Thirtieth Sunday of the Year: A: October 29, 2023

THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT

First Reading: Exodus 22: 20-26

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 1: 5-10

Gospel Reading: Matthew 22: 34-40

   *First reading is from the book of Exodus. The Lord God instructs the people of Israel that there should not be any exploitation and discrimination of the weak and the marginalized in the community. The Lord God seriously warns them of the consequences of ignoring His instruction -punishments, even death- if they do injustice to the weaker members of the community.

   *Second reading is from the first letter of St. Paul to Thessalonians. Paul expresses his deep appreciation for the exemplary and praise-worthy behaviour of the Christian community at Thessalonica. They have accepted the word of God in pain and in affliction. But they are great examples for all other Christian communities by always serving the living and true God. 

The love of God and the love of one's neighbour                                               Today's Gospel reading is from St. Matthew. The two great commandments of God: The love of God and the love of neighbour are discussed in detail. These two commandments are inseparable as explained by Jesus to a lawyer and all of us. When we love God, it should be seen in our daily lives through our love for our fellow humans. This message of Jesus is beautifully expressed by St. John in his letter. "Anyone who says 'I love God' and hates his brother is a liar". (1Jn. 4:20) Hence, our love for others must flow from the divine fountain: That is, God's love for us. We are enabled to love others because it is God who loves us first and make us capable of loving others. Jesus gives us the following messages: 1. We are asked not just to believe in God but to love God. 2. We are asked not merely to respect our neighbour but to love our neighbour as we love ourselves. Once our life is governed and guided by the love of God and the love of our neighbour, all other laws and precepts become unnecessary and irrelevant. 

"I wouldn't touch a leper for a thousand pounds, yet I willingly cure him for the love of God."-St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta

"If we want to live a life of love of God, we must not fail in our love towards our neighbour." - St. Theresa of Child Jesus

"I am just a little pencil in the hand of God sending a love letter to the world." - St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta 

Twenty-ninth Sunday of the Year: A: October 22, 2023

           GIVE TO GOD AND TO CAESAR

First Reading: Isaiah 45: 1 and 4-5

Second Reading: Thessalonians 1: 1-5

Gospel Reading: Matthew 22: 15-23

   *First reading is from the book of Prophet Isaiah. Cyrus, the King of Persia, liberated the people of Israel from their exile in Babylon. Isaiah envisages the return of the chosen people from their exile not merely as a sign of the Lord God's love for His people but also as a sign of His lordship over all nations.

    *Second reading is from the first letter of St. Paul to Thessalonians. In his opening lines to the Christian community at Thessalonica, Paul expresses his deep love and concern for them. He acknowledges and praises the Holy Spirit  for all the success he has in His preaching ministry. 

Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's                                                    Today's Gospel reading is from St. Matthew. The Pharisees put a tricky question to Jesus: "Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" Jesus cleverly answers this question by showing them a Roman coin and asking them about the image and the inscription on the coin. By His answer, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's" , Jesus clarifies to us the need to recognize the two-fold authority: The secular authority and the authority of God. Jesus makes a fine distinction between the two. In most of the countries in the world, there is a complete separation between the religious domain and that of the State. For us Christians, how to live in the world without having conflict between 'Caesar and God' is the question we have to face. There are also so many little 'Caesars' we have to deal with in our daily lives. There is the party, the company, the local community and the personal groups all vying for our loyalty and support. In all these situations, we have to acknowledge and respect the legitimate secular authority at the same time, keeping God's authority in its rightful place. 

"The main problem of the twentieth century: Is it permissible to commit one's conscience to someone else's keeping?" - Solzhenitsyn (a Russian writer)

Twenty-eighth Sunday of the Year: A: October 15, 2023

 AN INVITATION TO THE BANQUET OF THE LORD

First Reading: Isaiah 25: 6-10

Second Reading: Philippians 4: 12-14 and 19-20 

Gospel Reading: Matthew 22: 1-14

  *First reading is from the book of Prophet Isaiah.  Isaiah speaks of a great banquet prepared for the people by the Lord God on the mountain of the Lord. The imagery of the banquet is used to describe the great and wonderful blessings that the Lord God has in store for the people of Israel and for all nations. It pre-figures the many blessings that will be brought about by the messianic kingdom through Jesus Christ. 

