THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY OF YEAR "A"

THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY OF YEAR 1     

Mt. 25, 14 - 30: Talents

            Mark Twain said, “October is one of the peculiarly dangerous months to speculate in the stock market. The others are July, January, September, April, November, May, March, June, December, August, and February.” In other words, every month is risky. The apostles of Jesus must have looked upon their Leader as a most impractical fellow. He had managed a small carpentry shop in Nazareth to provide for his mother and self. Then sold it when he began his ministry and left the money to his mother. Where he was concerned, he never seemed to take a thought for tomorrow. He lived in a beautiful house without doors, windows, walls and roof. He kept his money inside a fish, yes, a fish. Since he was Jewish, he didn’t keep a piggy bank. So when the revenue officer came knocking on his metaphorical door, Jesus threw a line, pulled up his fishy bank and paid up. He acted as if that was the most natural place to look for coins. He was hardly equipped to work in the real world of business and finance.

At that point, the Teacher unloaded a mega bomb on his disciples. He spread the Parable of the Talents on them, his last parable before his assassination.  So, you can assume it was a big one in his mind. The first thing the apostles learned was that their penniless employer was pretty smart about finances, savings bank and tax free investments. They received a valuable insight into the forever unfolding mosaic that is Christ. However sinful you are, you cannot help being fascinated by Jesus; his ongoing charm for millions in the East and West.

So, today’s parable is about top dogs and fat cats leaving their assets in the hands of brokers while they fled the winter to play in the sun. The wealthy man of this parable parcelled his dollars out to three agents. The first two smart alecks ran off to a stock broker and doubled the dollars by buying blue chip stocks. The third man ran scared. This wimp didn’t want to risk a bad mouthing from the boss. So he buried the negotiables among the daffodils. He didn’t have the gumption to put the cash in a savings bank to draw the measly 4.5%. Then the chief returns sun-tanned from his run in the sun, and demands to see his profits. Very pleased with the first two beaming broncos, he rewards them handsomely. Then he beats up the third fellow who was still blowing the dust off the dollars he had hidden in the mud, and calls him names which I cannot repeat here. I leave that to your imagination.

My dear friends, here is a new dimension of Christ. He is a gambler. Christianity without pluck is Christianity without the beef, so to say. God encourages us to plunge into life and run the risk of proving we can be venturesome, enterprising and faithful.

Consider the 2^nd. reading of today. The Thessalonian Christians were very excited about the 2^nd. coming of Jesus, which they thought was imminent. St. Paul had to calm them down. But now-a-days Jesus Christ plays little or no role in the lives of many Christians. There is no sense of urgency in their lives, no expectation that God’s power can break in any moment of their lives. The presence of sin and evil in the world shows that God’s final victory is yet to happen. There is something to hope for, something that we believers need very deeply. We must maintain a lively faith and an enthusiastic hope. “Who does God’s work will get God’s pay.”

 Consider the description of the wife in the first reading. She spends herself for her husband’s sake.  Read it as a description of the spouse in whom Christ himself delights, this final poem from the Book of Proverbs comes alive. Not only is the gift of wisdom picked up from last week’s Gospel, but eagerness and industry, magnanimity and generosity are highlighted as some of the hallmarks in which the husband rejoices. The wife here stands for the Church, the bride of Christ. How Jesus must thrill to see his Church set her hands to the cause of the kingdom in every age, and her fingers grasp the issues that grip humanity at this turning-point in history. For better for worse, the Church is the wife in whom Christ’s heart has confidence.

The tragedy of the man who buried his talent in the ground lies in the lame excuse: “I was afraid.” Fear is the enemy of faith, because its focus is turned inward. Its centre of gravity is self rather than God. The third servant was as tightly wrapped up in himself as that talent he had wrapped so carefully in that napkin.

One fine morning the late good Pope John XXIII got up from bed and told his secretary he was going to call an ecumenical council. Secretary counselled caution. Pope John answered: “You haven’t yet shed yourself. You’re still concerned with the impression you make.” And our present Holy Father champions a Church that refuses to be intimidated by the prophets of gloom, or engaged in a rearguard action. Instead, the Church trades confidently with the talents which have been given her on trust. Those who counsel caution might as well bury their heads with their talent. The aim of every Christian is to say, before the undertaker shuts us down, “I have given life of my best.” My dear friends, what you are is God’s gift to you. What you become is your gift to God.

What good is the Good News if we keep it ourselves?

Christ’s message—the Good News of compassion, of mercy, of justice, of hope— is meant to be lived. It is meant to be shared. It is meant to be spread to others.

Are we doing that? Or are we too frightened of what that might involve?

Again and again, we hear in the gospels these simple words: “Do not be afraid.” In this parable, we see the consequences of being afraid.

But the call to live the gospel is a call, in fact, to be fearless.

In St. Matthew’s Gospel, this passage is the final parable before The Passion, the last lesson. As the master gave talents to his servants, Christ gives this one last parable to his followers. Jesus is pointing toward the last chapter of his earthly life—and, really, the last chapter of ours. His final advice: use what you have and make more.

Make everything I’ve told you matter.

