest wines are served to the guests. And the Prophet gives us the reason for such a banquet: Death has been destroyed, so there will be no more mourning and no more tears because the Lord “will take away his people’s shame everywhere on earth”. Indeed, “we exult and we rejoice that he has saved us; for the hand of the Lord rests on this mountain.” And Isaiah makes it clear that God will invite all peoples for this banquet (Isaiah 25:6-10). God’s purpose is to offer salvation to all. 

In the gospel, we find again the theme of banquet associated with the wedding feast of the royal prince. The parable brings to mind the passage from Isaiah, adding the theme of the royal wedding and making a reading of the history of the people of God, as one of ignorance and disdain, as they refuse the invitation with contempt and hostility. It seems that any pretext was good enough to ignore the invitation. And many of those who received the invitation showed their rebellious and violent character by maltreating and killing the servants of the king. That kind of behaviour attracted harsh punishment. “The king was furious. He despatched his troops, destroyed those murderers and burnt their town.”

However, the refusal of the first invitees opened the doors to an immense crowd of common people, brought in from the streets to fill the kingdom hall, sit at their Lord’s table and celebrate the royal wedding. With the hall filled with a huge crowd, the king came in to have a look at the guests, and he was surprised to see one not properly dressed in a wedding garment. The king scolded him and expelled him from the hall. Despite the invitation coming by surprise, leaving him little time to prepare, he should have shown respect. Whoever is invited to the table of the Lord must put on the clothes of righteousness, being dressed with Jesus Christ.

We should examine ourselves and ask, “How do we show respect when we approach the table of the Lord and present our hands to receive the bread of life?” We are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.

“Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” (Rev 19:9)

LET YOUR FACE SHINE ON US

XXVII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Matthew 21:33-43

In the first reading (Isaiah 5:1-7), the prophet Isaiah compares the people of Israel to a vineyard planted by the Lord with “choice vines”. He took good care of the vineyard and did whatever was needed to have the best grapes. However, it only produced “sour grapes”. And the prophet explains what caused the Lord to be disappointed: “He expected justice, but found bloodshed, integrity, but only a cry of distress.” As a consequence, the Lord abandoned the vineyard and left it to its own fate.

The theme of the vineyard is taken up in the gospel (Matthew 21:33-43), through the parable of the evil tenants. In this parable, Jesus looks at the history of the people of Israel and reads it as a history of betrayal and revolt. The tenants ignored the owner of the vineyard and ill-treated his messengers, beating them up and even killing some of them. In the end, he sent his only son, hoping that they would respect him. However, when they saw the son, they decided to kill him and become the sole owners of the vineyard.

Jesus identified himself with the son sent by the Father and killed by the tenants (the leaders of the people of Israel). Then, Jesus asked his listeners, "Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” And they gave the answer that condemned them: “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will deliver the produce to him when the season arrives.”

Today, the parable must be applied to us. We are the tenants to whom Jesus entrusted his Church, the vineyard. Time and again, we show the same type of behaviour as the leaders of the people of Israel. We ignore and despise the word of God and those who proclaim it. Like those who came before us, we want to be the owners of our own destiny, defying God and revolting against him. One day, the evil results of such behaviour will come to us.

The Psalm (Psalm 80), which comes after the first reading, is a plea to God, reminding him that he was the one who chose us, and we go on waiting for his mercy and compassion.

God of hosts, turn again, we implore,

  look down from heaven and see.

Visit this vine and protect it,

  the vine your right hand has planted.

The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.

And we shall never forsake you again;

  give us life that we may call upon your name.

God of hosts, bring us back;

  let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.

LORD, MAKE ME KNOW YOUR WAYS

XXVI SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Matthew 21:28-32

There is a question that I have heard being asked many times: “Are you saved?” The question implies that, if I have accepted Jesus as my personal Saviour, I am saved. By faith alone, I am justified. Then, once saved, I am really saved. And I will not lose my salvation. It is very reassuring, indeed. However, we Catholics feel very uneasy when asked that question. We know and believe that, as disciples of Jesus, we entered the path that leads to salvation, but we haven't arrived yet, and along the way we may get lost. If we follow Jesus’ way, we trust that the Lord will guide and protect us up to the end. However, we cannot be overconfident, since we may fall back and go astray. Paul was sure of that when he wrote, “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” (1 Co 10:12). We should not forget that we will be judged according to our actions and behaviour.

This Sunday’s parable makes it clear that God does not take into consideration our first answer. He gives us time to prove our resolution and show our commitment. The first reaction may be negative, but along the way, we may repent and change course. The first son rejected his father’s order, plainly saying that he would not do the job entrusted to him. Then, after some reflection, he decided to go, obeying his father’s wish. And he was praised for that. The second son gave a positive answer to his father’s request but then didn’t go and disobeyed his father’s orders.

The first reading, taken from Ezekiel 18:25-28, may be read as an explanation of the parable. Before God, our past does not count. Yesterday has passed, and we should not be prisoners of it. Those who went astray may find the way at any moment and turn back to God, thus finding life and salvation. And the opposite is true as well. We may have followed the right path for many years and then get tired and discouraged, ending up looking for other ways that destroy our links to God. We are standing, but if we lose attention, we may fall and turn our backs to the Lord. God judges us according to the situation he finds us in.

In the second reading, taken from the letter to the Philippians, Paul advises us to look to Jesus, learn from him and follow in his footsteps. We must remain faithful to the end.

Lord, make me know your ways.

  Lord, teach me your paths.

Make me walk in your truth, and teach me:

  for you are God my saviour.