   *Second reading is from the letter of St. Paul to Philippians. Paul describes his own contentment in all situations in life. While thanking the Christian community at Philippi for supporting him in various ways, Paul expresses his total and unquestionable trust in the Lord Jesus who always strengthens him. 

The parable of the wedding feast                                                             Today's Gospel reading is from St. Matthew. The parable of the wedding feast is narrated in great details. It is a strange story about a great wedding feast given by a King. The King invites all types of people for his son's wedding. Unfortunately all those invited are not very happy to respond to the King's invitation. We meet four different types of people in the parable. 1. Those people who make light of King's invitation and do not go to the banquet due to various pretexts. They have their own matters to be busy with and eventually, they do not respond to the invitation of the King. 2. There are those who treat the King's servants shamefully and even kill some of them. They are the evil forces who do not accept and recognize God's reign. They try to do away with it at all cost. 3. There are those who are called from the street corners and from the by-lanes. These are the ones who represent all nations and are willing to accept God's kingdom. God is willing to accept everyone to His kingdom without looking at his/her antecedents. 4. There are those who refuse to wear the wedding garment at the banquet. These are the people who after accepting the invitation of God, are unwilling to be part of the privilege they received. They express their unrepentant way of life. The wedding feast symbolizes the heavenly banquet prepared by God for everyone. Not surprisingly, we meet all these types of people in the world today. God is extremely generous in inviting all of us to His banquet. Maybe, we have different reasons to make light of it, totally reject it, or to accept it with an open heart. When we accept God's invitation wholeheartedly and unconditionally, we can receive abundant blessings that only the Almighty can dispense with. 

"I say to you that many will come from east and west and recline at the table with Abraham, Issac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." - Matthew 8: 11-12

Twenty-seventh Sunday of the Year: A: October 8, 2023

GOD'S PUNISHMENT FOR THE WICKED AND THE UNFAITHFUL

First Reading: Isaiah 5: 1-7

Second Reading: Philippians 4: 6-9

Gospel Reading: Matthew 21: 33-44

   *First reading is from the book of Prophet Isaiah. Isaiah compares Israel to a vineyard which fails to produce the desired fruits in spite of the vineyard owner's (the Lord God) much care and attention given to it. Sadly, it is destined to become wilderness. Like this vineyard, the Lord God takes much care of His chosen people with utmost diligence. Unfortunately, they produce evil fruits and as a consequence, the Lord God rejects them.

   *Second reading is from St. Paul's letter to Philippians. Paul gives examples of the fruits we should produce in the vineyard of the Lord. To enjoy the peace that God has promised in every situation in life, we need to turn to God in prayer of thanksgiving and petitions. 

The parable of the wicked tenants                                                            Today's Gospel reading is from St. Matthew. The unfaithfulness and the wickedness of the chosen people of God -Israel- is vividly described. The Jews not only rejected the commandments of God but they had the audacity of rejecting Jesus the Son of God. The vineyard owner entrusts his vineyard after equipping the vineyard with every available facilities- hedge, winepress and a tower - everything that would make their task easy and light. After handing over the vineyard to the tenants, the owner goes on a long journey. On his return, the season for the fruits arrives. The owner sends his servants to get his share of the produce. But the wicked men ill-treat them and send them back empty-handed. Finally he sends his beloved son, hoping that those men would respect him and send his share of produce. Instead, those wicked men kill the son and take possession of the vineyard. Finally, the owner of the vineyard has no option other than to drive those wicked men out of his vineyard and he gives the vineyard to other tenants. Although this parable is told about the unfaithfulness of Israel, it has deep significance in our lives too. In spite of God's great love and concern for each one of us, we have been often unfaithful and wicked in our relationship with God and with other humans. The following messages are implied in this parable. 1. The destructive effects of greed and resultant violence against the rights of other humans. 2. The vineyard is the image of God's people. The question we have to ask ourselves is: Are we good tenants or bad ones? 3. Everyone without exception is finally answerable to the owner(Heavenly Father).