XXV SUNDAY: Mt 20:1-16

Salvation is not a right, but a gift

Sometimes, Jesus’ words can be puzzling, going against what we call common sense, according to our thinking. In the first reading, God warns us: “my thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways not your ways” (Is 55:8). And Jesus makes that very clear both in his teaching and his actions.

In a way, the parable of the landowner calling workers to his vineyard tries to give a justification to the saying: “the last will be first, and the first, last.” It sounds strange, but it is a reality of life, even if it does not happen every day. Do you want to see clear examples of that? Just remember what has been happening in some countries, like Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. The ones who were all powerful yesterday are today in prison or in hiding. They were the first, and now they became the last. 

If we play tricks with life, life will play tricks with us. We should never behave as the owners of life or as people who are superior to others. When we forget the others and start dominating them, we are preparing our own downfall.

In the parable, all the workers were paid the same. According to old and modern mentality, that was very unfair. Nowadays, it would cause a strike or even a riot. It is accepted wisdom that different work goes with different pay. However, if we concentrate on this line of thought, we miss the whole point of the parable, which is not dealing with fairness, but with generosity. 

The truth of the matter is that all of them were jobless and all of them were lost in idleness. The landowner came to their rescue, not out of need, but of love and compassion. That’s why he kept on checking if there more people in need of work. And he invited all of them to his vineyard. He wanted them to have a purpose in life and to have their dignity restored, because idleness brings dependence and shame. 

With the first ones, he had agreed a good salary. So he was not cheating or exploiting them. In the end, he gave the same to all, not out of duty, but generosity. God calls all of us, and he gives to all the same payment, salvation.

The parable of the landowner who called different workers at different times to his vineyard and paid all of them the same amount tells us that salvation is not a right we were born with or one which we acquired with our hard work. Salvation is a gift from a loving God. We cannot be jealous, when God calls others and offers to them the same salvation he offered to us. Instead, we must be thankful for the great things God has done for us.

SEPTEMBER 11: the madness of hatred

Ten yars ago, I was enjoying my holidays, as I am doing this year. I was spending three days with Fr. Adriano, who had been my classmate in the seminary. In the morning, In th morning, I entered the sitting room, where Fr. Adriano’s mother was watching television, and something strange was happening, broadcasted live from America. After a while, Fr. Adriano joined me and we spent most of the day in front of the screen. Ten years have passed, and the events of September 11 still reverberate throughout the world.

How can such an act be justified? How could it be done in the name of God? And how could they claim martyrdom? The martyrs are killed, they don’t kill. The martyrs are ready to die in faithfulness to God, who is a God of life and love. They cannot commit suicide and transform their death into an orgy of blood, chaos, destruction and death. It is blasphemy to do the most horrendous things in the name of the most sacred One. God cannot be used to justify any violence, much less the violence that comes out of hatred.

Jesus warned Peter:  the ones who “take the sword shall perish with the sword.” (Mt 26:52). Violence generates violence; and that’s what happened in the aftermath of September 11: Afghanistan was invaded and then Iraq. Since then, plenty of blood has been shed and countless families have lost their beloved ones, with many others suffering distress and living in fear.

The Sunday readings of today are very appropriate for the occasion: they stress the need for forgiveness and reconciliation. In the first reading, Sirach warns us that resentment, anger, hatred and vengeance are foul things, because they are enemies of peace and the enemies of life. Blessed are the peacemakers; they are children of God.

Let us work for peace.
The video link posted below shows the horrors of September 11.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Mz0_x7313I&feature=fvst

XXIV SUNDAY: Mt 18:21-35

Forgiveness

Peter put to Jesus a very pertinent question: How many times should I forgive? The answer was very simple: Always!

God is always ready to forgive, and we are called to be perfect as the Father. However, it is a very difficult thing to do. How can I forgive? Humanly speaking, we prefer vengeance to forgiveness. We do not believe that people may change and we are not ready to give them a second opportunity. In our thirst for revenge, we pay evil with evil. 

About that, Paul wrote to the Romans: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Ro 12:21), and “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” (Ro 12:14).

In fact, we are able to forgive only when we experience God’s forgiveness, after realising the destructive power of our sin. Forgiveness is something that we must learn at the feet of Jesus.

We should not think that forgiveness and reconciliation are only a personal thing and applies only to personal relationships. Forgiveness can have political dimensions, and it is never a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength in dignity. You can remember Nelson Mandela and the change he brought about by his attitude and his policy of forgiveness and reconciliation. To forgive does not mean to ignore or to accept evil, but it implies confidence  in others ability to change and be better. Reconciliation is  a positive choice made by someone who refuses to build society on hatred and violence.

RESENTMENT, ANGER AND VENGEANCE

Next Sunday, the first reading is from the book of Sirach, also called Ecclesiasticus. This book was not accepted in the Jewish canon of the Bible, which is the canon followed by the Protestant Churches. The original was written in Hebrew and then translated into Greek by a grandchild of the author. This translation entered the Greek translation of the Bible, which was the Bible used by the Jews of the diaspora, and then by the early Christians. In this way, it entered the Christian canon of the Bible, as it is accepted by Catholics and Orthodoxes. 

Sirach is a very interesting book full of traditional wisdom, reflections on life and teaching for good living, full of  faithfulness and uprightness. It helps us to be more human, and in that way to become truer images of God.

