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

First Reading – Isaiah 25:6-10 ©

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 22(23) ©

Second Reading – Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20 ©

Gospel Acclamation – John 1:14, 12

Alternative Acclamation – Ephesians 1:17, 18

The Gospel According to Matthew 22:1 - 14 ©

 

(NJB)

 

Listen!

 Consider the words of the prophet and know that God, the creator of the universe, that God seeks the well-being of all people. God is working toward the salvation of every single one of us.

 The prophet asks us to do the same: to hope for it, to pray for it and to wait for it in humility. The prophet asks us to advance the work of God with patience, demonstrating kindness, evincing mercy.

 Everyone has a seat at God’s table: all people of all nations, everyone from every clan and every tribe, all people will be healed by the hand of God.

 Consider the words of the psalmist. God is shepherd to us all; if we walk in the way of God, we may serve as shepherd to our sisters and brothers.

 Whenever the circumstances of our life are such that we struggle with wants and needs, when we experience a sense of lack in our lives, know this: our time in this world is not the end of all things…everything is transitory.

 If we are hungry, we are hungry only for a time. If we thirst, it is but for a moment. We live and breathe but briefly, before we are called to the divine.

 Trust in God…have faith; believe in what we hope for, this is the way and there is peace in it.

 Know this.

 The power of sin and evil, the reality of death, these are temporalities, we endure them in our sojourn through time and space, and then the are gone; only God endures forever, and we are all the children of God.

Be mindful.

 It is not only because God loves you that God guides you, it is for God’s own sake that God blesses you. Follow the way, when your table is set share it with the world, invite even your adversaries and love them.

 Consider the life of the apostle:

 It is sad to read the account of him, begging for money. Jesus never asked for anything for himself, but only for the poor.

 It is sad to read of the apostle promising the fledgling Christian communities that God will reward them lavishly, because they have given him what he needs…neither salvation nor its promise should be treated as a commodity, grace is not transactional, it is not a thing that can be exchanged.

 Much harm has come to the world because of these words; many priests and bishops and would be prophets have enriched themselves while doing little for the poor…we are called to be better than that.

 Listen!

 Do not repeat the errors of John, do not depart from the message that all people are the children of God, who is the author of all being. We do not come into existence by any other power, not by a power that comes from within us, neither by a power that is external to us. We are born as children of God, created in the Word, by the Word and through the Word who sustains everything that is.

 Our status as children of God is as unconditional as God’s love for us, which is to say that it is without condition.

 Remember this when you meditate on the life of Jesus, and God; whom he called father…abba… amma…mother.

 May each and every one of us come to the knowledge of God. There is hope in the knowledge of Godl we are called to express it, to preach that the hope we hold for ourselves and those we love is meant to be extended to everyone, even those we do not love, for God leads us in our hope, and God heals us through our hope.

 If you think that God has promised riches and glories to be the inheritance of the saints, remember that the first will be last and the last will be first, and that spiritual rewards are not counted in gold and silver and precious things.

 Know this.

 God’s greatest status is that of parent living in relation to us, enduring the world as we do, suffering with us while holding onto love and demonstrating mercy, in the spirit of humility.

 Consider the Gospel reading for today:

 It is shameful when the Gospel writers betray the teaching and mission of Jesus, when they allow their own fears and their own reflections on the tribulations they have suffered to warp the good news that Jesus proclaimed as the entry point to the way of God.

 Understand this.

 Heaven is not a kingdom, it is a garden; God is not a king, God is a loving parent; Jesus is not a princeling, he is our brother.

 Any reflection on the way that does not reflect these principles, is a distortion or a deliberate deception.

 God does not command troops, God is not a warrior, God does not deliver the death sentence as punishment for any crime; rather God’s Justice is merciful, it is loving and kind.

 As Isaiah said, God has laid a table for everyone to share. God has invited the good and the bad alike, the rich and the poor, the friend and the stranger; God has made a place everyone.

 The feast at God’s table is less a wedding celebration and more of a family reunion (though the two have much in common), the feast is not to celebrate the contractual joining of two, who were not one already; it is the celebration of a unity that pre-exists all things, and because God has made it thus, it can never be broken.

 At the feast we come to know a thing we have forgotten, that all people are the children of God; we are all brothers and sisters in the divine.

 At the feast in the garden, at the foot of God’s mountain, there are no wedding garments, we wear no badges, we are not asked to present credentials; everyone is welcome and none are rejected.

