JESUS CHRIST IS OUR ROLE MODEL

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

In the second reading, taken from the letter to the Philippians, Paul proposes Christ as the role model: “In your minds you must be the same as Christ Jesus.” (Phil 2:5). We must follow in his footsteps. We should not forget that he is the way, the only way that takes us to the Father (Jn 14:6). That’s why Jesus gave Simon Peter a stern warning and command: “Get behind me!” (Mt 16:23). The disciple must learn from the Master and follow him behind. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul advises them and all of us to be like Jesus, presenting a fundamental attitude for us to follow. 

As the Son of God, Jesus was divine, but he did not cling to his divinity or boast about it. On the contrary, he “emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave, and became as men are”. Jesus did not care about the glories of this world but humbled himself “even to accepting death, death on a cross.”. That’s the way he proposes to us: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Mt 16:24). In this world of ours, people do the strangest things to become famous and receive thunderous applause, even if it is for a short moment. They become deluded with the dream of a false greatness that does not bring goodness and well-being to the world. With Jesus, the path to true glory - which is a share in God’s glory - goes through the difficult and harsh moments of life, strengthened and upheld by God’s grace and love. Passing through the death on the cross, Jesus reached the glory of the resurrection. As for imitating Jesus, he proposes another essential attitude: the attitude of obedience, carrying out the Father’s will. To enter the Kingdom of God, we must do “the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Mt 7:21). The parable of the two sons, whom the father sent to the vineyard, makes it clear: the only thing that matters is to do the will of the Father. It may happen, as it did with the elder son, that the first reaction is one of refusal but then he had a change of heart and obeyed his father’s command.

Let us ask the Lord to grant us that change of heart for us to do his will, thus behaving like beloved children.

SAVED BY GRACE

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

God is always full of surprises. Prophet Isaiah is made aware of that when God tells him: “my thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways not your ways” (Is 55:8). This Sunday’s gospel is a clear illustration of that. The parable of the workers who are sent to the vineyard is puzzling. As we read, we become aware that the field was huge, thus needing plenty of labourers to do all the work. The owner of the vineyard tried to provide work to all those that he could find. We may be surprised by the different times at which people were found and invited to go to the vineyard. It is as if many people were not interested in work. Could they expect to find work at the end of the day? It all makes sense if we realise that the vineyard represents the Kingdom of God (or the Kingdom of heaven, as Matthew has it). In this kingdom, there is a place for all those who show interest and are ready to work in it. The landowner - God himself - does not rest until he invites everybody that he can find. He does not force anybody, but he invites all of us at the proper time of our lives and circumstances.

At the end of the day, the workers are in for a big surprise. The landowner ordered the wages to be paid. The last ones were the first ones to be called and they received the full amount for a day’s work. When their turn arrived, the ones who worked the whole day were furious, because they received the same amount as all the others. They deserved more, so they thought. It was very unfair that they should be treated like the last ones. I think that all of us would react in the same manner. However, if we look at it from God’s angle, it makes sense. We are called at different times. Some at the beginning of their lives, others at the last moment. To the criminal crucified with Jesus, after recognising his sin and entrusting himself to the Lord, Jesus assured him of salvation: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Lk 23:43). To be welcomed into Paradise, that is the reward given by Jesus to all who accepted to serve him. That reward comes from God’s generosity. It is not received on merit but on grace. It does not matter how much we excel in our work or fulfilment of the Law. We are saved by God’s mercy.

FORGIVE OUR SINS AS WE FORGIVE

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

There is a Bemba proverb that says: Umulandu taubola (a case never gets rotten). meaning that it never goes cold. The perpetrator of a crime may escape and hide, waiting for the case to be forgotten, but he is caught when he less expects. If someone has grievously offended another person, that insult will not be forgotten and will go on poisoning any relationship between them. In Bemba culture, the offender has to recognise his evil deeds, apologise and ask for forgiveness for his case to be solved. When the case is discussed and a solution is found, leading to reconciliation, the offender is accepted back in the family or the community and people will stop referring to that case. 

In the prevalent culture of our times, justice has become revenge, never giving time and space for repentance and conversion. In the society we live in, there is no place for pardon. Whoever does not conform to the accepted values must be mercilessly destroyed. The social media investigates, accuses, judges and condemns. The traditional norm that someone is innocent until proven guilty does not apply. And as Christians, we may easily behave in the same way, accepting the ideological new trend of cancel culture. Anything that has any flavour of past values is thrown overboard, being despised and condemned. Compassion and forgiveness are considered signs of weakness and have no place in a society that has no place for any kind of phobia. Any effort to facilitate the redemption of the sinner is considered connivance and it must be punished. However, Jesus came to bring redemption, reconciling us with God. All of us need redemption since all of us are sinners. Reconciliation with God and with others is only possible through forgiveness. Those who think of themselves as righteous, in their pride judge and condemn the others. By doing so, they pass judgment on themselves.