Resentment, anger and vengeance “are foul things”; nothing good can comes out of them. It is impossible to build a human and just society on them. Vengeance only brings violence, destruction and death. Many times, what is called justice in the world, is no more than vengeance. 

“He who exacts vengeance will experience the vengeance of the Lord”. “Forgive your neighbour the hurt he does you, and when you pray, your sins will be forgiven.” (Sirach)

Mary, the blessed one

Today the Catholic Church celebrates the birthday of Mary, the mother of the Lord. All of us pay great attention to show love and recognition to our mothers, specially on their birthday. The children and then the grandchildren come together and the whole family express their communion and unity as a family around the mother.

Mary gives us the felling that we are children and that we have a mother who loves us and cares for us. She has a very special place in the Church, and we should give her a special place in our lives as well. We can learn so much from her: the care, the love, the attention. With Jesus, she was not always there, but she was there in the most important times, when she was most needed. If she did not understand, she would be there, keep quiet, meditate and pray over it. She was a woman of faith, who put all her life at the service of the Lord.

In my childhood, 7-8 September were very important days, because in Lamego, the nearby town, a big feast in honour of Our Lade of Remedies was celebrated. People would come from all the surrounding villages and towns and even from far away to participate in the great feast.  They would climb up the hill to pray and to ask for remedy for the suffering present in their lives. Then they would come down and rejoice at the foot of the hill. The feast was also an occasion for a big trade fair, where you can find all kinds of products. 

MY PASTORAL PRIORITIES

A big celebration in Chililabombwe.

In my pastoral work in Zambia, I spent most of the years with Fr. Manuel Castro, who is now in Portugal in charge of the spiritual year, an year of special spiritual formation for those who are preparing themselves to enter the Good News Missionary Society. This year, there are only two, one from the North of Mozambique and the other from the South of Mozambique. I was given the opportunity to talk to them about my missionary experience, and I spoke about what were my pastoral priorities during my years at the service of Lubengele Parish in Chililabombwe.

1. Catechesis, well organised, with catechists well prepared, because that is the basis of everything else. Christians must know and understand what they believe in.
2. Youth. The Bemba proverb tells it all: imiti ikula, e mpanga (the growing trees are the forest). They are the future. We must have always time for them, being with them and sharing with them.
3. Marriage and family are another pillar of the Church and of society. We need strong families, deeply rooted in Jesus Christ. When we pay attention to the youth, we are preparing future good families. We must pay attention to young couples, even if they are not ready yet to have their marriage in church.
4. Liturgy. The Liturgy must be always well prepared and well celebrated, but special attention must be given to the great feast of the Christian calendar, like Holy Week, Easter, Pentecost, Christmas. People must have something to remember and to refer to. The feasts must be always special celebrations that touch the hearts and minds of everybody.
5. Leadership training is another very important priority. A parish priest must be always ready to spend time with leadership training. What he learnt in the seminary is enough for that. As he prepares material, he has to research, to read and to reflect, and that will keep him up to date in many areas of our faith and our christian teaching.
6. Women. They are the majority in the Church, and they do most of the work. They must be recognised and empowered to participate. We must remember that in society and in the church there are still many things that oppress women.
7. Poor. Poverty is a huge problem, and the Christian community alone cannot solve it. In fact, that is the first responsibility of the government, and they must put in place policies that improve the social situation of the underprivileged. However, a Christian community that does not pay attention to the poor, does not deserve to be called Christian. Even if the majority have very little, there is always something to share. With the poor, we must put as well the sick. Many parishes are doing a very good work with Home Based Care groups. But this is a work for all and not for just a few.

Others may have slightly different pastoral priorities, but if they are at the service of the Church they move around the same or similar issues. May God bless them all.

XXIII SUNDAY: Ro 13:8-10

AVOID DEBTS

Paul’s advise is very much relevant for the situation we live in. A good number of european nations are in deep trouble, because of their debts. The economy of the United States is shaky, because of the continuous borrowing. They say that they will pay their debts; but will they? Individuals and nations have been spending more than they can afford, thinking that money would generate money and bring in huge profits. People were encouraged to borrow: they borrowed for the house, the car and plenty of other things. In the end, they could not afford even to pay the interest, which changed according to the market’s whims. You borrowed at 5%, but a few months later you have to pay 8 or 10%, because the interest went up. The debts are like a rope around the necks of many people, in which they are going to be hung.

The Western capitalist society as been built on a search for profits, ever great profits. That makes multinational companies look for the cheapest labour market and the country with lowest taxes, moving their factories from one place to another and leaving behind unemployed people. The big financiers move their billions even faster, disrupting and destroying economies. Why? Because of their greed. In fact, greed has become the king of the world, destroying the lives and the economies of many.

We need a new culture in our financial world, one that puts people at the centre of the economy. And people must be guided by a new mentality as well. People need to learn to save and to live with what they can afford. Why should we spent our money in so many useless things? Why should we get the latest gadgets, even when we cannot afford them? Why to borrow money to buy a television set or even to buy a car? Better to wait! We must  learn how to choose our priorities, and use our money on what is essential. Some do not have money for food or to send the children to school, but they find money to buy and maintain a cell phone. One can live very well without cell phone. Or is it a question of prestige?

Paul’s advise is very important: “Avoid getting into debt”.  There is only one debt that we have to pay and all of us can pay it: the debt of love. If we had remembered that, we would not be now in the troubling situation we find ourselves in.