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). 

Twenty-sixth Sunday of the Year: A: October 1, 2023

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 rewards 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 instructs 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 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. It is the story of 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, they turn away from following God and reject His commandments. They refuse to accept that Jesus comes from God the Father. Whereas, those who are not among the chosen race - the gentiles and sinners - accept Jesus as the Son of God. In the parable, the father asks both his sons - the elder and the younger- to go and work in the vineyard. The elder son initially says 'No' to the father but he later goes and does the work in the vineyard. The younger son initially says 'Yes" to the father but does 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 to do the will of the heavenly Father not merely in words but it should be seen in our actions. This parable in some way has 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 does not ask his servants or his hired workers to do that work. He personally asks 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 24, 2023

           THE VIRTUE OF GENEROSITY

First Reading: Isaiah 55: 6-9

Second Reading: Philippians 1: 20 and 24-27

Gospel Reading: Matthew 20: 1-16

   *First reading is from the book of Prophet Isaiah. 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 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 ways of the Lord God according to human understanding. It may not correspond to the way of the Lord God who deals with us in various ways.

   *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 at all times and be united with Him always. This conviction 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 to the workers is narrated in detail. The owner of the vineyard gives a day's wages (one denarius) for everyone who worked in his vineyard that day, no matter whether the person worked just one hour (the one who came last) or the person who worked the whole day (one who came first). The owner's generosity makes those who worked the entire day dissatisfied and angry. The question put by the vineyard owner to the disgruntled workers is very relevant: "Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?" The parable may seem quite strange and unjust for many of us. Some may even think that the vineyard owner is not understanding the feelings of those who toiled all day in the harsh sun. According to one Biblical scholar, the parable doesn't depict reckless, arbitrary action of the owner, rather, it shows the behaviour of a large-hearted 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 the 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 willing to accept God's unlimited generosity and kindness. 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. 

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

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

"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 17, 2023

         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). Our desire for revenge and vengeance is a human tendency. But our refusal to forgive those who do harm to us and 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 do wrong to 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 the Lord Jesus so that we become precious in the eyes of God. Our living and our dying as Christians is for the Lord 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 all of us the need to forgive un-conditionally. Peter is of the opinion that forgiving his offending brother seven times is being very generous and noble. But Jesus corrects him and tells him that he should forgive not merely seven times but seventy times seven - which means (that he has) to forgive innumerable times. Jesus explains this teaching through the parable of two debtors. It is about a Master and his two servants. The first one owed the Master ten thousand talents. He is asked to pay back the entire amount immediately. Unable to pay such a huge sum, the man pleads for mercy from the Master and the Master out of pity forgives all his debt. A little later, the same man meets a fellow servant who owed him a mere hundred denari. He asks his fellow servant to pay back the entire amount immediately. This man too pleads with him to have mercy and asks pardon. But the first servant does not relent and puts his fellow servant in prison till he paid the entire debt. When the Master comes to know about the un-forgiving attitude of the servant who is a recipient of his mercy, he is extremely upset and angry. Although this servant received forgiveness and mercy from the Master, the same mercy is not shown to his fellow servant. As a result, the Master deals with him very harshly till he paid the whole debt. Hence, forgiving those who have done wrong to us is the pre-condition for us to receive forgiveness and mercy from God. Thus the only obstacle that we can put in the way of God's forgiveness for our sins is our refusal to forgive the sins of other humans. 

"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