This message is about using time—and it is timely.  All this month, we have been reminded: life has its limits. We began November by honoring all saints and all souls. Every day here in this parish, we have been remembering our beloved dead. We announce their names at Mass. We see this open book here by the altar and recall those we have lost—parents, friends, neighbors, children. This gospel looks at the sum of our life’s work and asks, “What have you done with the time you’ve had?” It stands as a challenge to us— a call to live with purpose. To use what we have been given. Because there will be a reckoning. We have to give an accounting.

I think of that moment at the end of “Saving Private Ryan,” where the dying captain looks into the eyes of Private Ryan—a young man for whom so many had sacrificed so much. And the captain whispers with his last breath, “Earn this.”

Earn this.

Jesus gave his life for our salvation. We can’t possibly give as much back in return. But we can make what we do matter. We can carry Christ into the world. We can love others as Christ loved us.

We can spend our days trying to live out the gospel we heard at the beginning of this month: the Beatitudes. Being people who are merciful. Who hunger and thirst for justice. Who are peacemakers.

We can make of our lives—with whatever God has given us—gifts.

We can make them works of art.

Eric Fischl managed to sum up a powerful idea about talent—and, without realizing it, about Christian love.

The fact is that each of us is called to create something beautiful and new with what we have been given.

And each of us has to give it away. To let it go. To use the “talent” in our hands and in our hearts.

In the end, that is what makes a masterpiece.

PRAYER (Timothy Dudley-Smith)

O God, whose wisdom has set within our hearts the quest for know- ledge and trusteeship in the natural world, teach us to use all science, invention and technology not to hurt but to heal, not to destroy but to build, not to divide but to unite your human family in prosperity and dignity together. And let not our knowledge outstrip our wisdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord.                    

GOD’S WORKERS

Who does God’s work, will get God’s pay,

However long may seem the day,

However weary be the way.

Though powers and princes thunder “Nay!”

No human hand God’s hand can stay;

Who does His work will get His pay.

God hurries not, nor makes delay;

Who works for Him will get His pay

Some certain hour, some certain day.

He does not pay as others pay,

In gold, or land, or raiment gay,

In goods that perish and decay.

But God’s high wisdom knows a way,

And this is sure, let come what may,

Who does God’s work will get God’s pay.

St. Thomas’ Church, Calcutta,

Sunday 17^th. November 2002

THIRTY-SECOND SUNDAY OF YEAR "A"

THIRTY-SECOND OF YEAR 1

Cycle “A”: Wisdom 6, 2-16; Mt. 25, 1 -13: “Stay awake, be ready.”

“It is not easy to be a Christian, but it is easy to make a start,” observes a spiritual writer. The originality of Jesus is once again revealed in the ease with which he takes ordinary customs around him and weaves them into his parables. A wedding in Palestine was a marvellous excuse for a super-party. The people deserved it. Their lives were ones of back-breaking toil, as the wonderful musical “Fiddler on the Roof” put it, from sunrise to sunset. There was no honeymoon for bride and groom in a posh resort. Rather, they stayed home and threw a party for seven days. It would the most joy filled interlude of their lives. And the overworked townspeople never complained that there were too many weddings. All, even workaholics, love a good party and a few laughs.

Now you can gauge better the bitter disappointment of the five careless bridesmaids. It’s easy to make a start but hard to persevere. The prized privilege of Jewish bridesmaids was to escort the bride and bridegroom into the wedding hall and to take part in the wedding feast. When the foolish bridesmaids heard that the wedding party was on its way they went off to buy oil. They were not present when the bridegroom arrived and so he was unable to get to know them. That is why when the bridesmaids finally showed up, he tells them, “Truly I say to you, I do not know you.” (vs. 12) and does not allow them to take part in the wedding celebrations. The bridesmaids lost the chance to know the bridegroom and to be known by him. Despite all their new finery, they were shut out of the wedding ceremony and they would not be able to party hearty for a week. Seems like harsh treatment for those maidens. Yes, maidens they were, but they were not children. They knew the rules and should have played the game accordingly.  They didn’t reflect on the how, what and the when of the facts they were going to face. They were called to something superb, but failed to prepare themselves thoughtfully, wisely, to meet the needs of the situation. When the Word of God has shown us the way to achieve something, there are no two ways about it.

Flasks of oil are what distinguished the wise and circumspect bridesmaids. In other words, resourcefulness, which is the mark of wisdom.  There is something wonderfully hard-nosed about the Jewish concept of wisdom. It is supremely practical. Like the scales of the money-changer, it enables you to weigh up whether you are dealing with the real thing or with counterfeits.  Wisdom helps you to make up your mind. It enables you to see things as God sees them. There are no two ways to achieve something when God has shown us the way for it. No finer prayer for wisdom than the prayer of Saint Therese (of Child Jesus): “Make me see things as they really are.” 

To be wise we must be willing to suspend our own beliefs about something, to set aside our prejudices, and to think with an open mind. We must be eager to branch out and learn in many different areas, even at the risk of being embarrassed or looking foolish. We must be willing to admit we don’t know everything and are willing to learn. We must see learning as a desirable process that may include making mistakes along the road to knowledge. The more you learn about a subject the more interesting it becomes and the more there is to learn.

