A Homily – The Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

First Reading – Isaiah 55:6-9 ©

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 144(145):2-3, 8-9, 17-18 ©

Second Reading – Philippians 1:20-24, 27 ©

Gospel Acclamation – Luke 19:38, 2:14

Alternative Acclamation – Acts 16:14

The Gospel According to Matthew 20:1 - 16 ©

 

(NJB)

 

The Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

Listen!

God is always near to us, God is ever present—even in the hearts of the wicked; the loving God is there: counselling, consoling, calling the sinner to repentance and conversion, kenosis and metanoia…satori…kensho…nirvana…

It is wise to reflect on the notion that God, the creator of the universe and everything in it, has a deeper appreciation for the life, and the created order than we can possibly imagine from our position in time and space, and conditioned by the exigencies of nature our animal-nature.

Be mindful as you read the psalms, and know that God is not a king.  

God cares for us, but God does not intervene in the course of human events. We were created in a state of freedom, God only influences indirectly, through our relationships to one another and in the voice that speaks to us in our hearts.

Do not look for God to save you from your present perils, to aid you in your ambitions or to smite your enemies; God will not do it.  God’s love and mercy, God’s humility and compassion, all the workings of God’s justice work toward the benefit of all.

Consider the teaching of the apostle, here he speaks like a contrarian, and his words are easy to misinterpret or misconstrue..

The apostle speaks about life in the flesh as a burden, though a happy burden if he is living as a servant of the Gospel; he speaks of eternal life with Christ as something he desires and something in which he expects the greatest joy.

The apostle is talking about his expectation of a great reward in connection with his mortal demise; he is talking about his death as if he were looking forward to martyrdom, the fulfillment of his expectation and the reception of his due reward. In so doing he establishes an economy of salvation that treats salvific grace as if it were a commodity.  

Also, the apostle calls it a good thing when corrupt preachers teach the gospel even if they do so from impure motives, believing that it is good insofar as they are spreading the fame of Christ.

All press is good press is not a healthy maxim to live by. It is misguided, and suspect.

Therefore be mindful.

Walk humbly, love justice, commit yourself to mercy and compassion all the days of your life.

This is the walk of faith, which means trusting in the way.

Know this!

God is not concerned with glory. Jesus is not interested in having a name above all other names. God is not a king and Jesus is not a prince; rather, God is our loving parent and Jesus is our friend and brother.

When you preach to the people you must know that God is present in the assembly and you are standing before the divine; you are in the sacred moment and you should not be concerned with pomp and circumstance, with bowing and scarping, you are their to confess that God is love and move on.

Remember!

The creator of the universe does not wear a crown, and the way toward salvation is walked in humility not glory. If you intend to follow Jesus you must seek out the lowest of the low, not the highest heaven; seek to serve those in the deepest dark and return them to the light.

Consider the Gospel reading for today.

This parable represents the true teaching of the church.

It carries one of the most commonly repeated themes, it is a message to every person who would claim to be a follower and teacher of the way.

Know this.

If you follow the teaching of Jesus you will be rewarded; you receive your reward through the simple act of following. By keeping to the way, you bring heaven to earth. If everyone participates, the whole world can be a paradise.

The way is not toilsome, though it may require a lifetime of work; the way is a gift that when received, is shared with others.

In following the way, we do not lay-up treasures in heaven; we do not amass wealth, privilege or honors. Divine grace, like mana in the desert, cannot be hoarded.

God distributes the same blessing to the first as to the last…there is no rank in the world to come.

In the eyes of God the bishop is the same as the priest, the priest the same as the parishioner, each has different duties, they are beloved by God in equal measure, like the sinner and the saint.

First Reading – Isaiah 55:6-9 ©

My Thoughts Are Not Your Thoughts

Seek the Lord while he is still to be found, call to him while he is still near.

Let the wicked man abandon his way, the evil man his thoughts.

Let him turn back to the Lord who will take pity on him, to our God who is rich in forgiving; for my thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways not your ways – it is the Lord who speaks.

Yes, the heavens are as high above earth as my ways are above your ways, my thoughts above your thoughts.

 

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 144(145):2-3, 8-9, 17-18 ©

The Lord is close to all who call him.

I will bless you day after day

  and praise your name for ever.