 At the feast there is no darkness, the sun never sets and there is no weeping, no gnashing of teeth; there is joy of God’s blessing, and all things in one.

 

First Reading – Isaiah 25:6-10 ©

The Lord Will Prepare a Banquet for Every Nation

On this mountain, the Lord of hosts will prepare for all peoples a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines, of food rich and juicy, of fine strained wines.

On this mountain he will remove the mourning veil covering all peoples, and the shroud enwrapping all nations, he will destroy Death for ever.

The Lord will wipe away the tears from every cheek; he will take away his people’s shame everywhere on earth, for the Lord has said so.

That day, it will be said: See, this is our God in whom we hoped for salvation; the Lord is the one in whom we hoped.

We exult and we rejoice that he has saved us; for the hand of the Lord rests on this mountain.

 

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 22(23) ©

In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.

The Lord is my shepherd;

  there is nothing I shall want.

Fresh and green are the pastures

  where he gives me repose.

Near restful waters he leads me,

  to revive my drooping spirit.

In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.

He guides me along the right path;

  he is true to his name.

If I should walk in the valley of darkness

  no evil would I fear.

You are there with your crook and your staff;

  with these you give me comfort.

In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.

You have prepared a banquet for me

  in the sight of my foes.

My head you have anointed with oil;

  my cup is overflowing.

In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.

Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me

  all the days of my life.

In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell

  for ever and ever.

In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.

 

Second Reading – Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20 ©

With the Help of the One Who Gives Me Strength, There Is Nothing I Cannot Master

I know how to be poor and I know how to be rich too. I have been through my initiation and now I am ready for anything anywhere: full stomach or empty stomach, poverty or plenty. There is nothing I cannot master with the help of the One who gives me strength. All the same, it was good of you to share with me in my hardships. In return my God will fulfil all your needs, in Christ Jesus, as lavishly as only God can. Glory to God, our Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

 

Gospel Acclamation – John 1:14, 12

Alleluia, alleluia!

The Word was made flesh and lived among us: to all who did accept him he gave power to become children of God.

Alleluia!

 

Alternative Acclamation – Ephesians 1:17, 18

Alleluia, alleluia!

May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our mind, so that we can see what hope his call holds for us.

Alleluia!

 

The Gospel According to Matthew 22:1 - 14 ©

Invite Everyone You Can to the Wedding

Jesus began to speak to the chief priests and elders of the people in parables: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a feast for his son’s wedding. He sent his servants to call those who had been invited, but they would not come. Next he sent some more servants. “Tell those who have been invited” he said “that I have my banquet all prepared, my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, everything is ready. Come to the wedding.” But they were not interested: one went off to his farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his servants, maltreated them and killed them. The king was furious. He despatched his troops, destroyed those murderers and burnt their town. Then he said to his servants, “The wedding is ready; but as those who were invited proved to be unworthy, go to the crossroads in the town and invite everyone you can find to the wedding.” So these servants went out on to the roads and collected together everyone they could find, bad and good alike; and the wedding hall was filled with guests. When the king came in to look at the guests he noticed one man who was not wearing a wedding garment, and said to him, “How did you get in here, my friend, without a wedding garment?” And the man was silent. Then the king said to the attendants, “Bind him hand and foot and throw him out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.” For many are called, but few are chosen.’

 

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

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

First Reading – Isaiah 5:1-7 ©

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 79(80):9, 12-16, 19-20 ©

Second Reading – Philippians 4:6-9 ©

Gospel Acclamation – John 15:15

Alternative Acclamation – John 15:16

The Gospel According to Matthew 21:33 - 43 ©

 

(NJB)

 

Listen!

 God, the creator of the universe, God does not directly intervene in the affairs of human beings, but nevertheless, there is an intention behind the act of creation, there is purpose and meaning; God is pulling all of us toward God’s desired end.

 God wills that we be good and just, loving and kind, humble and merciful, that we be accepting of one another, even with all of our faults, and yet, even though this is what God wills, God does not create us with these qualities fully matured, they exist within us like a seed in germ; it is od’s will that we develop these qualities naturally, throughout the course of our lives.

 Be mindful.

 The prophet likens humanity to a vineyard:

 In one generation a vineyard will produce beautiful fruit, in another generation it will be sour.

 A single vine in the vineyard will produce fruit of mixed quality, some branches will dry up and wither, while others go on to produce a wonderful bounty.

 In one year a vineyard will go to rot, in another it will be restored.

