HAVE THE SAME MIND OF JESUS CHRIST

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

 Since the Reformation, in the western world, the Church has been divided into two lines of thought: a) the Protestant, following Luther’s teaching that we are saved by faith alone; b) the Catholic, in which faith must be tested and proved real by a behaviour according to Jesus’ way.

“To be saved by faith” means that salvation is always a free gift from God, who is full of love and mercy (Ep 2:5,8). We are saved by grace, meaning that we are never able to get it by our effort. However, this does not mean that it is enough to say: “I believe”. Faith leads us to Jesus Christ, so that we follow him, walking on his footsteps. Faith demands obedience and faithfulness and we will be judged by that. By faith, we become one with Jesus Christ, and then we must look like Jesus Christ, learning from him and behaving like him. Saint James tells us that faith without deeds is dead: “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:17). That’s what this Sunday’s gospel tells us. In a little parable, Jesus appeals to something that happens in all households and to which everybody can relate. The father tells his elder son to go and work in the vineyard. His first reaction was a refusal, but then thought it out and decided to go and work. The younger son was quick to accept the father’s command, but he never showed up in the vineyard. His willingness to obey was just expressed in words, empty words. He did not mean what he said. He said “I believe, I am ready to obey” and then e did his own things and walked on his own way. His acquiescence to the father’s request was not translated into action and deeds. The first son reflected upon his attitude and, realising that he was wrong, he changed his attitude and did what the father had told him to do.

In the first reading, the prophet Ezekiel presents the same line of thought. He may start our life by ignoring God’s will and then repent, behaving like a child of God. Those are accepted by God and rewarded in his kingdom. The opposite may happen as well. Since our childhood, we may show a willingness to listen and to obey and then we change our attitudes and deviate from the straight path, refusing to listen and to obey. God will look to their present evil deeds and the gates of heaven will be closed to us.

In the second reading, taken from the letter to the Philippians, Paul tells us what faith implies: to become like Jesus. “In your minds, you must be the same as Christ Jesus” (Phil 2:5).

BE READY TO ANSWER GOD’S CALL

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

In his public ministry, when addressing the common people, Jesus made use of parables, that’s is simple stories which call attention to specific points in his teaching. Jesus drew the inspiration for his parables from the daily life of the people, thus making them easy to understand. Most of the times, the conclusion is straightforward; however, other times, the parable may leave us perplexed, because we expected a different outcome. That is the case with the parable in this Sunday’s gospel.

Jesus begins the parable by telling us that it speaks about the Kingdom of God. This is very important to understand the end of the parable. In the story, we are presented with a landowner who had a vineyard. The landowner stands for God and the vineyard represents the people of God. The prophets had already used this imagery while speaking about the care that God had for his people (Is 5:1ff). The vineyard represents the Kingdom of God. It belongs to God, not to us. However, a vineyard must be taken care of, and this care demands the work of many people. And in a vineyard, there are seasons when a lot of workers are needed. It was in such a time that the landowner went to the market looking for workers. The parable presents God looking for people ready to cooperate with him. And the workers are never enough, that’s why he went time and again looking for all people who were available and willing to work in his vineyard. God does not get tired of inviting people to his Kingdom. The parable stresses that many people are loafing around, tired of waiting for someone to invite them. It is as if many people, without fault of their own, live a useless and hopeless life.

People were invited and they answered the invitation, going to the vineyard of the Lord. Certainly, all of them expected to receive their pay at the end of the day. And they were not prepared for the big surprise which was coming. Starting with the last coming, who worked one hour only and ending with the first arrivals, who had a full day work, all of them were paid the same. It sounds unfair, and those who worked the whole day complained about that. The landowner reminded them that he was not being unfair to them since he was paying them a fairly good salary according to the agreement made. To all the others, he was being generous, and he had the right to be so. We must remember that the reward we are talking about is not money or wealth, but the entrance into the kingdom of God. And God is ready to welcome all those who accepted the invitation and were ready to work. The first ones will have no more rights and privileges than the last ones. There is no place for jealousy and envy since all of us will receive more than we deserve.