The Lord is great, highly to be praised,

  his greatness cannot be measured.

The Lord is close to all who call him.

The Lord is kind and full of compassion,

  slow to anger, abounding in love.

How good is the Lord to all,

  compassionate to all his creatures.

The Lord is close to all who call him.

The Lord is just in all his ways

  and loving in all his deeds.

He is close to all who call him,

  who call on him from their hearts.

The Lord is close to all who call him.

 

Second Reading – Philippians 1:20-24, 27 ©

Life to Me Is Christ; but Death Would Bring Me More

Christ will be glorified in my body, whether by my life or by my death. Life to me, of course, is Christ, but then death would bring me something more; but then again, if living in this body means doing work which is having good results – I do not know what I should choose. I am caught in this dilemma: I want to be gone and be with Christ, which would be very much the better, but for me to stay alive in this body is a more urgent need for your sake.

Avoid anything in your everyday lives that would be unworthy of the gospel of Christ.

 

Gospel Acclamation – Luke 19:38, 2:14

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessings on the King who comes, in the name of the Lord!

Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heavens!

Alleluia!

 

Alternative Acclamation – Acts 16:14

Alleluia, alleluia!

Open our heart, O Lord, to accept the words of your Son.

Alleluia!

 

The Gospel According to Matthew 20:1 - 16 ©

Why Be Envious Because I Am Generous?

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner going out at daybreak to hire workers for his vineyard. He made an agreement with the workers for one denarius a day, and sent them to his vineyard. Going out at about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place and said to them, “You go to my vineyard too and I will give you a fair wage.” So they went. At about the sixth hour and again at about the ninth hour, he went out and did the same. Then at about the eleventh hour he went out and found more men standing round, and he said to them, “Why have you been standing here idle all day?” “Because no one has hired us” they answered. He said to them, “You go into my vineyard too.” In the evening, the owner of the vineyard said to his bailiff, “Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last arrivals and ending with the first.” So those who were hired at about the eleventh hour came forward and received one denarius each. When the first came, they expected to get more, but they too received one denarius each. They took it, but grumbled at the landowner. “The men who came last” they said “have done only one hour, and you have treated them the same as us, though we have done a heavy day’s work in all the heat.” He answered one of them and said, “My friend, I am not being unjust to you; did we not agree on one denarius? Take your earnings and go. I choose to pay the last comer as much as I pay you. Have I no right to do what I like with my own? Why be envious because I am generous?” Thus the last will be first, and the first, last.’

 

The Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

A Homily – The Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

First Reading – Ecclesiasticus 27:33-28:9 ©

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 102(103):1-4, 9-12 ©

Second Reading – Romans 14:7-9 ©

Gospel Acclamation – 1 Samuel 3:9, John 6:68

Alternative Acclamation – John 13:34

The Gospel According to Matthew 18:21 - 35 ©

 

(NJB)

 

Listen!

 Love your neighbor, including the stranger among you.

 Pray for those who persecute you.

 Forgive and seek forgiveness, accept it when it is offered.

 Walk with humility, be merciful and love justice all the days of your life, this is the way.

 Be mindful.

 The author of Ecclesiasticus errs when suggesting that God keeps account of our sins; the creator of the universe is not a bookkeeper or a banker, and our lives are not summarized in a double entry ledger, tracking our merits and demerits.

 The economy of salvation is not a marketplace where we exchange mercy for mercy, or retribution for our faults.

 Divine grace is a gift that we all receive freely, and no-one is left out.

 Consider the words of the psalmist:

 Give thanks to God; be thankful for the peace you experience, receive it as a blessing, like the blessings of life, freedom, self-determination and all the other elements of our personhood.

 Give thanks to those who are loving, to the peacemakers; bless them as you are able.

 Bless all of God’s children, as God does, love them all, both the good and the bad, the helpful and the harmful, the just and the unjust…no-one is unworthy of love.

 Remember this:

 God is not a king or a Lord. God does not favor one group over another. God does not intervene in the affairs of human beings.

 God, the creator of the universe, God is the God of everything, of everyone, in all places and all times.

 God desires what is good for us and works in subtle ways to bring us toward that end. God is confident of God’s plan and the fulfillment of God’s will, even if we are not.

 Listen!

