THE GENTILES CLAIM THEIR PLACE IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD

XX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Isaiah 56:1,6-7

There is always the danger of reading the present back into the past, judging the past by the present. Many issues which define our time were irrelevant or even inexistent in the past. To understand the attitudes of past generations, we must situate ourselves in their own time and judge them according to the prevalent values of that time. There is a tendency to think of ourselves as the perfect and the holy who know everything and can judge everybody accordingly. Doing that, we incur in the same mistakes that we condemn.

The people of Israel were a small nation trying to survive, squeezed between the big empires, such as Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, Persia and then the Greeks and the Romans. They were conquered and sent into exile. They could have suffered the fate of so many others, whose names disappeared from the face of the earth, but they survived, affirming their identity, which makes them different from the others. The big contributing factor for that survival was their faith in Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They considered themselves as the chosen of the Lord, the object of his predilection, who set them aside to be his people. With their customs and traditions, they set boundaries to isolate and protect them. Despite this, many of the prophets were able to look beyond their boundaries and to see God’s love for all nations. Isaiah makes it clear that the “foreigners who have attached themselves to the Lord to serve him and to love his name and be his servants” will be welcomed in God’s holy mountain. And God’ “house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.” According to Isaiah, God’s plan of salvation is universal and it is offered to all peoples and nations on one very simple condition: to serve the Lord and to love his name.

During this liturgical year, we read the gospel of Matthew, in which we find the presence of several foreigners as a sign of the universality of Jesus’ Gospel. Jesus presented his mission as being directed, first of all, to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Mt 10:6; 15:24) and he advised his disciples to avoid going to the “Gentiles” and they should “enter no town of the Samaritans” (Mt 10:5). It took time for de disciples to preach the Gospel to the gentiles. They had to be forced into it. And even Paul would go always in first place to the synagogues and preach the gospel to the Jews. Faced with rejection, then he turned to the gentiles. We see this kind of attitude in Jesus’ encounter with the Canaanite woman. Matthew stresses the fact that she was a Canaanite, thus belonging to the first enemies of the people of Israel. After reading the passage (Mt 15:21-28), we remain with the impression that Jesus tried to ignore her and was even harsh with her. Some people try to read this passage, guided by the dominating ideology, along racist lines, accusing Jesus of being racist and misogynous. Together with the whole gospel of Matthew, this passage was used in the catechesis and it had nothing to do with race or misogyny. The woman accepted that she did not belong to the people of Israel and had no right to sit at the table. Being an outsider, she was like a little dog. Despite that, she claimed to expect a share in the food from the table. She would not go away without her share. Addressing Jesus as the son of David, she recognised him as the Messiah and, fulfilling the promise made in Isaiah, she comes to have her share in the Kingdom of God. Jesus granted what she asked for and praised her for her great faith (Mt 15:28). A few days before, Jesus reprimanded Peter for his lack of faith (Mt 14:31).

May the Lord strengthen our faith.

IN SILENCE AND PEACE, WE MAY EXPERIENCE GOD’S LOVING PRESENCE

XIX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Matthew 14:22-33

Throughout the ages, in many cultures, people experienced the sacred and the divine in the terrifying phenomena of nature, like earthquakes, volcanos, thunderstorms and tornados or hurricanes. God’s revelation in mount Sinai is presented in that way and people were so frightened that they remained at a distance, afraid of dying (Ex 19:21). 

In the first reading of this Sunday’s liturgy (1 Kings 19:9,11-13), we are told that the Prophet Elijah went to Horeb, “the mountain of God”, expecting to have an experience of God in those traditional lines. Then, he realised that God was not in the mighty wind, in the earthquake or the consuming fire. He experienced the presence of God in “the sound of a gentle breeze”, which soothes the heart, bringing peace and relief.