 Briar patches and thorns may impede the vine in one season, while at the same time returning vitality to the soil.

 This is the way of things in a vineyard, just as it is the way of all human institutions, it is the way of civilization, and the Church is not excepted from this rule.

 When you read the psalms you must understand how the psalmist misunderstands, and therefore misconstrues, the way in which historical events unfold, especially in relation to the will of God.

 Know this!

 God did not rescue the Israelites from Egypt. God did not send the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Ptolemy’s, or the Romans. God did not destroy the temples; neither will God will not protect you or punish you, or show you any favor in this world no matter how fervently you pray for it.

 God is the shepherd of all people, not only of Israel, and not only of Christians.

 Be mindful.

 God does not reside on a throne, God is not a general who comes at the head of an army. When we imagine God thusly, we do a disservice to the divine.

 God’s face shines on everyone, look for it in the face of your neighbor, in the face of your enemy, in the faces of those who persecute you. See God there, and let the image of God change your relationship with all people.

 It is up to us, God’s children, to love to show mercy, and to care for those who are downtrodden.

 It is the desire of God that all people be well and happy. To further this end God desires that we be tolerant of one another, that we care for one another, that we seek the happiness of our neighbors with a spirit of charity.

 It is precisely there that we will come to the peace of God; we will find it in the work of a servant.

 Meditate on what is true, truth that is rooted in love.

 Commit yourself to what is good, know it by the fruit that goodness bears, see it in the benefit which the whole community derives from it.

 Be mindful of those who seek honors, speak of virtue and love praise; we are easily deceived by them, and easily deceived for them.

 Know this!

 The greatest commandment is to love, and to love is the whole of the law.

 To love one another, to give of one’s self to another in love, there is no greater gift.

 The mode of loving that we are called to, is not the mode of love we call desire, though to desire and be desired is an experience of great joy. We are called to move past desire and to move past the scope of love we have for family and friends, because to love those nearest to us is only a short extension of the love we have for ourselves. To love one’s family and friends is an easy way of loving because we see ourselves in the faces of our mothers and fathers, and our sisters and brothers, we see our ambitions as being tied to the ambitions of our friends and allies. It is good to love in this capacity but we are called to love in a greater capacity than this. We are called to love to the point of selflessness, to love even those who are against us, to love our enemies, to forgive those who have hurt us and have done us harm, we are called to feed the stranger and protect them…and to do so with a loving heart.

 This is the great commandment.

 Consider the Gospel for today, it is a piece of pure propaganda, written in the mode of an apology.

 The reading for today is an attempt by the authors of Matthew’s Gospel, written in the first generation after the Roman conquest of Palestine and the destruction of the Temple, to explain to a largely Jewish audience the divine purpose behind those events.

 While Matthew’s community was predominately Jewish, there were gentile converts among them.

 The warning to the readership is this:

 If you do not give up your insistence on retaining your distinctively Jewish traditions, you will be destroyed, and the gentiles among you will take your place as heirs to the promises that God made to your ancestors.

 The narrative is one that the writers of Matthew borrowed from the early prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah and Daniel, whose books were also written in the apologetic mode, in order to explain the destruction of Israel by the Assyrians, and then the destruction of Judea by the Babylonians, followed by the invasion of the Holy Land by Antiochus Epiphanes.

 The basic move that all of these prophets (or those writing in their name) make is to explain current events through the lens of past events. In this case they are putting a prophecy in Jesus’ mouth to explain the Roman invasion of Palestine and the destruction of the temple, along with the ongoing persecution of the Jewish people.

 The lesson they intended to impart was this:

 Everything unfolds according to God’s plan. If you resist God’s plan you will be destroyed and all of your hopes will be dashed. They were pushing the message that these catastrophe’s have happened before and they happen again.

 They wanted to hammer home the idea that all good things come from God. Nothing you have belongs to you and can be taken away in the blink of an eye, if and when God determines to punish you for your lack of faith.

 

First Reading – Isaiah 5:1-7 ©

Against the Lord’s Vineyard

Let me sing to my friend the song of his love for his vineyard.

My friend had a vineyard on a fertile hillside.

He dug the soil, cleared it of stones and planted choice vines in it.

In the middle he built a tower, he dug a press there too.

He expected it to yield grapes, but sour grapes were all that it gave.

And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, I ask you to judge between my vineyard and me.

What could I have done for my vineyard that I have not done?

I expected it to yield grapes.

Why did it yield sour grapes instead?