 When a leader rises among us we must acknowledge them; when that leadership is pure and we see that their work is holy we must acknowledge that. Though in acknowledging these things it is important that we do not embellish as the apostles so often did.

 Know this:

 God speaks to all people.

 God speaks in the heart of every human being.

 God is present to any who will listen, but God does not favor some over others, and God does not appear in visions.

 Listen!

 This is the good news:

 God loves you and you are saved.

 You are not saved for anything that you have done, you did not earn your salvation…you are saved because God loves you.

 The good news regarding the  promise of salvation, is not that you will be spared from suffering and torment in hell, or that when you are judged God will forgive you.

 The good news is that God has forgiven you and you are already saved. God has prepared you as God has prepared everyone; God has prepared us all for eternal life.

 Believe it!

 Let the promise and its goodness flow through you, start living your life as if it were true.

 We are not called to believe in the idea that Jesus is this or that…the so-called Holy One of God, we are called to act on the principles of his faith, to live lives of charity and service to one another; this is the essence of the Chistian mission:

 Love one another.

 To follow Jesus is to lead with love.

 Love as Jesus loved.

 Be humble, be merciful, be just.

 Be prepared to risk everything for the sake of love, even your life.

 To the extent that you are able to live up to the proscriptions you will be true to the teaching of Jesus…there is no other way.

 Faith (which is the trust we place in God); faith is not about words and formulas, it is about action. Faith is not confined by ideology, it is not partisan, it is not dogmatic, it is not doctrinaire. A commitment of faith is not a legally binding agreement or contract. Faith is not concerned with creeds and decretals, secrets or magic words.

 Faith is trust and it is expressed as hope, in love, through service.

 Consider the gospel reading for today:

 Forgive and be merciful.

 Forget every word in this passage except these:

 Do not settle on merely forgiving someone seven times, but forgive them seventy-seven times.

 Do not place limits on your mercy.

 If it is in your power to forgive someone, forgive them and forgive them fully.

 Forgive your sister and brother, your father and mother, your neighbor, the stranger, even the those who have persecuted you. Forgive them from your heart and forgive yourself.

 Do not be like the servant who receives mercy, and then refuses to be merciful.

 Do not be like Peter who time and time again failed to understand the teaching of Jesus.

 The authors of Matthew’s Gospel articulated the superabundance of Jesus’ compassion. They remembered this, and by placing this sequence at the beginning of the passage they are asking us to remember it as well.

 Jesus said:

 Forgive the wrongdoer…not once, not twice, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

 Matthew’s community remembered this and then betrayed their memory by circumscribing divine compassion, drafting a parable in which the principle actor fails to follow Jesus in the way, forgiving his servant once, but not a second time.

 Set the example that Jesus set, be a blessing to your sisters and brothers, especially those in need of compassion; do this and correct the Church.

 

First Reading – Ecclesiasticus 27:33-28:9 ©

Forgive Your Neighbour the Hurt He Does You; and When You Pray, Your Sins Will Be Forgiven

Resentment and anger, these are foul things, and both are found with the sinner.

He who exacts vengeance will experience the vengeance of the Lord, who keeps strict account of sin.

Forgive your neighbour the hurt he does you, and when you pray, your sins will be forgiven.

If a man nurses anger against another, can he then demand compassion from the Lord?

Showing no pity for a man like himself, can he then plead for his own sins?

Mere creature of flesh, he cherishes resentment; who will forgive him his sins?

Remember the last things, and stop hating, remember dissolution and death, and live by the commandments.

Remember the commandments, and do not bear your neighbour ill-will; remember the covenant of the Most High, and overlook the offence.

 

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 102(103):1-4, 9-12 ©

The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy.

My soul, give thanks to the Lord

  all my being, bless his holy name.

My soul, give thanks to the Lord

  and never forget all his blessings.

The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy.

It is he who forgives all your guilt,

  who heals every one of your ills,

who redeems your life from the grave,

  who crowns you with love and compassion.

The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy.

His wrath will come to an end;

  he will not be angry for ever.

He does not treat us according to our sins

  nor repay us according to our faults.

The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy.

For as the heavens are high above the earth

  so strong is his love for those who fear him.

As far as the east is from the west

  so far does he remove our sins.

The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy.

