NEVER TAKE SALVATION FOR GRANTED

XXXIV SUNDAY: CHRIST THE KING - Matthew 25:31-46

As we come to the end of the liturgical year, we are called to reflect upon the end of times. The preceding parables in chapter 25 of Matthew gave a clear indication that the gates of heaven will not be wide open to whoever comes to them. Only those who fulfil certain conditions will have the gates open for them. Thus, the five foolish virgins, coming late, found the gate closed and were denied entrance, despite their plea. In the same, the one who did nothing with his talent was condemned. Being considered worthless, was cast “into the outer darkness” (Mt 25:30). Salvation cannot be taken for granted. In the end, each one of us will be answerable for his actions and will get a reward or a punishment according to the way he lived. We are servants who were entrusted with the gifts of God and we must prove that we deserve God’s trust. It is true that, no matter how much we try, we never deserve the right to be accepted in God’s Kingdom. We must open our hearts and let them be enkindled by God’s love. Our salvation is always a gift of God’s merciful love, and we must accept that gift with thanksgiving. Having been loved, we must love; forgiven, we must forgive; having experienced mercy, we must be merciful. Indeed, God’s gifts to us must bear fruits. We cannot be like that fig tree on which Jesus found no fruit.

This Sunday parable situates the whole of humanity at the end of times when all will be called to judgement. Then, we will be separated “one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.”. Before the Messiah - the Son of Man - the great assembly of all peoples will be gathered. The blessed will be on his right, while the cursed will be on the left. The blessed ones will inherit the kingdom prepared for them, and the cursed will be sent to eternal fire. All will be judged by the commandment of love. Those filled with the love of God were able to show mercy and compassion to those who passed through suffering: they behaved as true children of God. Others were so filled with themselves that they only showed despise and contempt for those in need. Their hearts were like hard stones with rough edges that injured those who approached them. They cannot enter the kingdom of God. Their hearts will burn for eternity, not with love but with hatred.

May the Lord open our hearts and minds, so that we may learn from him to be merciful as he is merciful.

SERVANTS, NOT OWNERS

XXXIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Matthew 25:14-30

This Sunday’s gospel presents the parable of the talents, which makes us reflect upon the purpose of life, making it clear that we will be called upon to give an account of the way we live. Life itself is a gift. In a way, it was entrusted to us but does not belong to us. And with life, we are entrusted with many other gifts.

According to the parable, a rich man entrusted his wealth to his servants, while he was going abroad. “To one he gave five talents, to another two, to a third one; each in proportion to his ability.” During Jesus' time, a talent was a unit of weight, mainly for gold and silver. A talent could weigh between 20 and 40 kg., meaning that even the one who received one talent got a huge fortune. We may be puzzled that they were treated differently but a reason is given: according to their ability. Nowadays, there is a concerted effort to establish not only equality but equity. It seems that the parable goes against this modern trend. The parable implies that we are treated differently because we are different, and no matter what we do we remain different. The world is built on difference and it is an impossible dream to establish equity. The parable invites us to accept reality. It is true that all of us have the same dignity and are called to walk along the path of life; however, each one has to make his journey, finding his difficulties and making his own decisions.

The ones entrusted with the money were servants, not the owners. The property did not belong to them. Maybe they were proud of the trust put in them, At the same time, they might be apprehensive since something might happen and the wealth is lost. The parable presents two types of servants: a) Those who showed resourcefulness, initiative and creativity. With their hard work and good administration, they doubled the wealth entrusted to them. b) The one who lacked self-confidence, was afraid of taking risks and behaved lazily.

One day, their lord came and they had to account for their administration. The ones who made good use of the property entrusted to them were praised and rewarded because they proved to be faithful, committed, selfless, hardworking. The lazy one who did nothing with what he had received was scolded and punished.

We have been entrusted with many talents that we must develop and make good use of. We must not forget that we are called to responsibility. We are answerable for our lives and we must give account of our administration. May the Lord find us faithful.