In the gospel, Matthew presents the apostles going through a similar experience, although taking place in a completely different setting. Jesus ordered his disciples to cross the lake, late in the evening, while he remained behind to pray. As they crossed the lake, they had a terrifying experience: first, as the boat “was battling with a heavy sea, for there was a head-wind”, they feared for their lives; then, as Jesus approached walking on the lake, they thought that a ghost was pursuing them. It is easy to see that what they went through did not facilitate any experience of God’s presence. On the contrary, they felt helpless and in danger of falling under the powers of darkness. The disciples in the boat are the Church, battling with the heavy sea of a world that rejects them and is intent on their destruction. Under such distress, feeling abandoned, they completely forgot Jesus. However, Jesus had not abandoned them and he spoke reassuring words to them saying: “Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.” Jesus’ presence brings peace, not fear. Emboldened by Jesus’ words, Peter dared to try to walk on the waters like Jesus, “but as soon as he felt the force of the wind, he took fright and began to sink.” Again “the force of the wind” was not felt like a reassuring sign of God’s presence but as a sign of danger from which we need to be rescued. Peter cried out for help, and Jesus promptly answered his call. “Jesus put out his hand at once and held him.”. Then, as Jesus entered the boat, the wind dropped. In that peace, which was granted to them, they recognised Jesus as divine, and worshipped him: “The men in the boat bowed down before him and said, ‘Truly, you are the Son of God.”

COME TO THE SPRINGS OF LIVING WATER

XVIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Isaiah 55:1-3

In the book of Isaiah, we can find many beautiful passages which raise our spirit, as our hearts are touched by the hand of God, who fills us with love and hope. There are passages that can be read time and again as if we discover them for the first time.

In this Sunday’s passage, with a simple question, we are reminded of the poor and sorrowful situation which we find ourselves in:

“Why spend money on what is not bread,

your wages on what fails to satisfy?”

Indeed, most of the times, when we have a few moments of silence and reflection to look at ourselves and evaluate our lives, we discover that our lives have been wasted and that we have worked in vain. We have spent our energy trying to achieve things that fail to satisfy us. Many times, it is as if we live in a state of delusion and slumber. As a consequence, we suffer from depression and enter into a situation of despair.

We may say that, through these words, the Lord reproaches us, because we looked for life, happiness and peace where there is none. In spite of that, in His love and mercy, the Lord is ready to come to our rescue and offer us free salvation:

“Oh, come to the water all you who are thirsty;

though you have no money, come!

Buy corn without money, and eat,

and, at no cost, wine and milk.”

The solution to our disillusion and despair is in the Lord. And he takes the initiative, inviting us to come to him:

Pay attention, come to me;

listen, and your soul will live.

It is in the Lord that we may find life since he is the only one who can give us the bread of life and lead us to the springs of living water.

The gospel (Mt 14:13-21), with the narrative of the feeding of five thousand, presents Jesus as the one who comes to fulfil the promise in Isaiah. Jesus came to usher in the messianic age in which God fulfils his promise, establishing an “an everlasting covenant”, a covenant of love and mercy. In Jesus Christ, the love of God proves so profound that, according to Paul, nothing can separate us from “the love of God made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Ro 8:39).

PRAYING FOR THE GIFT OF WISDOM

XVII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - 1 Kings 3:5,7-12

Solomon is celebrated as a great king, remembered for his good administration, which brought peace, prosperity and stability to his people. The Holy Scriptures present him as someone who became known for his outstanding wisdom, shown in the way he solved difficult problems and judged with fairness. This Sunday’s first reading, taken from the first book of Kings presents Solomon asking wisdom from the Lord, so that he may “discern between good and evil”. The Lord was pleased with this request and granted him much more than he had asked for. Later generations, looking back at history, remembered and glorified Solomon’s kingdom as the golden age of the people of Israel. And they realised that such times were only possible through the wisdom of God granted to the rulers and to the people in general. Jesus would say that if we ask for what is really important, God will give it to us in abundance. In the prayer of Our Father, Jesus taught us to ask earnestly: May your kingdom come. It will be a kingdom of freedom, justice and love and that kingdom will only become a reality if we are guided by the Holy Spirit, who is the source of all wisdom. Without God’s wisdom, we will become entrapped in the pursuit of wealth, power and glory for ourselves. 