 

Second Reading – Romans 14:7-9 ©

Alive or Dead, We Belong to the Lord

The life and death of each of us has its influence on others; if we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord, so that alive or dead we belong to the Lord. This explains why Christ both died and came to life: it was so that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

 

Gospel Acclamation – 1 Samuel 3:9, John 6:68

Alleluia, alleluia!

Speak, Lord, your servant is listening: you have the message of eternal life.

Alleluia!

 

Alternative Acclamation – John 13:34

Alleluia, alleluia!

I give you a new commandment: love one another just as I have loved you, says the Lord.

Alleluia!

 

The Gospel According to Matthew 18:21 - 35 ©

To Be forgiven, You Must forgive

Peter went up to Jesus and said, ‘Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times.

‘And so the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who decided to settle his accounts with his servants. When the reckoning began, they brought him a man who owed ten thousand talents; but he had no means of paying, so his master gave orders that he should be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, to meet the debt. At this, the servant threw himself down at his master’s feet. “Give me time” he said “and I will pay the whole sum.” And the servant’s master felt so sorry for him that he let him go and cancelled the debt. Now as this servant went out, he happened to meet a fellow servant who owed him one hundred denarii; and he seized him by the throat and began to throttle him. “Pay what you owe me” he said. His fellow servant fell at his feet and implored him, saying, “Give me time and I will pay you.” But the other would not agree; on the contrary, he had him thrown into prison till he should pay the debt. His fellow servants were deeply distressed when they saw what had happened, and they went to their master and reported the whole affair to him. Then the master sent for him. “You wicked servant,” he said “I cancelled all that debt of yours when you appealed to me. Were you not bound, then, to have pity on your fellow servant just as I had pity on you?” And in his anger the master handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debt. And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.’

 

The Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

A Homily - The Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

First Reading – Ezekiel 33:7-9 ©

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 94(95):1-2, 6-9 ©

Second Reading – Romans 13:8-10 ©

Gospel Acclamation – John 17:17

Alternative Acclamation – 2 Corinthians 5:19

The Gospel According to Matthew 18:15 - 20 ©

 

(NJB)

 

Listen!

 We are one family, all human beings, and we are meant to love one another, to care for one another, to be watchful and take steps to protect one another. This is what it means to be in community, to live together as a family, and this is what Ezekiel intends to convey.

 Nevertheless, today’s reading makes the mistake of promoting an understanding of God and God’s justice that deviates from the way Jesus followed and taught us to keep. Ezekiel makes the ordinary mistake of circumscribing God’s love, making God a cruel judge and an executioner rather than a friend, a loving parent and a healer.

 Consider the wisdom of the psalmist:

 The whole of creation belongs to God, all that is good and all that frightens us, everything comes from God and will redound to the good…ultimately; this is the promise that we have been asked to hope for and place our faith in.

 It is good that we show our respect for the creator and sing songs in praise of God, but remember, God is our loving parent, not a king, and God has prepared each of us for the same blessing.

 Listen to the apostle when he says that love is the law!

 Let the knowledge of the law fill your heart, so that it governs your interpretation of it: love with justice, justice with mercy, love with respect, respect with caring.

 Focused your heart on the other, knowing that God is present with your neighbor, in the same way that God is present to you; your neighbor is your sister or your brother in the eyes of God.

 Be mindful!

 You cannot lie and serve God at one and the same time.

 The apostle tells us in the simplest of terms that the mission of the Church is to announce the reconciliation, that everyone is reconciled through the of God, which embraces all people. The members of the Church are meant to be ambassadors of this good news, not the keepers of it, or the guardians.

 The Church is not, nor should it ever be a recruiting agency, the purpose of the Church is not to sign, offering reconciliation with the divine as a reward for joining.

 Know this!

 The reconciliation has already occurred, and has been in process through Christ, since the beginning of time.

 The mission of the Church is to effectuate this reality but to proclaim it.

 Consider the Gospel reading for today:

 Always be wary of the scriptures that cast Jesus in the role of a litigator, as a legislator or the author the law code. These are the machinations of later generation, writing into the sacred text a justification for the authority they had usurped from Jesus.

 The authors of the Gospels put words into the mouth of Jesus that he did not speak, making representations for him that he did not intend, turning both Jesus and themselves into liars.