In this parable the five enterprising bridesmaids represent the Gentiles. They have embraced the Messiah. The foolish ones, the Jews, look wistfully at their dead lamps. They have come up empty.  How long can you keep running on empty? There is never a time when it is safe to take a vacation from the Christian life. That microsecond could be our last.  We cannot get character or virtue on a Credit Card; we must develop our own. We must be ready for Christ when he comes knocking at the door for our already scheduled deaths. So even while we wait, we must make sure that what we are living for is truly worth dying for.

So, how shall we want wisdom ? To answer that let me end with the story of the young Greek and the philosopher Socrates. A young man went to the philosopher Socrates and said, “I want wisdom.” Socrates asked him, “How do you want it ?” the young Greek answered, “How do I want it ? I don’t know; you show me.”  Socrates advised him, “Come here tomorrow morning and I’ll show you how to want wisdom.” The next morning the young man reported for his lesson, and Socrates led him walking to the seaside. They both walked into the sea until they were waist deep in the water. Suddenly Socrates caught the man’s head and dunked it into the water, keeping it there for a long time. Then he pulled it up, the young man gasping and coughing. Socrates dunked his head again and once more, keeping it under the sea for a longer period. When finally he released the man’s head, he asked him, “When your head was under the water, what were you wanting most ?”  The young man, with desperate gasps and coughs, answered,  “I...I...I...was wanting air, to breath for dear life.” And the philosopher Socrates said, “That’s how you must want wisdom.”

PRAYER (St. Thomas Aquinas  1225 - 1274):   O Creator past all telling, you have so beautifully set out all parts of the universe; you are the true fount of wisdom and the noble origin of all things.  Be pleased to shed on the darkness of my mind the beam and warmth of your light to dispel my ignorance and sin.  Instruct my speech and touch my lips with graciousness; make me keen to understand, quick to learn, and able to remember; and keep me finely tuned to interpret your word, for you are God for ever and ever.    Amen.

 

 

THIRTY-FIRST SUNDAY OF YEAR "A"

THIRTY-FIRST SUNDAY OF YEAR I

Mal 1, 14b-2; 2, 8-10

Mt. 23, 1 - 12: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled”

Let me tell you the story of the monk. This monk was appointed to a certain monastery. On arrival he knocked on the door and was admitted in. From his manner and appearance, the monks judged him beneath them. So they sent him to work in the kitchen at the most menial tasks. Uncomplaining, he spent long hours scouring pots, moping floors, and shelling beans. Finally, the bishop of the diocese arrived at the monastery. When he could not find the new monk, he went on a search. Of course,  he found him in the kitchen, preparing that night’s supper. During the evening prayer in the chapel the bishop pulled out the letter of appointment and officially presented the new monk as their new abbot.  The monks received a lesson in humility that would last them a lifetime and beyond. Their Abbott was the man whom the Lord wants in his service.  The counterfeits He often times gets, ordained and otherwise, He does not need.

The first reading is from the prophecy by an anonymous writer called Malachi (meaning “messenger”) in the 4^th. century B.C. After their Exile, the people’s initial fervour had cooled and they had given themselves over to worldly ways. The priests, too, were often corrupt and insincere. Our reading contains a stern warning to the priests. God will turn his blessings into curses because they have failed to honour him by faithful service.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is portrayed as consistently hard on the scribes and Pharisees.

  And why ?  One reason was, obviously, their hypocrisy. Like any of us, Jesus found arrogance and insincerity revolting. Besides, these people propagated a brand of religion which can be dangerously attractive. For example, the reduction of religion to meticulous observance, of external practices and regulations. This means, in effect, putting our faith in human accomplishments. It is much easier to observe regulations than to work at changing our lives. When so many self-styled gurus, teachers and politicians are trying to mesmerise us, the only test of leadership is compassion as that of the Father, and self-sacrificing service as that of Jesus himself.

In one of his plays, Peter Ustinov addresses a proud character as “Your Altitude.” One day two rabbis came home after walking the streets, quite angry and bewildered, because more than one person had greeted them with “peace be with you” but without adding the expression “my masters.”

What cheek ! What arrogance! Expecting to be called “master.” Humility would mean freedom from thinking about ourselves one way or the other. Disinterest in self would lead us to focus our thinking and action on the needs of other people, since humility is charity’s first cousin.

In the Alice in Wonderland story, Alice meets and eats a huge mushroom. When she ate on one side of the mushroom she found herself getting smaller. And when she ate on the other side, she got taller and taller. Alice decided that small is beautiful, perhaps remembering Shakespeare who said: “The blessedness of being little.”  As Alice was reduced in size, all things and people about her looked more wonderful and majestic. Less is more, she decided.

We ourselves are forever circling that mushroom. If we eat the enlargening portion, everything else about us will shrink in importance and wonder. We will become puffed up with our own importance. 

Talking about broad phylacteries and long swinging tassels. Phylacteries were boards that the priests wore on their chests, bearing lines from scripture, the way you see demonstrators holding large cardboards with slogans on them. The long tassels were like tails; which should have reminded the priests of their ancestors who swung from branch to branch. St. Francis DeSales, for all his sweetness, teases us about our self-importance even at surface level. “Some people are proud,” he declares, “because they ride a fine horse, or have a feather in their hat, or a very well dressed. This is an obvious folly, for if there is any glory here it belongs to the horse or the bird or the tailor!”