Psalm 25

THE LORD IS KIND AND FULL OF COMPASSION

XXV SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Matthew 20:1-16

In our modern society and with today's mentality, profit is the only measure of value in any business. The greater the profit, the more valuable something is, and we rank people and enterprises by profit. Jesus does not follow such a logic, and this Sunday’s gospel makes it clear. To enter the Kingdom of God, one must answer God’s call and be ready to work and carry out the task entrusted to us. However, the Kingdom of God goes beyond our efforts and our commitment. We are never worthy of the Kingdom of God, no matter what we do. We will enter if we accept with thanksgiving God’s gift, who is superabundant in his grace.

In the parable, the labourers were offered work at different times, and the first ones worked harder and longer than the last ones, but all of them answered promptly when they were invited and sent to the vineyard. The first ones, who worked the whole day, agreed to do the job for one denarius, the ordinary wage for one day of manual labour. In the army, the common soldier also received one denarius a day. However, the soldier was sure of his wages, while the manual labourer depended on finding work. One denarius a day was enough to keep one’s family and to live acceptably. So the first ones who went to the vineyard received the necessary for the upkeep of their household. And the owner of the vineyard decided to give all the others, even the last ones, enough to have a worthy life with their families. He gave what should be given and respected the workers’ rights, but he was generous enough to give to all of them the essentials for their living.

It is by grace that we are accepted in God’s kingdom; it is not something that we conquer and obtain on our own. To all of us, God grants the same dignity and the same opportunity to answer his call. There is no competition, and there is no place for a sense of pride. We don’t fight for the first place, as if we can win, leaving the others behind. We must humble ourselves and offer our hand to all those who seem to be behind so that, in the end, we reach the goal together, receiving the same reward that will surpass our expectations.

The Lord is kind and full of compassion,

  slow to anger, abounding in love.

How good is the Lord to all,

  compassionate to all his creatures.

Psalm 145

THE LORD IS COMPASSION AND LOVE

XXIV SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Ecclesiasticus 27:33-28:9

In this Sunday’s gospel, we listen to the parable about the unforgiving servant (Mt 18:21-35) and the fate that awaited him: he was handed over to the torturers till he should pay all his debt. Indeed, he was in an impossible predicament. His debt was huge; thus, he would never be able to pay it. If he did not manage it while he was free and able to work, how could he do it now in prison? However, he could not blame anybody for his difficult situation. He had brought it upon himself.

The parable is very clear and to the point. Even his co-workers were shocked by his harshness and lack of compassion. How could he be so unforgiving against his fellow servant, while he had been forgiven a huge amount of money that he would never be able to pay? “His fellow servants were deeply distressed when they saw what had happened, and they went to their master and reported the whole affair to him.” And he was taken back to his master, who could not understand such lack of compassion and mercy, and he defined his moral calibre in a simple sentence: “You wicked servant”. He was a selfish man, only thinking of himself, incapable of empathy for others. Arrogant and exacting for others, as if surrounded by an aura of power and prestige, while, before the more powerful, like his master, he was ready to fall on his knees and prostrate himself.

Jesus ends the parable with a warning: “And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.” How can we dare to ask God for forgiveness while we have a merciless attitude towards others? Such an attitude reveals our own character and says more about ourselves than the others. The first reading, taken from the book of Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), presents a reflection on this subject: 

“Resentment and anger, these are foul things, 

and both are found with the sinner.” 

“If a man nurses anger against another, 

can he then demand compassion from the Lord? Showing no pity for a man like himself, 

can he then plead for his own sins?” 

“He who exacts vengeance will experience the vengeance of the Lord,

  who keeps strict account of sin.

Forgive your neighbour the hurt he does you,

  and when you pray, your sins will be forgiven.”

When we allow our hearts to be dominated by evil, they cannot find peace and be at rest. Evil will end up destroying our lives, as it destroys the lives of others. May the Lord grant us a heart full of kindness, mercy and compassion so that we allow ourselves to be touched by the sufferings of others.

 LISTEN TO HIS VOICE

XXIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Matthew 18:15-20

This Sunday’s first reading is taken from the prophet Ezekiel and invites us to reflect on the role of the prophet. He is a human being – "son of man” – called by God and entrusted with a mission: “Son of man, I have appointed you as sentry to the House of Israel.” (Ez 33:7-9) A sentry must be on the alert and keep guard to warn, protect and defend. The prophet is called to be at the service of God’s word. He should never betray his ministry and must remain faithful to the Lord who sent him. A true prophet does not preach his own word but God’s word. He has no right to ignore, change or adapt God’s word. He is answerable to God, not to the people who hear his preaching. In our times, like in the times of Israel, there are false prophets and fake preachers who do everything to please the crowds and be surrounded by multitudes. Some become rich and powerful preaching the Gospel, thus becoming unfaithful to their mission. As a sentry, the prophet must warn people to abandon their evil ways and turn back to the Lord. The true prophet must call on people to repent and convert. The great prophet John the Baptist did that, and so did Jesus. The unfaithful prophets will be held accountable for their evil behaviour.

In the second reading, taken from the letter to the Romans, Paul insists on love as being the full obedience to the commandments. The one who is moved by love cannot hurt his neighbour. Love is the fulfilment of the law, doing everything for the well-being of others. If we experienced God’s love, we would learn the way of mercy and compassion, allowing our hearts to be touched by the suffering of others. According to Paul, mutual love is the debt we have to others, and this is a debt that must be paid.

This mutual love must lead us to do a brotherly correction, which must be done in a sensible way and with respect. We must worry about the salvation of our brothers and sisters and do everything in our power to help them to walk along the way to salvation. We may do it with our prayer and our word and hope that they will do the same to us so that we may share together in God’s glory as we shared the difficult journey of life in this world.

Let us keep in mind the words of the psalmist:

O that today you would listen to his voice!

  ‘Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,

  as on that day at Massah in the desert

when your fathers put me to the test;

  when they tried me, though they saw my work.’

Psalm 95