 The is Jesus’ summary of the:

 Love God with all your strength, all your heart and all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.

 That is the whole of the law.

 That is what Jesus said, and any interpretation of it that deviates from this axion is false.

 The ministry of Jesus was a ministry characterized by mercy.

 He said:

Do not forgive seven times, but seventy-seven times; he instructed us to resolve all of our conflicts before we go to prayer. Teaching us that if we go to prayer while there is a conflict between ourselves and our sister or brother (this means anyone), that we should first go to them and resolve the conflict, exhorting us to not return to prayer until you do.

 Be mindful.

 Every community has a duty to protect itself from dangerous people and predators. Jesus was not suggesting that we keep our doors open to violent, deranged and dangerous people…our hearts yes, but not our doors.

 However, if the recalcitrant member of the community is just a stubborn person, or merely argumentative, not a danger to you, themselves or others, if they are simply someone with a different understanding of the faith and the way than you yourself possesses, or that your community professes, and the only challenge the present is that they will not conform to the norms of the community…in that case treat them as Jesus would have treated a pagan or a tax collector, invite them dinner, sit down and eat with them and do not refuse them anything.

 This is the way.

 Do not believe the Church when it claims to have the authority to free people, or put them in chains, either here in this world or in the world to come.

 The Church does not have that authority, the disciples did not have that authority. The claim to possess that authority is derived from fear. On the part of the apostles it was the fear of losing control over the communities they presided over, and they set this fear against the fear of their members of being excluded from the group.

 It was a lie.

 Every single one of us possesses the power to forgive, with every recitation of the Our Father we are asked to forgive those who have done us harm, so that the harm they have done ceases to have power over us.

 We also have the power to forgive ourselves…more importantly to accept the forgiveness of those we have harmed, so that our guilt does not continue to be a stain on us, and a determinant of our path forward in life.

 We have both the power and the obligation as followers of the way to do so.

 

First Reading – Ezekiel 33:7-9 ©

If You do not Speak to the Wicked Man, I Will Hold You Responsible for His Death

The word of the Lord was addressed to me as follows: ‘Son of man, I have appointed you as sentry to the House of Israel. When you hear a word from my mouth, warn them in my name. If I say to a wicked man: Wicked wretch, you are to die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked man to renounce his ways, then he shall die for his sin, but I will hold you responsible for his death. If, however, you do warn a wicked man to renounce his ways and repent, and he does not repent, then he shall die for his sin, but you yourself will have saved your life.’

 

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 94(95):1-2, 6-9 ©

O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’

Come, ring out our joy to the Lord;

  hail the rock who saves us.

Let us come before him, giving thanks,

  with songs let us hail the Lord.

O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’

Come in; let us bow and bend low;

  let us kneel before the God who made us:

for he is our God and we

  the people who belong to his pasture,

  the flock that is led by his hand.

O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’

O that today you would listen to his voice!

  ‘Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,

  as on that day at Massah in the desert

when your fathers put me to the test;

  when they tried me, though they saw my work.’

O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’

 

Second Reading – Romans 13:8-10 ©

Your Only Debt Should be the Debt of Mutual Love

Avoid getting into debt, except the debt of mutual love. If you love your fellow men you have carried out your obligations. All the commandments: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not kill, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and so on, are summed up in this single command: You must love your neighbour as yourself. Love is the one thing that cannot hurt your neighbour; that is why it is the answer to every one of the commandments.

 

Gospel Acclamation – John 17:17

Alleluia, alleluia!

Your word is truth, O Lord: consecrate us in the truth.

Alleluia!

 

Alternative Acclamation – 2 Corinthians 5:19

Alleluia, alleluia!

God in Christ was reconciling the world to himself, and he has entrusted to us the news that they are reconciled.

Alleluia!

 

The Gospel According to Matthew 18:15 - 20 ©

If your Brother Listens to you, you Have Won Back your Brother

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him alone, between your two selves. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you: the evidence of two or three witnesses is required to sustain any charge. But if he refuses to listen to these, report it to the community; and if he refuses to listen to the community, treat him like a pagan or a tax collector.

‘I tell you solemnly, whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.

  ‘I tell you solemnly once again, if two of you on earth agree to ask anything at all, it will be granted to you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them.’

 

The Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)