Twenty Sixth Sunday of the Year: A: September 27, 2020

 DOING THE WILL OF GOD: NOT IN WORDS BUT IN DEEDS

First Reading: Ezekiel 18: 25-28

Second Reading: Philippians 2: 1-11

Gospel Reading: Matthew 21: 28-32

   * First reading is from the book of Prophet Ezekiel. Ezekiel instructs the people of Israel and us that we are responsible for our actions and that the Lord God judges everyone according to his/her actions. The Lord God is always just. He punishes us if we do evil and rewards us when we turn away from evil and do good. 

   * Second reading is from the letter of St. Paul to Philippians. Paul tells the Christian community at Philippi that Jesus humbled Himself and became human and died on the cross for the humankind. Like Jesus every follower of the Lord should do everything with humility and look for the good of the others rather than that of one's own. He reminds us that self-seeking actions and rivalry have no place in the life of a Christian. Christ gave us an example of humility and we must imitate Him in our lives.

The parable of the two sons.                                       Today's Gospel reading is from St. Matthew. The parable is about a father and his two sons. The context of this parable is that the chosen people of God at first said yes to the covenant of God but later turned away from following God and His teachings. They refused to accept that Jesus comes from God the Father. Whereas those who were not among the chosen race - the gentiles and the sinners - accepted Jesus as the Son of God. In the parable we have the story of a father and his two sons. The father asked both his sons -the elder and the younger - to go and work in his vineyard. The elder son initially said no to the father but later went and worked in the vineyard. The younger son initially said yes to the father but he did not go and do the work in the vineyard. After narrating the parable Jesus puts a question to His disciples. "Which of these two sons did the father's will?" The answer is obvious: the elder son. Hence Jesus explains to us the need for obedience to the will of the Heavenly Father not merely in words but it should be seen in our actions. 

This parable in some way has some overtones about our own lives. We often make promises to God but forget to fulfill them and fail to do the will of God. It is interesting to observe that in the parable the owner of the vineyard has some work to be done. He did not ask his servants or his hired workers to do the work. He personally asked his sons to do the work in the vineyard. So too the Heavenly Father invites each one of us His sons and daughters to work in His vineyard. It is up to us to respond to His invitation. 

"Being a Christian is less about cautiously avoiding sin than about courageously and actively doing God's will." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"The basic purpose of prayer is not to bend God's will to mine, but to mold my will into His." -Timothy Keller

Twenty Fifth Sunday of the Year : A: September 20, 2020

THE GENEROSITY OF A VINEYARD OWNER

First Reading: Isaiah 55:6-9

Second Reading: Philippians 20: 24-27

Gospel Reading: Matthew 20: 1-6

   * First reading is from the book of Prophet Isaiah. Prophet Isaiah urges the people of Israel to turn away from their evil and sinful ways and return to the Lord God. He tells them and us too that the Lord God's ways are not our ways. The Lord God in His infinite wisdom has His own way of dealing with us that may not  be always to our liking. Often we try to shape the Lord God according to human understanding and ways of thinking which may not correspond to the way the Lord God deals with us. 

   *Second reading is from the letter of St. Paul to Philippians. Paul expresses his deep conviction that to live for Christ or to die for Christ is the same for him. His only ambition is to proclaim and glorify Christ and be united with Him always. This message of Paul should rule the hearts of all who follow the Lord. 

"The last will be first and the first last."                      (Reversal of values in the Kingdom of God)

Today's Gospel reading is from St. Matthew. The parable of the vineyard owner and his generosity is narrated in great detail. The owner gives a day's wages (one denarius) for everyone who worked in his vineyard no matter whether the person worked just one hour (one who came last) or the person worked the whole day (one who came first). The owner's generosity makes those who worked the entire day dissatisfied and angry. The question of the vineyard owner to the disgruntled workers is very relevant: "Have I no right to do what I have with my own?"                                               This parable may seem quite strange and unjust at the outset for many of us. Some may even think that the vineyard owner is not understanding the feelings of those who toiled all day. According to one Biblical Scholar, the parable does not depict reckless, arbitrary action of the owner. Rather it shows the behaviour of a largehearted man who is very compassionate, kind and full of sympathy for the poor and the deprived. It is out of pity for their poverty that the owner decided to give them a full day's wages. If not, their families would be starving that day. Through this parable Jesus is expressing the unlimited goodness, compassion and graciousness of a kind and loving God and not about labour relationships. Often we grudge others who are in some way more favoured by God. Sometimes we are not ready to accept God's unlimited generosity. Hence through the parable Jesus gives us a lesson that it does not matter when we come to the Kingdom of God: early, middle or at the last hour. All that matters is that we are part of His Kingdom. 