LET US BE PREPARED FOR THE COMING OF THE LORD

XXXII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Matthew 25:1-13

In this Sunday, we are presented with one more parable of the Kingdom of God. The parable refers to a wedding ceremony since the wedding feast is one of the great symbols of the Kingdom of God. According to tradition, after negotiations with the bride’s family, the bridegroom would come to take the bride to his house. Everybody was waiting for him but, as he was much delayed, many got tired and fell asleep. The parable centres our attention on the ten bridesmaids, that is the maids of honour who accompanied the bride. With her, they were waiting for the groom. Five of them had prepared themselves for a possible delay, which was to be expected. They took with them enough oil to top up their lamps, being ready for any eventuality. It would be embarrassing and shameful to accompany the groom and his bride without lamps to dispel the darkness of the night. The other five did not prepare themselves or were careless in their preparation. They took little oil with them and when their lamps went off, they had no way of bringing them on. As a first attempt to solve the problem, they asked the other five to share with them but they refused. We may be shocked by their callousness. Is it not against the command of love? However, their answer was explicit and reasonable.  If we share, none of us will have enough and all lamps will go off. That would bring great shame on the bride who had no true and reliable friends. So, they had to look for oil somewhere else. And they were not there when the groom arrived. They came late and they found the doors of the wedding hall locked. They knocked, but the groom refused to open for them. They were useless and unreliable; they did not deserve to go inside and sit at the table feast. 

The parable teaches us that we don’t have guaranteed a place in the Kingdom of God. We may be denied entrance and be excluded. We are not assured of salvation. We must be prepared, that is, we must have enough oil with us. There might be times of slackening. All of them fell asleep, but five of them had enough oil - the oil of faith and love, and they joined the groom in the wedding feast.

The parable makes it clear as well that there are things that cannot be shared. The commitment is personal and cannot be shared with others. The example of our commitment may help others to be committed, but they must have their oil of faith and love. Let us ask the Lord that we may be found prepared when the bridegroom - Christ - arrives.

MARKED WITH THE SEAL OF THE SERVANTS OF GOD

SOLEMNITY OF ALL SAINTS - Revelation 7:2-4,9-14

In places where the first of November is not a holy day, the solemnity of All Saints is celebrated this Sunday. We may ask: What are we celebrating? 

The first reading, taken from the book of Revelation, speaks of a huge assembly “standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb”. The totality of the people of God - “a hundred and forty-four thousand”, that is twelve thousand times twelve - had been marked with a seal as being “the servants of our God”. The Saints are all those who are marked as “servants of God” Indeed, in baptism, we “were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” (Ep 1:13) to be children of God. The members of the people of God are “a huge number, impossible to count, of people from every nation, race, tribe and language”. They are standing “dressed in white robes and holding palms in their hands.” And all proclaim God’s praise and sing his victory: “Victory to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” Then, everybody prostrates themselves in worship.

Today, all of us are called to join the divine worship taking place in heaven, giving thanks and praise to the Lord. With the angels and saints, we say: 

“Amen. Praise and glory 

and wisdom and thanksgiving 

and honour and power 

and strength to our God 

for ever and ever. Amen.”

Who are those dressed in white robes? They “are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Here on earth, all have to pass through the great tribulation, since all of us are being tested and all of us are being touched by the contamination of sin. However, in baptism we were washed in the blood of Christ, going through death with him to rise to eternal life with him. The Lord Jesus Christ shed his blood “for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

Marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit, we are children of God. Saint John says it very clearly in his first letter: God’s love for us is so great that he “lets us be called God’s children, and that is what we are.” One day, the glory of God will be manifested in us to the full and then “we shall be like him” (1 Jn 3:1-3).

THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT

XXX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Ex Exodus 22:20-26

God’s covenant with his people is at the centre of the life of Israel and people must remain faithful to the commitment implied and demanded by that covenant. In the book of Exodus, there is a reference to Moses reading the Book of the Covenant to the people (Ex 24:7). The Covenant Code (Ex 20:22 - 23:33), that is, the Laws that have their basis on the Covenant put forward in an explicit form the demands of the Covenant. At its foundation are the ten commandments, which come from the Lord who set his people free: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” (Ex 20:2). The ten commandments are an expression of the dignity of a free people, who reflect in their life the glory of God. After the Ten Commandments, the book of Exodus presents a series of laws that must shape society, that is the norms and rules which are to be followed by the people of God. Most of those laws are similar to the laws followed by neighbouring nations. However, in Israel, those laws are founded on the covenant between God and his people and always take into account human dignity, since we are made in the image of God.

In this Sunday liturgy, the first reading comes from the book of Exodus and stresses our social responsibilities, pointing out the specific cases of the stranger, the widow, the orphan and the poor who has to borrow money. The stranger must be respected. And the people of Israel are called upon to remember that once, as strangers in Egypt, they were held in captivity. Thus they are called upon to behave differently: “You must not molest the stranger or oppress him”. With so many immigrants in our midst, we should examine ourselves and the way we deal with them.

The orphan and the widow always deserve special consideration and protection. Since they lost the ones who gave them support and protection, they must be looked after with care by the other members of the community.