Like it or not, we will develop in ourselves the very faults which we detect so strenuously in others. But someday we will be pushed off our pedestal and land on our receiving end of divine wisdom. (Excuse the undignified description).  Only those who permit themselves to grow smaller and then smaller again will be able to witness “the world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower”, as the poet says. Not only will they bring themselves joy but also, more than likely, they will share that joy with others. And, of course, they will give great pleasure to Christ, which is what Christianity, in large part, is all about.

So let us become the little children that Jesus invites us all to become, and like so many excited kids rush into the Kingdom swinging, laughing and singing.

PRAYER (Eric Milner-White and G. W. Briggs)

Lord, you lead us by ways we do not know, through joy and sorrow, through victory and defeat, beyond our understanding. Give us faith to see your guiding hand in all things, that being neither lifted up seeming success, nor cast down by seeming failure, we may press forward wherever you lead, to the glory of your name.  Amen.

31ST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

MATTHEW 23:1-12

Friends, in today's Gospel Jesus turns his sharp eye and withering critique on the many ways that religious leaders fall into corruption. What precisely is bothering Jesus? Some religious leaders get their kicks from burdening people, laying the law on them heavily, making demands that are terrible, exulting in their own moral superiority. At the core of Jesus' program is a willingness to bear other people's burdens, to help them carry their loads. And this applies to the moral life as well. If we lay the burden of God's law on people, we must be willing, at the same time, to help them bear it. Another classic problem with religious people and especially religious leaders: they use the law and morality as a means of inflating the ego. The trouble is that this drug wears off rather quickly, and then we want more of it. We need a greater title, more respect, more recognition. What is Jesus' recommendation for those caught in this dilemma? To be great is to be a servant: lowly, simple, often forgotten. Eschew marks of respect; don't seek them. Be satisfied with doing your work, whatever it is, on behalf of God's kingdom. In many ways, this Sunday’s Gospel is the story of another call for reform as Jesus casts a critical eye on many of the Scribes and Pharisees. Yes, he acknowledges, they were part of a great tradition of religious leaders and teachers going back to Moses (whom the Jews believed had been given a special mandate to teach by God on Mount Sinai), but their message lacked integrity because they didn’t practice what they were preaching. So, Jesus instructs, listen to their message—it is from God—but do not imitate their way of life. This wasn’t a new issue at the time of Jesus, either. In fact, our liturgy this Sunday includes a reading from the Prophet Malachi who condemns the religious leaders of his day for their own failures: “You have turned aside from the way, and have caused many to falter by your instruction; you have made void the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts” (2:8). When we think of this text in relation to our Gospel this Sunday, it’s important to remember that nearly 500 years separated the Prophet Malachi and the Evangelist Matthew. Indeed, “there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). In response to those who might be tempted to follow the teachings and example of the religious elite too closely, Jesus reminds his disciples that they shouldn’t spend their energy looking for a teacher or master or guru on whom they could build their lives. They were to have one Teacher: the Christ. And his lesson is very clear: “The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Mt 23:12). Although few of us could be said to hold positions of authority within the Church, the readings proclaimed this Sunday remind us of two points. First, the People of God—the Church—is always in need of reform and renewal. At the same time, however, we can trust that the Spirit will call forth prophetic men and women to help guide us along our way. Second, each of us is capable of the same sins that Jesus condemned when he pointed out the hypocrisy and the vainglory of the Pharisees and Scribes. The invitation presented to us this Sunday is to reflect on how we practice what we believe and teach in our daily lives and to be sure that our words and actions truly reflect the faith we profess.   Who are the prophetic voices who help you reflect on how well you are living your faith? How do these spiritual guides help you live out your commitment to follow Jesus in better ways? How do you work for healing and wholeness in the Church? Take time this week to pray for pastors, deacons, religious brothers and sisters, catechists, and lay ministers, asking God to help them be faithful to their ministry and prayer.    Words of Wisdom: “None of us live lives that are perfectly in accord with what we teach or profess; that will doubtless be the case until the end of time, and we cannot require that a priest or catechist be perfect … The lesson of today’s liturgy is that we must all honestly review our inner attitudes and not be too ready to believe the reproaches of Jesus are irrelevant to us moderns.”—Adrian Nocent, OSB, in The Liturgical Year

THIRTIETH SUNDAY OF YEAR "A"

THIRTIETH SUNDAY OF YEAR   I

Ex 22, 20-26; Mathew 22, 34-40: Love your neighbour as yourself

In the first reading, God spells out the love of neighbour in stark detail: avoid molestation, harshness and being exploitive. This sort of considerateness doesn’t sound like the Old Testament, something like today, relevant, and contemporary. That’s a fact. God speaks to us today in great detail. Our smallest concerns are his concerns. Are you being treated badly, ignored, hurt, exploited? Then know that God is concerned about you. He is listening to every hard word that hurts you; he feels every violent action that injures you. He says, “I am with you. When you are hurting, I am hurting.” In times of pain and sadness, remember and say to yourself, “Jesus is within me, this body of mine is his body, these emotions of mine are his emotions, my pains are his; he takes all the knocks for me.”

