TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

11 OCTOBER 2020

 

          The prophet Isaiah speaks to a people whose daily diet barely sustains their lives.  He promises that on this mountain, the Lord of hosts will provide a wonderful banquet, including rich food and choice wines.  On this mountain, he will swallow up death and wipe away the tears from every face.  On this mountain, people will recognize the Lord who will save them.

            When Isaiah speaks of “this mountain,” he refers to Mount Zion where the temple, the dwelling place of God is, built.  Today, Jesus continues to speak to the chief priests and elders of the people on this mountain in the temple.  He tells them another parable to explain the dynamics of the kingdom of heaven. 

            A king invites guests to a wedding feast for his son.  Like Isaiah’s banquet, this wedding feast is lavish and beyond the means of most inhabitants of his kingdom.  In 2005, Oprah invited hundreds of rich and famous people to a fabulous banquet.  They all came!  In this parable, the guests refuse to come.  So the king graciously sends out his servants to invite other guests.  These guests ignore the invitation and mistreat his servants, killing some of them.  Enraged, the king burns their city and sends his servants to invite anyone they encounter, good and bad alike.

            Throughout the Gospel of Saint Matthew, Jesus has been inviting everyone to be part of the rich and gracious feast that is the kingdom of heaven.  The chief priests and elders have refused the invitation.  Their ancestors had murdered God’s servants, the prophets, who had repeatedly invited them to repent and embrace the Covenant.  Now, they are refusing to accept the invitation of God’s only Son.  After they have had him killed, he will be raised from the dead and form a new temple.  This temple will not be built of stones.  It will be formed from his risen body and include all those who have been invited to participate in the wedding feast of the Son.

            You and I have accepted that invitation.  The Lord has invited us, not because we have deserved to be invited, and not because we have been good, but because he loves us and wants to include us in the kingdom of heaven.  As members of his Body, we are gathered here at the wedding feast of the Lamb, fed by the finest food anyone can imagine.  By participating in this Eucharist, we are being formed into a temple made of living stones.

            However, the parable has a warning for us today.  And that warning has nothing to do with a “dress code” in the Kingdom of heaven.  In a wedding feast at the time of Jesus, the king would have provided the guests with wedding garments.  He addresses this guest who is violating the dress code as “friend.”  His lack of response shows that he has no intention of changing.  In the parable of the workers in the vineyard, the owner addresses as “friend” the last one paid who complains that he got paid as much as the ones who worked for only one hour.  When Judas is about to betray Jesus with a kiss, Jesus calls him “friend.”  The Lord addresses us as “friend,” because he loves us and wants us to repent and be part of his kingdom.

            This parable challenges us to do more than simply show up at the wedding feast of the Lamb.  We must wear our baptismal garments and carry the values of the kingdom out of this church and into the world in which we live.  We are more than invited guests of the Bridegroom.  We are actually his bride, the Church.  Wearing our baptismal garments means that we take our faith seriously.  Mother Theresa said it best:  “We are all called to  be contemplatives in the heart of the world — by seeking the face of God in everything, everyone, everywhere, all the time, and [God’s] hand in every happening; seeing and adoring the presence of Jesus, especially in the lowly appearance of bread, and in the distressing disguise of the poor.”

 

TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

4 OCTOBER 2020

 

          In recent Sundays, Saint Matthew has been helping us to understand the conflicts which Jesus has been having with the religious leaders of the people.  After he had thrown out the money changers from the Temple, he tries to help the chief priests and elders of the people that he has the ultimate authority over the temple.  But they refuse to listen to the words of John the Baptist calling them to repent.  They are like the second son in last Sunday’s parable.

            Today, he tells them another parable.  They are familiar with Isaiah’s song of the vineyard.  In that song, Isaiah used a vineyard as an image for the people of Israel.  Echoing the words of Psalm 80, he pointed out that God had transplanted them from Egypt and established them with great care and love.  But, they turned away from the Covenant and put their trust in false gods.  Despite God’s care and love, they had produced wild grapes.  As a result, God allowed his people to be overrun by the Babylonians.