And there is a warning for the money lenders who tend to be usurers. If a poor man borrows money from them, they cannot demand interest or even a pledge from him. For the poor, it is a question of survival and we are called upon to lighten their burden of poverty.

This Sunday’s gospel gives us the true foundation of our social responsibility. Answering the question about the greatest commandment of the Law, Jesus said: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets also.” (Mt 22:34-40). The love of God will lead us to love our neighbour, paying attention mainly to those who are in a situation of suffering.

GIVE TO GOD WHAT BELONGS TO GOD

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

This Sunday, we read the famous passage about the taxes to Caesar, with much wider implications about the relationship between the State and the Church. Surprisingly, the Pharisees came together with the  Herodians to catch Jesus and have a case against him. They began by speaking flattering words of praise to deceive Jesus. However, Jesus read their intentions and prepared himself for their deceit. 

In 63 BC, the Roman general Pompey captured Jerusalem and the Jews lost their freedom. During a time, the Romans allowed Herod the Great as a king, serving the Roman Emperor. Herod was considered a foreigner and hated because of his harsh rule. Being Roman vassals, the Jews had to pay taxes to them, doing it with hard feelings. While the Sadducees tried to maintain good relations with the Romans, other groups grumbly paid their taxes. It is not surprising that all wanted to know which side Jesus would take. Indeed, the question was formulated in such a way that had to take sides. If he affirmed the obligation of paying taxes, he would be considered a collaborator who accepted the Roman oppression. If he sided with those who refused to pay taxes, he would be considered a rebel, who defied the Roman rule and incurred their anger. That would be enough to be sentenced to death on the cross. Before the question about paying taxes or not, it seemed that there was no way out for Jesus.

Well aware of the trap that they had set for him, Jesus gave an answer that left them puzzled. First, he asked to be shown a coin and they “handed him a denarius”. Then, he asked: “Whose head is this? Whose name?” The answer was clear: “Caesar’s”. They were using Roman money everywhere in their daily lives, despite having the emperor’s image engraved on it, something that was forbidden by the Law. Then, Jesus’ answer and solution were straightforward: Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar “and to God what belongs to God.” The State must care for the welfare of the citizens and, in doing that, may put demands that the citizens must comply with. However, the State can never take God’s place. We cannot give to the State what belongs to God. Before God, everything else is relative. Accepting God’s supremacy is the guarantee of our freedom and our dignity since the Glory of God is best revealed in a human being fully alive. They presented Jesus with a Roman coin with the Caesar’s image on it. However, we should never forget that we carry the image of God in us and that is the source of our dignity. We cannot allow God’s image in us to be erased. Give to God what belongs to God is the way to faithfulness and salvation.

 INVITED TO THE WEDDING FEAST OF THE LAMB

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

This Sunday’s readings deal with are about a wedding and a banquet, two important themes in the Scriptures. The Bible presents us with the marriage of Adam and Eve at the beginning and the marriage of the Lamb at the end. In the beginning, after creating man, God created the woman “and brought her to the man” (Gn 2:22). In the end, there will be the wedding feast of the Lamb. The New Jerusalem is “the Bride, the wife of the Lamb” (Rev 21:9). The parable of this Sunday’s gospel is about the wedding feast of the royal prince, the Messiah. 

A royal wedding is always a great feast with many guests invited to the banquet. The first reading, taken from Isaiah, speaks of a lavish banquet prepared by God for all peoples (Is 25:6). Nobody will be ignored and excluded. Surprisingly, Isaiah was already aware of the universality of God’s plan of salvation. This universality of salvation takes into account the role played by the people of Israel, who were the first ones to be invited. The parable speaks of the difficult relationship between God and Israel, the people He had chosen to bring about redemption to all nations.

The parable informs us that the Father, the King, prepared a grandiose and magnificent banquet, having invited beforehand a lot of people. On the actual day, the king sent his servants to remind the guests of the banquet. They refused to attend the wedding and participate in the banquet. The king insisted, sending some more servants. Despite the king’s plea, they refused to come, going so far as to insult, ill-treated and even kill the servants. The king was furious and punished harshly all those who had behaved in such a criminal way.

Then, the king sent his servants to the streets and roads to bring “everyone they could find, bad and good alike”.

In the parable, Jesus denounces the self-righteous leaders of the people, who contemptuously refused to accept the invitation. Then, the invitation was addressed to people of all kinds and nations who filled the kingdom hall and sat at the king’s table to eat the royal food.

Everybody is invited. However, to sit at the king’s table, one must answer the invitation. We cannot present ourselves anyhow. Nobody goes to a wedding feast in shabby clothes. 

“I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;

my justice was like a robe and a turban.” (Job 29:14)