Very well, I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge for it to be grazed on, and knock down its wall for it to be trampled on.

I will lay it waste, unpruned, undug; overgrown by the briar and the thorn.

I will command the clouds to rain no rain on it.

Yes, the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the House of Israel, and the men of Judah that chosen plant.

He expected justice, but found bloodshed, integrity, but only a cry of distress.

 

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 79(80):9, 12-16, 19-20 ©

The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.

You brought a vine out of Egypt;

  to plant it you drove out the nations.

It stretched out its branches to the sea,

  to the Great River it stretched out its shoots.

The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.

Then why have you broken down its walls?

  It is plucked by all who pass by.

It is ravaged by the boar of the forest,

  devoured by the beasts of the field.

The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.

God of hosts, turn again, we implore,

  look down from heaven and see.

Visit this vine and protect it,

  the vine your right hand has planted.

The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.

And we shall never forsake you again;

  give us life that we may call upon your name.

God of hosts, bring us back;

  let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.

The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.

 

Second Reading – Philippians 4:6-9 ©

If there is Anything You Need, Pray For It.

There is no need to worry; but if there is anything you need, pray for it, asking God for it with prayer and thanksgiving, and that peace of God, which is so much greater than we can understand, will guard your hearts and your thoughts, in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, fill your minds with everything that is true, everything that is noble, everything that is good and pure, everything that we love and honour, and everything that can be thought virtuous or worthy of praise. Keep doing all the things that you learnt from me and have been taught by me and have heard or seen that I do. Then the God of peace will be with you.

 

Gospel Acclamation  Jn15:15

Alleluia, alleluia!

I call you friends, says the Lord, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father.

Alleluia!

 

Alternative Acclamation – John 15:16

Alleluia, alleluia!

I chose you from the world to go out and bear fruit, fruit that will last, says the Lord.

Alleluia!

 

The Gospel According to Matthew 21:33 - 43 ©

This is the Landlord's Heir: Come, Let Us Kill Him

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people, ‘Listen to another parable. There was a man, a landowner, who planted a vineyard; he fenced it round, dug a winepress in it and built a tower; then he leased it to tenants and went abroad. When vintage time drew near he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his servants, thrashed one, killed another and stoned a third. Next he sent some more servants, this time a larger number, and they dealt with them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them. “They will respect my son” he said. But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, “This is the heir. Come on, let us kill him and take over his inheritance.” So they seized him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ They answered, ‘He will bring those wretches to a wretched end and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will deliver the produce to him when the season arrives.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the scriptures:

 It was the stone rejected by the builders

that became the keystone.

This was the Lord’s doing and it is wonderful to see?

‘I tell you, then, that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.’

 

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

Observation - October 8th, 2023, Sunday

the sun is shing

leaves are falling

there is a chill in the air

it is cold in the apartment,

            though the windows are closed

I have not yet

lit the furnace

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

First Reading – Ezekiel 18:25-28 ©

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 24(25):4-9 ©

Second Reading – Philippians 2:1-11 ©

Gospel Acclamation – John 14:23

Alternative Acclamation – John 10:27

The Gospel According to Matthew 21:28 - 32 ©

 

(NJB)

 

Listen!

 As much as we might wish it to be, human justice is not an analog of the divine justice, even when human justice is at its best.

 The goodness or wickedness of a human being is not based on the sum of their actions, as if you could measure their merit or weigh them in a scale. The relative values of good and evil within the human heart must always be considered in relation to a person’s knowledge and freedom, their understanding of themselves and the world in which they act.

 No human can judge the ultimate value of an activity, in terms of good and evil, of any person’s deeds, including their own. We are not capable of judging such things.

 The things we do go out from us, and the consequences that flow from them take on a life of their own. Actions taken with good intentions may have harmful consequences, an evil deed may have good ones.

 This is one a mysteries.

 The things a person does in life continue to shape the world long after they are gone; what matters in terms of merit or culpability is the intention that motivates the action and the personal-reflection that follows.

 Consider the words of the psalmist.

 Lift up your spirit and give your life to God, the creator of the universe, to God who has given you everything.

 Do not expect God to take sides with you in any conflict, because God loves all of God’s children equally, and does not discriminate.

 God does not pick favorites.

 If you ask God to punish the faithless and the promise breakers, you must know that you are asking God to punish you—yourself…for as wisdom has it, we have all sinned and fallen short of the mark.

 Pray for guidance, knowing that God desires that you be well, knowing that God has made you and all of creation free, and that God will not intervene in the course of your life.