Now let’s go back to the idea of considerateness for our neighbour. God has made it so that we cannot love and serve him unless at once we love and serve our neighbour. One love conditions the other. That is Christian charity. We cannot see God, so we love our neighbour.

“Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?” The question may appear harmless to us, but it was a verbal hand grenade with the pin pulled out and ticking. For centuries the Jews had been arguing about that question. If it was their lucky day, the Christ would give an unpopular answer, and the crowd would turn against him; which is what the Pharisees wanted.   I guess you know that laws were aplenty for the Jews. According to Rabbi Simlai, the collection of laws in the Torah reached up to the total of 613, of which 365 were prohibitions (one for each day), and 248 were positive ones. So 248 “do’s”, and 365 “don’ts”. Here was a test case for Jesus. Were all the laws equally binding ? Was there not one that could sum up all of them and call it the greatest commandment ?  Jesus’ answer rings out loud and clear even today. You must love both God and the people next to you. Neither of these concepts was fresh to the Pharisees. Both were lifted by the Master out of the Books of Deuteronomy and Leviticus. But he put a peculiar spin on his response: he took the separate concepts of God and neighbour and made them one; besides, he made it clear that Jews must also love Gentiles. The Pharisees only loved to hate the Gentiles.

Loving God is no hassle: we express our love by our prayer of praise, by keeping his commandments, and losing ourselves in him.  Loving neighbour is a little more complicated. Here Jesus gives us a good indicator or yardstick : love your neighbour as you love yourself. As you love yourself: that’s the yardstick.  It’s a very good and practical starting point.  For instance, don’t we have an habitual tendency to watch out for our own interests, seeking out whatever seems to be good for us and avoiding whatever threatens us ?  We go on loving ourselves in this pragmatic fashion whether we are exhilarated or despondent, whether we are pleased with ourselves or disgusted. In this sense, self-love is remarkably tolerant, maintaining its devotedness to the welfare of the self, no matter how boring or bad we manage to become.  And this is precisely what we ought to do to our neighbour:  watch out for his/her interests with unrelenting practicality, whoever he or she may be, regardless how much or how little our neighbour pleases us. The Parable of the Good Samaritan forcefully reminds us how indifferent to personal likes and dislikes this love is required to be.  The parable shows that love is undiscriminatory,  i.e. it is sensitively alert to the needs of others and to how those needs can be provided for.

The learned people tell us that as human beings we are free. We value our freedom very much. Some people value it so much they think they can do what they like. Freedom was not created for its own sake, but for doing good, for building the community and the world. And that’s love. Do you know what the true test of your freedom is ? How do you know you’re really free? It’s when you’re able to forgive; when you’re free of hatred and prejudice. Freedom to forgive. Here is where the Gospel message becomes unmistakeably precise; where Christian love becomes definite. Forgiveness means loving somebody who has failed to love. Forgiveness is love at the height of its freedom and fullness of power. Forgiveness is the surest sign of divine love in us. Yes, sometimes it’s hard to forgive. But then freedom is no joke.

So, dear friends, this week give of your time. Give a friend flowers or share a plate of steaming rice with someone.  Or how about a phone call or cheering note ?  Give hope to a sick person. Hug a child needing affection.   Speak praise to a teenager. Give peace. Forgive an enemy. Set differences aside. Use humour to defuse an argument.  Smile. Say ‘thank you’ and mean it.  This Gospel speaks to each one of us.

PRAYER (John Calvin)

O Lord, save us from self-centredness in our prayers, and help us to remember to pray for others. May we be so lovingly absorbed with those for whom we pray that we may feel their needs as keenly as our own, and intercede for them sensitively, with understanding and imagination.

We ask this in Christ’s name.    Amen.

TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY OF YEAR "A"

TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY OF YEAR I

Is 45, 4-6; I Th 1-6b; Mt 22, 15-21

They wanted to trap Jesus. The trap was as follows: they asked about the tax that the Jews must pay to the Roman Emperor, since they were under his rule. The Pharisees opposed Roman domination. The Herodians accepted it. If Jesus said they were liable to taxation, the Pharisees would discredit him before the people. But if Jesus answered, “Don’t pay”, the Herodians would have had him arrested by the Romans.

Jesus did not condemn Roman occupation, nor did he justify it. This does not mean that Jesus was not interested in politics, which is about the governance of the people. Bible history reveals that God always wanted liberty for every person. God wants nations to develop their national identity and culture. That is enough to justify the political commitment of Christians. The sad thing is that politicians waste so much time and energy discrediting one another that they don’t have much time left to devote to the people’s advancement. There is so much corruption and inefficiency. F only they allowed into their lives sincerely, they would do so much good. But their god is something else.

            Our rendering of service to the nation must be taken up into our rendering unto God. Loving God is through service to the nation. Allowing God into our lives would allow him to inspire and empower our duties to the nation. Let the true God take over, not the god of money and self-seeking. The god of self-seeking only destroys, does not build. At the same time we need to ensure that politics does look for religious justification. According to the Christian Gospel, religion should not be manipulated for political purposes; nor should religion confuse its political opponents with the enemies of God’s Kingdom. Let us see the nation with the eyes of God who only wants the good and harmony of the people.