            Jesus draws the chief priests and elders of the people into his parable.  He tells them about the servants who had been badly treated.  Then he tells them about the owner’s son.  He asks how the tenants should be treated.  When they agree that they should be punished, he clearly tells them that he is that Son.  He reminds the chief priests and leaders of the people that they are the current tenants of God’s vineyard.  Just as their ancestors had badly treated the prophets, they are the ones who will take the Son of God outside the vineyard and kill him.

            Then Jesus switches metaphors.  He speaks this parable in the temple, which had been undergoing a complete renovation for fifty years.  Just as the builders are choosing the ideal cornerstones to hold the structure together and rejecting those that do not fit, he identifies himself as the cornerstone.  He has been rejected by the builders and will form a new temple and invite those who embrace his message to become human stones being built into a magnificent structure.

            Jesus addresses this same parable to us today.  We are the current tenants of the vineyard.  We live at a time when so much of what we use is disposable.  All our goods are designed to be used for a short time and discarded.  The “state of the art” technology purchased in 2008 for our Parish Education Center is already out of date.  I have gone through at least three disposable printers for my computer since then.  Unfortunately, our culture has this same attitude toward human life.  Instead of regarding all human life with the dignity that comes from believing that humans are created in the image of God, our culture regards human life as disposable.

            Unborn children have no protection as human persons under our current laws.  Too often, euthanasia and assisted suicide are seen as solutions to difficult problems of aging and disability.  Human embryos are being destroyed in the name of research.  The death penalty is being used to combat crime.  And we are too quick to resort to war to address international disputes.

            We are tempted to believe that we can do nothing about the state of affairs in today’s vineyard.  Focusing our attention and prayers on life issues during this Respect Life month can give us the hope that comes from our union with Jesus Christ, the stone rejected by the builders.  We can study the Bishops’ guide to forming consciences for Faithful Citizenship as a way of growing in our understanding of Church teachings on life issues.  We can take another look at all the opportunities offered by Barb Williams and our parish pro-life activities.  We can support the effective work of the Women’s Care Center in reaching out to expectant mothers.  In a time of division and loss of objective truth, we can make more a difference than we think.  We must remain on the firm foundation established by Jesus Christ, the stone rejected by the builders.

 

 

TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

27 SEPTEMBER 2020

 

          Those who lived in the ancient world were concerned with bringing honor to the family and avoiding shame.  Given that context, the younger son in today’s parable brings shame on his father.  His shameful response of disobedience and defiance is a blunt statement that he simply does not want to do what his father asks him.  In contrast, the second son brings honor to his father by politely responding, “Yes, sir.” (The Greek word is “Lord.”)

            However shameful the first son’s response may have been, he changes his mind later and goes to work in his father’s vineyard.  Like tax collectors and prostitutes who had heeded John the Baptist’s call to repentance, this first son repents and does what his father had asked him to do.  The second son is very pious and respectful, but he does not go into the vineyard.  He is like the chief priests and elders who had refused to listen to the challenge of John the Baptist as he pointed the way to Jesus as the Messiah.  Despite their status as religious leaders of the people, they refuse to acknowledge the truth about Jesus Christ.

            When Jesus asks the chief priests and religious leaders which of the two sons did the will of his father, they have to respond, “The first.”  Their faces surely revealed shock as they realize that Jesus is referring to them as the second son.  They are becoming angry that Jesus is putting the conversion of tax collectors and prostitutes, the lowest in terms of faith and morality, ahead of them.  Instead of listening to the parable and applying it to themselves, they begin plotting to kill this itinerant preacher from Nazareth who continues to humiliate them.

            Jesus addresses this same parable to us.  Throughout our lives, we can identify with both sons in the parables.  On the one hand, the parable is a warning.  Sometimes we resemble the second son in our external piety.  Earlier in the Gospel, Jesus warns against those who call out “Lord, Lord” but do not put their faith into action.  When we act like the second son, he challenges us to examine the integrity of our discipleship and get involved in the vineyard. 

            The parable can also become a consolation when we behave like the first son and refuse to respond to the Lord calling us.  Like the first son, we can change our minds and repent of our refusal to get involved in the work of the Lord.  Once we have repented, we can act on the Lord’s mercy, roll up our sleeves, and get involved in the Lord’s work.