"For it is in giving that we receive." -St. Francis of Assisi

"Generosity is giving more than you can." - Khalil Gibran

"Every sunrise is an invitation for us to arise and brighten someone's day." - R.E. Goodrich

Twenty Fourth Sunday of the Year : A: September 13, 2020

              THE VIRTUE OF FORGIVENESS

First Reading: Sirach 27: 30 to 28: 7

Second Reading: Romans 14: 7-9

Gospel Reading: Matthew 18: 21-35

   * First reading is from the book of Sirach (Ecclesiastes). This passage explains to us that our desire for revenge and vengeance is a human tendency. But our refusal to forgive those who did harm to us and who hurt us is unacceptable in the eyes of the Lord God. Such an attitude makes us unworthy of the Lord God's forgiveness and mercy. We can experience the forgiveness of the Lord God only to the extent we forgive those who offended us. 

   * Second reading is from the letter of St. Paul to Romans. Paul explains to the Christian community in Rome and to us that we live in union with Lord Jesus so that we become precious in the eyes of God. Our living and our dying as Christians is for Christ and for others.

"Not seven times but seventy times seven"

Today's Gospel reading is from St. Matthew. Jesus graphically explains to St. Peter and to everyone of us the need to have unconditional forgiveness. Peter thinks forgiving an offending person seven times is being very generous and noble. But Jesus tells him that he should forgive not merely seven times but seventy times seven- which means he has to forgive innumerable times. 

Jesus explains His teaching through the parable of two debtors. The parable is about a certain Master and two of his servants. The first one owed the Master ten thousand talents. He was asked to pay back the entire amount immediately. Unable to pay this huge sum the man pleads for mercy from the Master and the Master out of pity forgave  all his debt. After some time the same man met a fellow servant who owed him a mere hundred denari. He asked his fellow servant to pay back the entire amount immediately. This man too pleaded with him to have mercy and asked pardon. But the first servant did not relent and puts his fellow servant in prison till he paid the entire debt. 

When the Master comes to know about the unforgiving attitude of the servant who was a recipient of his mercy and he becomes extremely upset and angry. Although this servant received mercy from the Master, the same mercy was not shown to his fellow servant. The Master deals with him very harshly. Hence forgiving those who have done wrong to us is the precondition for us to receive forgiveness from God. The only obstacle we can put in the way of God's forgiveness of our sins is our refusal to forgive the sins of others. 

"To err is human but to forgive is divine." - Proverb

"Father, forgive them: for they do not know what they are doing." - Luke 23:24

Twenty Third Sunday of the Year: A: September 6, 2020

       DUTY OF CORRECTING THE ERRING

First Reading: Ezekiel 33: 7-9

Second Reading: Romans 13: 8-10

Gospel Reading: Matthew 18: 15-20

   *First reading is from the book of Prophet Ezekiel. Ezekiel is asked by the Lord God to be a watchman for the house of Israel. He is given the duty to warn all the wicked people in the land. The instructions given to Ezekiel by the Lord God are applicable to all leaders who have a prophetic role to play. He or she has to speak out against every type of evil in the community and correct the erring members. 

   *Second reading is from the letter of St. Paul to Romans. Paul reminds the Christian community in Rome and all of us about the preeminence of the law of love in every situation in life. He instructs us that the practice of Christian love fulfills all other commandments and prevents a person from doing wrong. 

Healing broken relationships

Today's Gospel reading is from St. Matthew. Jesus gives us some important and relevant guidelines regarding the duty of a Christian and the Christian community in correcting an erring member of the community in a gentle and delicate manner. 

The instructions of Jesus in this context are straight forward. The offended person - not the offending one- should be the first one to seek reconciliation. The message is that members of the Christian community should straighten things out with one another privately and in a personal manner. The purpose of this open personal meeting is not to humiliate the offending person but to be reconciled with him/her. Hence this kind of action is to regain the  brother or the sister who had a break in relationship. It is to restore the broken relationship and not for denouncing or to put blame on the other. That is why Jesus told, "If he listens to you, you have gained your brother." 

In the second part of the Gospel Jesus assures us His divine and continued presence wherever two or three are gathered in His name. These words of Jesus should encourage us and strengthen us to be part of a caring, forgiving and praying community. 

"The fruits of charity are joy, peace and mercy; charity demands beneficence and fraternal correction." - St. Augustine.

"Today we have to learn all over again that love for the sinner and love for the person who has been harmed are correctly balanced."- Pope Benedict XVI.