            Look at the ministry of Jesus: he went about healing, comforting and reconciling. These actions make Jesus present and palpable – they are signs of his presence as Saviour. We, on our part, must make these our signs, too. They are a substantial part of our political programme. We must do all we can to instil the Gospel values of love and service into political life. The redemption of the world will come in large part through the lay men and women sanctifying their daily work transforming secularity from within.

            “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” We must very careful not to misuse this passage of Scripture, as if priests and lay people were confined to very narrowly defined spiritual matters alone. This would be a very reading of the Gospels. Christians who ask very critical moral questions in whatever area take their stand with the Master.
The history of the past generation proves that Caesar is often wrong. The Teacher raised many questions that upset people. They crucified him so he would not disturb their set ways of thinking. It was his intent to disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed! So should we. We should be the most excitable people in the country. If everyone in our society agrees with us or we agreed with everybody, we are doing something terribly wrong.

Here are a few lines from the late Archbishop Oscar Romero:

“A Church that doesn’t provoke any crisis, a Gospel that doesn’t unsettle, a Word of God that doesn’t touch the real sin of the society in which it is being proclaimed – what Gospel is that? Very nice, pious considerations that don’t bother anyone; that’s the way many would like preaching to be. Those preachers who avoid every thorny matter so as not to be harassed, so as not to have conflicts and difficulties, do not light up the world they live in. A preaching that says nothing about the sinful environment in which the Gospel is reflected upon is not the Gospel.”

PRAYER: (Frank Colquhoun): Lord God, you have taught us that we are members one of another. And that we can never live to ourselves alone. We thank you for the community of which we are part    - for those who share with us in our activities, for all who serve its varied interests. Help us, as we have opportunity, to make our own contribution to the community, and to learn to be good neighbours. That by love we may serve one another, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

 

TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY OF YEAR "A"

TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY OF YEAR    I

Mt. 22, 1 - 14: The Marriage Feast of the Son

Who can resist a dinner party?  Especially a party which offers rich food, fine wine and good company? The great English Catholic writer, Hillaire Belloc, penned the line: “Wherever the Catholic sun does shine, there is always laughter and good red wine.”  As you know, it takes eleven face muscles to smile but all of forty-three muscles to frown. We would do well to recall that laughter is the only tranquilliser yet developed that has no side effects. Yet, how many of us know fellow-Christians, some of them priests and nuns, who never smile.  They may be mad or sad, and it’s very bad.

To be happy you don’t have to be erotic, erratic, exotic or ecstatic. You can get out of bed ready to make the day an adventure. Or you can drag yourself out of bed dreading the hours ahead. Your attitudes help create your circumstances, and not the other way about.

In today’s parable, Jesus is reminding his Jewish audience that when the Messiah comes, one perk will be a first class sit down dinner with Dresden china and Baccarat crystal. The menu is alluded to in Isaiah, chapter 25: “juicy red food and pure choice wines.”  Clearly it will be the mother and father of all parties.  This is what God has to offer.  But we are so absorbed in the demands and dull routines of life that we do not even hear the invitation.  And perhaps we have turned religion itself into another dull routine, another tiresome demand and constraint.

Well, yes, indeed, life is not all happy-clappy.  Religion is not an escape route from the pressures of life. The apostle Paul knew this well. His little letter to the Philippians is quite special. Not only does Paul have to cope with the wearisome rivalries and personal vanities of the Christian community, but is also himself stuck there in prison, within the narrow confines of a filthy malodorous cell.  And yet his letter is full of joy - “I say to you, rejoice” (Phil 4, 4) is its constant theme.

Now let’s talk about Jesus. It is good to note that Jesus compares running around with him to enjoying a sumptuous banquet.  Clearly he feels the Church should be a happy place.  If Jesus was not a happy attractive person, how was it the children came around almost pestering him, literally sprawling all over him.  Kids avoid sad Sacks.  Why would be change water into so much wine if he didn’t believe in a good time?  His enemies called him a “glutton and a wine drinker.”  Again, had he been a spoilsport, why would he have hosted a sit-down supper party the very night before he died?  Would you and I have the guts and heart for that?

Jesus used amusing illustrations for his talks, and must have raised chuckles and giggles when expressing his opinion about certain people like Herod. Calling him a “fox”.  I’d raise chuckles and giggles here if I explained what that meant, but it’s too embarrassing!   The Gospel tells us that Jesus often went to the mountains alone.  Why?  G. K. Chesterton speculates that the apostles often made funny, even ridiculous remarks.  Jesus did not want to offend them by laughing in their faces. So he ran into the mountains holding his sides till be could burst out laughing, and tell his Dad, “These kids say the darndest things.”  If ever the Teacher had given us the 8th. Sacrament, it might have been the sacrament of laughter.