            Saint Paul gives excellent advice on how to respond to the Lord’s call.  He writes to the Philippians, who have been arguing about who was more important and who was more faithful in the Lord’s service.  His magnificent hymn encourages them to have the same attitude which Christ displayed.  Even though he was in the form of God, he emptied himself, took the form of a slave, and came in human likeness.  In his obedience, he endured death on the cross, and was exalted by God and raised from the dead.

            If we embrace this attitude, we can also do the Father’s will in our lives.  If we empty ourselves of pride, arrogance, and a desire to be important, we too can imitate the example of the first son and do the Father’s will.  In this time of pandemic and social divisions, everyone has his or her own opinions about everything.  As members of the Church, Christ’s Body, we can humbly submit ourselves to the authority of our Bishop and trust that his guidance can lead us to a deeper involvement in the work of building up the kingdom of heaven.  We can work together to get through these confusing days of the pandemic.  We can enter into respectful dialogue with those with whom we disagree.  In a year when we have been unable to renew our stewardship of service, we can roll up our sleeves and become ministers of hospitality to welcome those who have the courage to join us at Mass.  The Lord is looking for discipleship in action.

 

TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

20 SEPTEMBER 2020

 

          Those who heard this parable from the mouth of Jesus must have sympathized with the day laborers who had worked an entire 12 hour day under the hot sun.  It is not fair that they receive the same pay as those laborers who worked for only one hour.  And to be honest, we share that same sympathy today.  How could any employer sustain a healthy work force using these tactics?  The answer is simple:  none!

            And that is exactly the point of the parable.  As Isaiah reminds his people, God’s ways are not our ways.  The kingdom of heaven, which Jesus has been proclaiming for weeks, is very different from the kingdom in which we currently live.  In the kingdom of heaven, the essence of a person is not determined by how much he or she works or how much he or she has earned.  The essence of a person is determined by the fact that God has made us in his image.  God offers his grace, a generous share in his life, not because we have earned it or deserved it.  God invites everyone to respond.  It does not matter to God when we respond to that invitation – whether at the beginning of our lives, when we reach middle age, or just before death. 

            The fact that we are gathered in this church or participating on line indicates that we have responded to the Lord’s call.  We are working to embrace the kingdom of heaven already present in our midst.  We work to respect the dignity of all people, unborn or born, rich or poor, whether they are immigrants or citizens, and members of all races.  As the Body of Christ, we also work to be instruments of God’s gracious invitation for others to embrace the kingdom of heaven and join us in this work.

            Please watch this video for the Annual Bishop’s Appeal.  Our support of the Appeal assists Bishop Rhoades and those who work with him in the work of evangelization, of spreading the good news of the kingdom of heaven in our midst. 

 

TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

13 SEPTEMBER 2020

 

          Peter’s question indicates that he has been listening to Jesus talking about the kingdom of heaven.  He is beginning to understand that mercy is at the center of this kingdom.  Based on the teaching of Jesus and his actions, Peter asks how many times he needs to forgive a brother who sins against him.  Seven times, he asks?  In the Hebrew tradition, seven is a symbolic number.  It refers to the perfection of God’s seven-day work of creation in the first chapter of Genesis.  Peter is shocked at his response:  “Not seven times, but seventy-times seven times.” Jesus refers to the perfect seven day creation another seventy times.  In the kingdom of heaven which Jesus is establishing, forgiveness will be a never ending cycle.  Those who belong to the kingdom of heaven must continue to forgive, not because the offender deserves to be forgiven, but because his Father has granted forgiveness in the first place.

            That is why Jesus tells this parable about an exchange between the king (called literally Kyrios or Lord in the Greek text) and his servant, who would never be able to repay his debt for the rest of his life.  The king could have ordered his servant to be thrown into prison, which would have resulted in untold pain, torture, and probably death.  Instead, he ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and his property in payment of the debt.  When the servant expresses his deep anguish, the king is moved with compassion and forgives his debt.