If we read attentively everything written about Solomon in the Scriptures, we will discover that he was not the holy man praised and glorified in many other passages. He got the throne through the intrigue of his mother and her friends, taking the place of his elder brother Adonijah. Then, in order to establish his throne and secure his power, he took immediate action against those who might be a threat to him, giving orders to kill Adonijah, who had claims to the throne, and the general Joab, who supported him and banishing the high priest Abiathar. Later in life, enjoying peace and wealth, he forgot his commitment to the Lord and built altars and temples to the foreign gods of his wives. Solomon allowed his heart to be corrupted by power and wealth, in spite of the great gifts he had received from the Lord.

In his parables, Jesus speaks of the end of times as a time of judgement. The dragnet will be cast into the world, bringing “in a haul of all kinds.” Then, “the angels will appear and separate the wicked from the just to throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.” (Mt 13:49-50). It is not enough to start well; the most important is to end well. Our faithfulness will be tested to the end. May the Lord grant us perseverance and steadfastness in keeping the word of the Lord.

DARNEL AND WHEAT MIXED TOGETHER

XVI SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Matthew 13:24-43

In his preaching, mainly to the common people, Jesus made big use of parables, that is short and simple stories, easy to memorise and to reflect upon. This is very much a feature of all oral cultures and, even today, one marvels at the easiness with which many people make up stories full of insight. The parable always speaks to the listener according to his situation and can be understood from different angles. We may ignore it, but, if we pay attention to it, then it challenges us and forces us to have a good look at our attitudes and thoughts.

This Sunday, with the parable of the wheat and the darnel, Jesus invites us to reflect upon the reappearance of a puritanical mentality in our society.

Someone sowed good seed on his field. It germinated well and it was promising. However, something very strange happened: mixed and intertwined with the wheat, there was quite a bit of darnel. Puzzled, the workers questioned the owner of the field about the darnel: Where did it come from? The owner answered: “Some enemy has done this”, but that answer does not solve the problem. The workers thought of a solution and they put it forward: “Let us weed it out.” It was a radical solution and it seemed flawless. However, they forgot the obvious: being so intertwined, they would pull up the wheat together with the darnel. The solution was completely different: allow them to grow together and then, at the time of harvest, it will be easier to separate them.

The world is like that field of wheat, with plenty of darnel in it. And may question ourselves how to get rid of it. Throughout history, there have always been groups of people, who consider themselves good and pure, who plan to clean society of all mischief and all evil and they will do that by eliminating the corrupt and sinful. The Pharisees were like that. And many other movements have appeared which tried to create a new society, in which only the pure and the holy have the right to exist. Anyone who thinks differently is a heretic and should be burned at the stake. 

Nowadays, we are going through a wave of puritanism in which everything and everyone has to be politically correct. All those who do not profess the creed, based on the new fundamental truths - such as white supremacy, systemic racism and toxic masculinity, which make blacks, women, homosexuals and transgender people the eternal victims, must be excluded and vilified. They may lose their jobs and even barred from their neighbourhood. We are seeing an attempt to banish the past and cleanse the present of everything that is a memory of times gone by, to create a new society. For that, they are willing to use revolt, looting and vandalism. There is a clear plan of cutting the roots, showing total ignorance of the paths that have brought us here. But will they create a society where fairness, freedom, compassion and peace are at home? If we forget that we carry the darnel in our hearts, we will bring nothing else than chaos, which will end in a more oppressive society than the one they condemn. 

The parable shows clearly that God's plans and ways are vastly wiser than our plans and ways.

LET US ALLOW THE POWER OF GOD’S WORD TO TRANSFORM US

XV SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Matthew 13:1-23

According to Isaiah, the Word of God is compared to the rain and the snow, which water the soil, making it possible for the seed to germinate and to grow. It acts upon what was sent to do and always produces results.

“The word that goes from my mouth does not return to me empty, without carrying out my will and succeeding in what it was sent to do.” (Is 55:11).