Whenever we pray “Our Father”, we ask the Lord to forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. This Sunday’s gospel illustrates the theme of forgiveness and reconciliation. Jesus tells the parable of the unforgiving servant. In the parable, we are called to reflect upon the contrast between God’s forgiveness and human forgiveness. The forgiveness granted by God is total and free, even though we do not show proper repentance. The servant who owed a huge amount to his lord did not ask to be forgiven. He asked for more time, trying to postpone the payment and delay the punishment. Despite that, he was forgiven the whole debt, out of compassion. Being forgiven, he was not able to forgive, even a small amount. To his fellow servant, he acted with a violent rage. Instead of compassion, he showed wickedness and for that, he was punished.

Lord, fill us with your Spirit so that we may forgive wholeheartedly with joy and with thanksgiving. 

LOVE CANNOT HURT YOUR NEIGHBOUR

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

Whenever a person, a community or a nation incurs in debt into debt, they put their well-being and even their future at risk. Thus, it is not surprising that Paul advises the Romans saying: “Avoid getting into debt” (Ro 13:8). Nowadays, there are many nations that borrow without caring about the future, making the life of their citizens very hard. We must learn to live with what we have or can produce.

However, there is a debt that cannot be avoided and that we should try to pay in full - the debt of “mutual love”. The commandment is very clear: “You must love your neighbour as yourself”. By keeping this commandment, we keep all the commandments. Indeed, “If you love your fellow men you have carried out your obligations” and “love is the fulfilling of the law.” (Ro 13:8,10) The mutual love that Paul speaks about is not a feeling or an emotion. Mutual love implies a commitment to the well-being of the other, because “Love does no wrong to a neighbour”. Love leads us to care for the salvation of our neighbours, the ones who cross paths with us. This care for the salvation of others must motivate us to announce the Good News, give witness to Jesus Christ and call to repentance and conversion. If we truly care for others, we must challenge and confront them whenever we notice that they are going astray. 

The prophet Ezekiel was called and entrusted with the mission of warning people, proclaiming faithfully the word of God. There is always the danger of becoming accommodating. Nowadays, with the individualism prevalent in our society, we may be told to mind your own business. And we keep silent as if we saw nothing wrong. Afraid of hurting the feelings of others, we put up with a lot of nonsense. The words addressed to Ezekiel apply to us as well: if “you do not speak to warn the wicked man to renounce his ways, then he shall die for his sin, but I will hold you responsible for his death.” (Ez 33:7-9).

In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus tells us of our duty to call out our brother who has strayed from the straight path. If he does not listen, then we should try again. If he persists, then we should inform the leaders of the community, who are given authority to deal with grave cases.

Finally, Jesus assures us of his presence, whenever we gather in his name. The Christian faith is to be lived in communion with the other disciples. It is not a private thing. By accepting Jesus as the Christ, we enter the community of his disciples. My salvation depends on the salvation of the others and vice-versa.

GET BEHIND ME

XXII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Matthew 16:13-20

All the New Testament, especially the gospels, was written as an answer to Jesus’ question: “Who do you say that I am?” Accepting Peter’s answer, Jesus considered his profession of faith as the rock upon which the Church is built. Indeed, Peter’s answer became the standard profession of faith of the Church: Jesus is the Christ (Messiah), the Son of the living God. Changing Simon’s name to Peter, Jesus promised to entrust him with the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven.

However, we may ask ourselves about Peter's and the other apostles’ expectations about the Messiah. Like all the Jews, they were waiting for a Messiah full of power and riches who would overcome the enemies of the people of Israel and conquer the whole world to establish God’s kingdom. The Messiah has to be a great king, the greatest of all. And the Apostles would share in that power and glory. Up to the end, when Jesus was ascending to heaven, they kept this false hope (Act 1:6). Thus, it is not surprising that they were shocked when Jesus told them that he would be arrested and killed in Jerusalem. Worried and confused, Peter could not remain silent. In the name of all the others, he said: “Lord, this must not happen to you.” This shows that Peter cared about Jesus’ life. He was concerned out of love, even if he was motivated by self-interest as well. But Jesus would not have it and rebuked Peter with harsh words, calling him Satan and ordering him to get behind and follow his command. From being the rock of the Church, Peter becomes Satan to Jesus because “You are an obstacle in my path”. And Jesus explained: You are thinking in man’s way but God has a different way. The wisdom of this world puts forward power, wealth and fame as the great values to which we must dedicate our lives. However, that is a path that leads to oppression and exploitation because selfishness is at the centre of it all. This selfishness uses the others as tools, causing divisions and bringing hatred and enmity. It is not the way to freedom and peace. In the desert, when tempted by the devil, Jesus had refused bluntly all these considering them as false values. However, the devil would not desist and he spoke through Peter’s mouth with words that sounded caring and loving. Jesus’ way - the only way - is a way of service, commitment and faithfulness, even if he risks losing his life. If we want to find salvation, we must get behind Jesus and follow him, taking on our cross as we follow him.