 Believe that God is merciful, that God has allowed for your existence even knowing of all your crimes; God accounted for them before the beginning time.

 God knew what you would do, and God knows what you have done, God has born the burden of your crimes and your guilty heart, and God has forgiven you…forgave you…before the beginning and in the end.

 Remember!

 All the ways of God are kindness and mercy.

 Walk humbly, love justice, be compassionate. This is the way.

 Know this!

 God is not concerned with glory. Jesus is not interested in having a name above all other names. Jesus is not a price or a king, he was our friend and brother.

 Do not worry about bending the knee, just confess the truth that God is love, and spend the days of your life in loving service to your sisters and brothers in God.

 Love fosters love, and there is always love for God is always with you.

 Be mindful,

 Grace is not transactional. Grace cannot be traded and bartered for like a commodity.

 Everyone who is, everyone without exception, everyone is somewhere on a path that leads to God. We are all somewhere along the way.

 There is no other way.

 Do not trouble yourself if you do not understand the journey that another person is on, God is guiding them, just as God is guiding you. God will be patient with you if you resist, just as God is patient with everyone.

 Be mindful.

 God will not lose a single one; none of us are lost to God. God is with us, and we are in God; there is no place where the divine is not.

 Consider the gospel reading for today, it is a piece of pure politics.

 The writers of Matthew’s gospel are making a direct appeal to the remnants of John’s followers, which is a recurring theme in Matthew, who would have us believe that John and Jesus were cousins.

 The writers of Matthew are doing everything they can to bring John’s followers into the new church, both by convincing them that Jesus was the heir to John’s ministry, and by convincing the new church to accept the outcasts among them.

 

First Reading – Ezekiel 18:25-28 ©

When the Sinner Renounces Sin, He Shall Certainly Live

The word of the Lord was addressed to me as follows: ‘You object, “What the Lord does is unjust.” Listen, you House of Israel: is what I do unjust? Is it not what you do that is unjust? When the upright man renounces his integrity to commit sin and dies because of this, he dies because of the evil that he himself has committed. When the sinner renounces sin to become law-abiding and honest, he deserves to live. He has chosen to renounce all his previous sins; he shall certainly live; he shall not die.’

 

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 24(25):4-9 ©

Remember your mercy, Lord.

Lord, make me know your ways.

  Lord, teach me your paths.

Make me walk in your truth, and teach me:

  for you are God my saviour.

Remember your mercy, Lord.

Remember your mercy, Lord,

  and the love you have shown from of old.

Do not remember the sins of my youth.

  In your love remember me,

  because of your goodness, O Lord.

Remember your mercy, Lord.

The Lord is good and upright.

  He shows the path to those who stray,

He guides the humble in the right path,

  He teaches his way to the poor.

Remember your mercy, Lord.

 

Second Reading – Philippians 2:1-11 ©

Be United in Your Love

If our life in Christ means anything to you, if love can persuade at all, or the Spirit that we have in common, or any tenderness and sympathy, then be united in your convictions and united in your love, with a common purpose and a common mind. That is the one thing which would make me completely happy. There must be no competition among you, no conceit; but everybody is to be self-effacing. Always consider the other person to be better than yourself, so that nobody thinks of his own interests first but everybody thinks of other people’s interests instead. In your minds you must be the same as Christ Jesus:

His state was divine, yet he did not cling to his equality with God but emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave, and became as men are; and being as all men are, he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross.

But God raised him high and gave him the name which is above all other names so that all beings in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld, should bend the knee at the name of Jesus and that every tongue should acclaim Jesus Christ as Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 

Gospel Acclamation – John 14:23

Alleluia, alleluia!

If anyone loves me he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him.

Alleluia!

 

Alternative Acclamation – John 10:27

Alleluia, alleluia!

The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice, says the Lord, I know them and they follow me.

Alleluia!

 

The Gospel According to Matthew 21:28 - 32 ©

Tax Collectors and Prostitutes Are Entering the Kingdom of God Before You

Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people, ‘What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He went and said to the first, “My boy, you go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not go,” but afterwards thought better of it and went. The man then went and said the same thing to the second who answered, “Certainly, sir,” but did not go. Which of the two did the father’s will?’ ‘The first’ they said. Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you solemnly, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you, a pattern of true righteousness, but you did not believe him, and yet the tax collectors and prostitutes did. Even after seeing that, you refused to think better of it and believe in him.’

 

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