            When the forgiven servant runs into a fellow servant who owes him 600,000 times less than he had owed the king, he treats him with violence, refuses to forgive the debt, and throws him into the horrors of a first century prison.  Shocked by his lack of compassion, the other servants report his harsh refusal to forgive to the king.  The king (Kyrios) reminds the servant that he had given pity (eleison) to him, a gift that this servant refuses to give to a fellow servant.  That refusal to have pity and forgive will cost him his life.

            During Advent and Lent, we use those Greek words at the beginning of Mass (Kyrie eleison) to remind us of the Lord’s infinite mercy toward us.  Because we have received a mercy that we can never pay back, we are expected to forgive those who sin against us.  Forgiving another person does not imply that the sinful action was not wrong.  It remains wrong.  Nor does forgiving another person imply that we must have warm and tender feelings toward the offender.  In fact, if the offense involved abuse, the most forgiving action is to avoid that person and seek professional help to move beyond the terrible pain inflicted by the abuse.

            Having the will to move beyond the hurt and anger offers the key to genuine forgiveness.  Anger is a human emotion, given to us by God.  There is nothing wrong with expressing anger in healthy ways.  The emotion of anger lets us know that an injustice has been done.  But we cannot hold on to that anger and allow it to turn into hate.  In today’s first reading, Sirach makes an important point.  Wrath and anger can become hateful things.  If we insist on holding onto wrath and anger, we can never forgive another person from our hearts, as God has forgiven us.  Especially in cases of grave injustice, it takes a long time to let go of that wrath and anger.  Bringing wrath and anger to the Sacrament of Reconciliation allows the Lord who forgives us to strengthen our resolve to forgive someone else.  I remember a woman whose husband left her with six young children for another woman.  For years, she hugged onto that anger and wrath.  For years, her bitterness and resentment affected the way she treated everyone else.  Finally, through the grace of the Sacrament and the awareness that her anger and wrath did nothing to harm her ex-husband, she was able to let go.  Knowing the Lord’s mercy to her, she finally was able to move on.  Forgiveness works.  It is at the heart of the kingdom of heaven.

 

TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

6 SEPTEMBER 2020

 

          Jesus promised that the gates of the netherworld would not prevail against his Church, built on the rock of Simon Peter’s profession of faith.  But, he did not promise that his Church would be free from conflict.  After all, the Church he founded is not made of physical buildings.  It is a community of frail human believers.

            Knowing that conflict will always be a part of his Church, Jesus gives clear guidelines for resolving conflict within the Christian community.  The first step involves confrontation.  If one member sins against another member, he or she should approach the offending person and offer fraternal correction.  Like the shepherd going after a lost sheep, this encounter needs to be both honest and loving.  This first step hopes for conversion and a change of heart.  If this first step fails, then the offended person needs to bring a couple more members who are familiar with the situation for a process of negotiation.  Hopefully, these witnesses will be able to resolve the conflict before it spreads further.  If this second step fails, the next step involves adjudication – going to the leader of the Church.  In the case of the parochial Church, this step involves me.  In the case of the local Church (the Diocese), this step involves Bishop Rhoades.  If none of these attempts fail, the rare action of excommunicating the offender is possible.  Taking these steps affects our presence in the world, because reconciliation is crucial for the mission of the Church,        This process is extremely difficult.  It is much easier to complain about an offender’s action to other people instead of actually approaching the offender with authentic love and genuine concern for the good of the other.  Taking this step often ends in failure.  That is why Jesus recommends the next step.  The intent of gathering a couple of people to approach the offender is not to form a posse to attack that person, but to make more evident the damage that has been done.  And, of course, there is always recourse to the Church (represented by the one who is charged with authority).  Fortunately, the Church excommunicates very few people these days.  If offenders do not get their way, they usually separate themselves from the community.

            At this particular time, we need to heed the Lord’s instructions on handling conflict.  Too often, parishioners want to skip the first two steps and go immediately to the Bishop to resolve their conflicts.  I know from my own experience as one of his Episcopal Vicars.  The Bishop calls on me, his Vicar, to meet with people to try to resolve their conflicts within their parishes and with their pastors.  In skipping the first two steps, they forget that the task of binding and loosing is actually entrusted to them, if they only accept their responsibility to approach offenders with love and honesty. 