This passage of Isaiah was chosen as an introduction to this Sunday Gospel, in which we find the parable of the Sower. Listening to the parable, we remain with the impression that the seed did not produce always a good harvest. In fact, in some cases, it did not produce anything at all. However, that lack of results can be attributed neither to the seed, which was very good nor to the sower who was hardworking and proficient. When it happened, it was due to the soil, which was poor or had no conditions at all to receive the seed. We may think that the seed that fell on the rock,  the path or a thorny patch was wasted. 

Faced with this lack of results, the sower could be discouraged and disappointed. Faced with the disbelief and the hostility of the Scribes and the Pharisees, Jesus might see his ministry as a failure. However, the sower takes his time with confidence and, when the harvest time comes, the results are extraordinary with the seeds producing “some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty”. Indeed, he did not work in vain.

Like Jesus, we should not get tired of sowing the Word. Not everybody will welcome it, but, in the end, the result will surpass all our expectations.

The word of God is the seed that must be sowed. It must be proclaimed in all places and at all times. Jesus is the Word. He is the proclamation. He is the Son of God speaking out to us. This word is not in the past and we are not hearing its echo coming to us from past ages. God’s word is being spoken aloud to us every day, in this present moment. If it produces or not, it all depends on the kind of soil that we are. If we allow ourselves to be touched and moved by the Word, then our lives will become full of God’s wisdom. On the other side, our hearts have become so hard that we cannot feel the touch of God’s Word, then this same word will stand as a witness of our stubbornness. The word will stand in judgement against us.

God speaks to us in many different ways, but he reveals his inner self through his Son Jesus Christ. We must listen to him. “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (Jn 8:31).

COME TO ME ALL YOU WHO LABOUR

XIV SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Matthew 11:25-30

Prophet Zachariah tells Jerusalem to rejoice and “shout with gladness”, because her king is coming and he presents himself as “victorious” and “triumphant”. However, he is a king of a different kind, since his victory was not achieved by using instruments of war in the conquest of the nations or in the overpowering of the enemies. It is on a donkey that he rides into the city, openly showing that he is not a threat to anybody. Although victorious, he is “humble” and he is determined to banish horses, chariots, bows, spears and swords. “He will proclaim peace for the nations” (Zach 9:9-10), because he is the Prince of Peace (Is 9:6).

The text of Zachariah (the firs reading) comes as an introduction to the gospel, in which Jesus presents himself as humble and in his humility he calls everybody to come to him and find peace.

Jesus gives thanks to the Father, because he reveals his mystery and the mystery of his plan of salvation to the humble, “to mere children”, while hiding them from the rich, the powerful and the learned. Those who are full of themselves and boast of their power, wealth and knowledge. Surely, Jesus had in mind the Scribes, the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the Herodians, all influential people, who had the control of the political power and who thought to know the right way to God. They despised everybody else and considered them sinners. However, throughout the Scriptures, we always find God listening to the cry of the poor and showing mercy to the humble ones.

The Father has put everything in the hands of the Son (Jesus) and Jesus comes to establish His Kingdom of Peace, since he comes to fulfil the Father’s plan, which is a plan of life and salvation, a plan of peace. It is through Jesus that we come to know God’s plan and decision. It is Jesus who reveals the inner self of the Father, who accepts us as his beloved children. 

In Jesus, we see the face of the Father and we can be touched by his love and compassion. In all truth, Jesus can say to us: 

“Come to me, 

all you who labour 

and are overburdened, 

and I will give you rest. 

Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, 

for I am gentle and humble in heart, 

and you will find rest for your souls. 

Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.”

In difficult times, when we lose direction, becoming hopeless and distraught, we must turn to Jesus and address to him our concerns. Where there is no way, he will find a way for us, and he will bring peace to our hearts. 

Let us entrust ourselves to Jesus, confiding in him. Let us entrust to Jesus our relatives, our friends, our neighbours, our community and our country, so that we may find peace.