Indeed, “my thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways not your ways – it is the Lord who speaks.” (Is 55:8).

FROM GOD’S MERCY WE LEARN TO BE MERCIFUL

XXIV SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Matthew 18:21-35

Human history is full of violence. The Holy Scriptures present it immediately at the beginning with Cain killing his brother Abel. Why did brother turn against brother? Cain was full of jealousy and envy. According to his judgement, he was being discriminated, while his brother was being given a lot of privileges. Being the victim gave him the right of punishing the one who victimised him. His victimhood was the construction of his mind and was the fruit of the way he looks upon himself. The evil which was in his heart destroyed his brother and, in the end, it would destroy him as well. Instead of giving thanks for what he had, he was a man full of resentment and resentment is a bad counsellor. 

Over time, the way of Cain became ever wider, with an increase of violence, exploitation and oppression. It is the way of the strong and powerful who dominates the weak and humble. From Cain’s way, peace never comes. However, by God’s grace, there were always people who tried to follow Abel’s way, the way that leads to freedom, justice and peace. Much before Jesus Christ, instructed by God’s wisdom, many people understood that “resentment and anger are foul things”. (Sir 27:30). We must control our anger and stay away from vengeance. The vengeance belongs to the Lord.

As if anticipating Jesus’ words, the book of Sirach tells us:

“Forgive your neighbour the wrong he has done,

and then your sins will be pardoned when you pray.

Does anyone harbour anger against another,

and expect healing from the Lord?

If one has no mercy toward another like himself,

can he then seek pardon for his own sins?” (Sir 28:2-4)

In the gospel, with the parable of the unforgiving servant, Jesus makes it clear that we cannot expect God’s forgiveness if we refuse to forgive the ones who cause injury to us. God is merciful and he demands that we learn mercifulness from him. The world looks at this wisdom as foolishness; however, only reconciliation makes peace possible. Hatred, exploitation and oppression were never the way to peace. 

Nowadays, many people, with the heart full of resentment, consider themselves to be victims, while the others are seen as full of privileges, being, therefore, exploiters and oppressors. Their resentment is easily transformed in hatred and the hatred destroys the harmony in society and ends up consuming the ones possessed by it. Before God, all of us have the privilege of his love, which we should receive with thanksgiving, thus enabling us to pay back with love.

DENOUNCE THE EVIL; DO NOT BE PART OF IT

XXIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Romans 13:8-10

When asked by the Pharisees about the first and most important commandment, Jesus answered, quoting from Deuteronomy 6:5:

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Mt 22:37-40)

Jesus presented these two commandments, which are interdependent, as the summary of all the commandments. Thus all Christian norms of behaviour derive from these two commandments. Following on the footsteps of Jesus, Paul presents the same doctrine. As for the love of God, in his letter to the Romans, chapter 12:1-2, Paul advises us to offer ourselves as a sacrifice to God: 

“present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

This “spiritual worship” will help us to know the will of God and do “what is good and acceptable and perfect”. Pursuing his line of thought, in this Sunday’s second reading (Ro 13:8-10), Paul tells us that, although avoiding all kinds of debts, we are indebted to everybody and we should pay “the debt of mutual love” without delay. We may ask what does this mutual love imply. Jesus said: “love your neighbour as yourself”. And Paul adds to that: “Love is the one thing that cannot hurt your neighbour; that is why it is the answer to every one of the commandments”.

According to the Gospel, this “mutual love” implies responsibility for the welfare and the salvation of the others. We cannot put ourselves in their place or do for them what they should do, but we must give good guidance and do the brotherly correction. Any of us can go astray and any of us can do wrong to the others. Jesus proposes a way of fraternal correction. In the first step, the one who feels offended approaches the other, making known his complaint. The offender may not pay attention or reject the fraternal correction. Then, there is a second step, asking the help and intervention of a few respectable people. Maybe, the offender will listen and the problem will be solved. If the situation persists, then, in a third step, inform the community. If nothing changes, there is nothing else to do, but to ignore him.

Today’s gospel and the first reading (from Ezekiel) make it clear that we cannot ignore the evil around us. We must denounce it and refuse to be part of it.