To make matters worse, the dynamics of this pandemic have increased the conflicts that are already part of our parish community.  In our isolation, it is much easier to magnify the grievances and disagreements that are always part of any well intentioned Christian community.  In our divided society, everyone has his or her opinion about how the pandemic should be handled.  Today’s Gospel offers the Church as a way of resolving this conflict.  Bishop Rhoades has given us clear guidance on how to proceed.  His guidance has resulted in requiring us to wear masks, to avoid congregational singing, and to curtail our gathering together as a community in our normal ways.  Whether we agree or not with his specific instructions, our obedience will carry us through this difficult time, as well as our love of neighbor.  In the second reading, Saint Paul describes love of neighbor as fulfillment of the law.  The Lord promises that where two or three are gathered in his name, he will be in our midst in the unity that comes from the Spirit.  The Lord is in our midst, giving us courage to face and resolve our conflicts with love.

 

TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

30 AUGUST 2020

 

          Last Sunday, Simon identified Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God.  Jesus pointed out that did not have lucky guess, but a direct revelation from the Father.  In response, Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter, which means “Rock.”  On the rock of Peter’s profession of faith, Jesus will build his Church – not a physical building, but a community of believers who will be protected from the gates of the netherworld.  Within this community of believers, Jesus gave Peter authority, symbolized by keys to the kingdom of heaven.  Peter and his successors would be charged with binding and loosing:  teaching about the authentic identity of Jesus Christ; legislating to ensure proper order; and giving spiritual guidance to every age.

            Today, Jesus clarifies his mission as the Christ.  He has come as a humble suffering servant who will suffer greatly, as Jeremiah had suffered greatly for speaking the truth.  He will be killed by the religious leaders of his day.  He will be raised on the third day.

            Peter is horrified when he hears about this mission.  Like his contemporaries who had been waiting for centuries for the promised Messiah, he expected Jesus to be a conquering hero, like King David.  Peter could not imagine that the Son of the living God would be exposed to death, especially death on a cross.  Instead of remaining a rock responding to divine revelation, Peter now reacts as a mortal human and responds with horror and disbelief.  Jesus reacts strongly to Peter, as he had reacted strongly when Satan had tempted him in the desert to abandon his mission of suffering and death.  He calls him “Satan” for tempting him.  Peter, the “Rock,” now becomes Peter the stumbling block. 

            Even though Jesus reacts with anger, he does not tell Peter to get lost.  Instead, he tells him to get behind him.  In other words, he tells him to continue to follow him and learn how to be an authentic disciple.  In following Jesus, Peter and the other disciples will learn those lessons.  They will learn how to deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow him.  It is a tough lesson, but they will eventually learn its truth, including the truth of the resurrection.

            It is a tough lesson for us today.  Like Simon Peter, we often stumble when we encounter the Lord’s command to deny ourselves.  We live in a culture that encourages us to focus on our own individual welfare and happiness.  If we are serious about denying ourselves, then we must move away from the desire to make ourselves the center of everything.  If we choose to bear our crosses, then we will be more willing to undertake some painful action or sacrifice to make someone else’s life better.  If we choose to get behind Jesus and follow him, we will learn some very important lessons.  We will learn that accumulating power or wealth or domination or status will not last.  None of these things will produce real authentic life.  None of these will win out over the great equalizer that is death.

            At this time, we are inviting people to consider turning more completely toward Jesus Christ and become part of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (the RCIA).  If you know of someone who is interested in becoming Catholic, please encourage them to contact Michael Rubbelke.  His contact information is in the bulletin.  We will work with those who have never been baptized or who have been baptized in another Christian tradition.  We will mark their growth in faith by celebrating Rites at Mass.  In the first Rite, we give each Candidate or Catechumen a precious gift – the gift of the cross.  It is the same gift that we give to infants about to be baptized.  We are upfront about the Lord’s demands to deny ourselves, carry crosses, and follow Jesus.  But we are also upfront about the results of authentic discipleship.  We trust the Lord’s promise that in losing ourselves, we will inherit a share in the resurrection from the dead.