The early Christians got the point...  The biblical scholar, William Barclay, notes that the early Christians were called “Hilares”  - the Latin adjective from which the word “hilarious” comes. They possessed what one author has called “a certain holy hilarity.”   They went about their lives with a bounce in their steps and a smile on their faces. They behaved as though they were forever at a party.  As a result they attracted millions and millions of converts.  When Beethoven composed his Ode to Joy in the 9th. Symphony he might well have been thinking of the good news of Jesus.

May your joy help people to sense that Jesus does make a great difference in your life.

PRAYER:      Lord Jesus, we are your disciples. So may we share your joy in and amidst the pressures and troubles that life hands down to us.  With you in us we shall not be rocked by troubles, but take the rough with the smooth in pure detachment and faith in you.  As you have walked before us, lead us to the banquet of your Father in heaven.

TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY OF YEAR "A"

TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY OF YEAR   I

Mt. 21, 33 - 34: The Master of the Vineyard

Some people get a kick out of saying, “Jesus was the greatest man who ever lived.” But that won’t wash. The writer C.S. Lewis put it this way: “You must make your choice. Either this man is the Son of God or else a mad man or something worse.”  Experts agree that the proof of a superior story does not consist in its original telling, but in its retelling. On this count, today’s Parable of the Tenants must qualify as world class.  It is narrated not only by our Mathew but also by Luke and Mark. It is recounted on Tuesday of Holy Week, and is a parable of defiance. Jesus knew he was about to be taken away, tried and killed. But unbent and uncowed by his murderers, he calls their bluff. He has no intention of running scared. None of the points of this parable went over the heads of his audience that day.

The Master was describing a situation not rare in Israel. The nation was troubled as it is today.  Wealthy absentee landlords were a dime a dozen. Some farmers renting vineyards declined to pay rents. Worker’s problems and rent strikes are not a 21st. century phenomenon. Thus, when the landlord sent his agents and even his sons to pick up his rents, the hapless fellows were often mugged and disposed of. Jesus’ audience understood the underlying meaning of this parable. The vineyard was clearly a stand-in for the people of Israel. The vineyard boss is the Heavenly Father. The farmers are the rulers and priests who supervise the country. The servants are the prophets sent throughout the centuries. Their untimely disappearances make up an unbroken obituary throughout the Scriptures. The son here is clearly Jesus.

The tale tells of God’s confidence in his people. He loans his land to us. He does not stand over us like a bullying policeman or even a benign dictator. He is patient with us, too. He sends us not one but many messengers. Even when we ignore him, he, unlike ourselves, will suffer insults for a long, long time. God has broad shoulders. The patience of God surpasses all understanding.

We are sometimes near to despairing of the Church. It is like a vineyard that produces only sour grapes or one that is exploited by rapacious tenants. There never was a “golden age” of the Church. Bad bishops, bad popes, bad priests and religious and bad lay people. It’s an old story. And we despair perhaps because we imagine that God has lost control of his Church. But that despair is itself a sin; the illusion that God can be expelled from his own creation, and that human beings can succeed in their take-over bid. “There is no need to worry”, says Paul, in today’s 2nd. reading, for “the peace of God will be with you.”

The prophets and the saints may go unheeded, the beloved Son may be rejected and killed, but that Son has turned the rejection into final victory.  Picture to yourself the stone-cutters at work, the hammering and the noise, shaping and selecting the stones for building. Each stone has to be just suitable. One stone is thrown aside as unsuitable. And that one precisely is the stone that a master-builder has spotted, selects and uses for the main stone or the keystone for the arch he is constructing  -  the one stone without which the arch will collapse. That stone is Jesus Christ, supporting the new Temple. You must believe that you are not alone, that he cares for and is with you and for you.

But God is not a patsy, a soft-touch sissy.  He is equal parts patient lover and just judge. Today’s story does warn us of a time when God will call in all debts. If we have been shabby and third rate, the land will be handed over to others. We will be left out in the cold (or heat !) with our noses pressed on the glass, looking in at the grand party.  Where’s the difference between those in and those left out ?  The difference is Jesus Christ.

This parable contains one of the clearest claims Jesus ever made to be absolutely unique, miles above the greatest who came before him. They were but errand boys. Our feeble language betrays us when we try to speak correctly of him. Mathew’s Gospel tells of the sacrifice of Jesus. Even though he knew the score, he willingly kept his tryst with death, with both eyes openly intent.  He was not a passive participant in his own death, but it was a freely accepted sacrifice. Jesus was a person who tested life and was tested by it, searching out life’s meaning by listening carefully to what makes life really valuable, and he lived and died trusting that life and death are not bad jokes.

Witnessing to Jesus Christ is not a piece of mimicry, but a challenge to live our human adventure as authentically as he did.  So, trust in the Lord. The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot help you. 

PRAYER (Miss Nicola Slee):  Lord God, I meet you in the mystery of life, in the sudden silences, intensity of presence that makes me stop, catch my breath, lift up head high to catch the glory of your moment, and then bow low, lost in the misery of my meagre self, so small, so weak, so far from you. God, you are of a grandeur and glory I long after and shrink from. Have mercy !  In your glory let your pity touch me.

TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY OF YEAR "A"

TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY OF YEAR   I

Mt. 21, 28 - 32: The Two Sons

The Nobel Prize laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa sums up the situation with a flourish:  “Christians should be an audio-visual aid to teach other people how to live.”  Today’s parable was one of the three parables that Christ spoke in the last days of his life.  They are known as the Parables of Rejection.  Today’s Gospel is the shortest of the melancholy set of three, and is about the Better of the Two Bad Sons.

Let us first deal with the smooth one.  When asked by his father to go and work in his vineyard, he clicks his heels and answers, “Yes sir,” but does not go.  This son stands for the religious authorities of the day, who were long on mouth and short on deeds. When the Son of God came into this world, these ostensibly pious folk were indecently anxious to kill him.

Now let’s consider the other son, who first said “No” to his old man but thought better of it and went to do what was asked.  This fellow seemed rough and not so ready.  Despite his lack of polish, there was gold in his heart.  He had an integrity, the lack of which is sometimes disguised beneath a civilised exterior. This rough-looking boy was a type for major-league sinners. When they ran into Jesus of Nazareth, they changed their lives. In the time of Jesus, the publicans and harlots were, literally, untouchable; they were pariahs and outcasts.  They may have seemed wealthy and comfortable, but they were hurt by life.  Despite their sinfulness, their hurts and wounds made them open to the Gospel with a generosity of which the so-called holy people were incapable. These publicans and sinners threw in their lot with Jesus.  Matthew, today’s author, was such a character, and so was writing from first hand experience.

We too say “yes” and “no” to God, and it’s more complicated than it looks. It’s hard to see the picture of our own lives, let alone anyone else’s.  It is wiser to leave that to God who sees the whole picture.  It is only by actions that we establish whether we are lovers or frauds.  Actions speak louder than words. A crusty old farmer said,  “Words aren’t worth a barrel of spit.” In the first days, the Church was called “the new way” (Acts 9.2).  If you followed the Teacher, it was never simply a question of memorising the Catechism or mouthing the Ten Commandments.  Rather, your way of life would establish whether you possessed the right stuff.  In the rules laid down by Jesus, the mouth can never be a substitute for performance.  Africa’s Dr. Albert Schweitzer has said: “Personal example is not the most important thing. It is the only thing.”

This parable is not merely a casual failure to do a service that is casually asked of us. It’s more serious than that. There is a hint of this seriousness in the Greek word ‘metameletheis’ which stands for genuine repentance. The point is not that the sons happen to say one thing and do another. Rather, it is that they are seriously committed to one course of action or a way of life  -  either supporting or defying their father. It’s a matter of a life commitment, something serious and stable, the decisive acceptance or rejection of God’s will in our life. This is not a casual matter but a deep-seated and fundamental seriousness of purpose.

The greatest handicap to Jesus Christ is the nasty lives of many Christians.  Each of the baptised is a neon-sign advertisement for the Church.  If our lives fit our mouths, then Christ is home free. But if our conduct reflects the morals of a sleazy lawyer cheating widows of their pensions, then our dear Lord is a big loser.  We who follow Christ must be his stand-ins wherever we find ourselves.  When people meet you and then get to know you, do they then want to learn about Christ ?  Remember how Portia in the Merchant of Venice exulted seeing a burning candle: “How far that little candle throws its beams. So shines a good deed in a naughty world.”  Recently canonised Edith Stein, who died in the Auschwitz death camp, wrote in her biography: “What changed my life one day was to notice a simple old lady come into church with her shopping bag and light a candle before the altar.”  There’s a little line that teaches:  “I cannot hear what you say because I’m too busy listening to what you are.”  That ties up the package nicely.

In today’s parable, neither of the two sons is satisfactory.  Both hurt their father.  True, the guy who said “No” and then obeyed was better. But still he was no great shakes.  What the Teacher is shooting for is a person who says, “Yes, Lord,” and then gets immediately into first speed and delivers the goods.  I guess we see now why Archbishop Desmond Tutu says each of us should be a walking audio-visual to all those around us.

PRAYER (Bro. Roger of Taize)

O Jesus Christ,

tirelessly you seek out those who are looking for you and who think you are far away;  teach us, at every moment, to place our spirits in your hands.

While we are still looking for you, you have already found us.

However poor our prayer, you hear us far more than we can imagine or believe.

I'm sure you've heard the old saying: 
"A wise man changes his mind sometimes; a fool, never!" 

That's a great reply when someone says to you, "But you said a month ago!". . . etc.

In this Sunday's readings, God is giving us advice on when to change our minds, and when not to. If we're pretty well secure in habits of virtue, then it's not a good idea to give in to the persuasions of friends who call us old-fashioned or foolish for following the teachings of our parents and childhood religion classes~~and act contrary to our principles. To change because of fear of losing face or being the butt of ridicule could risk God's displeasure, loss of grace, and even loss of eternal happiness!

There's another kind of change discussed in the readings. And that's the kind of change that may be defined as conversion~~from sinful ways to virtuous ones. That's the kind of change that won the approval of Jesus in the Gospel~~by the first son in the parable. He is the lad who said "no" to his father's request. He was ready to disobey the father, risking his displeasure and even punishment. Then, (wisely), he began to feel guilty. He decided it wouldn't kill him to cut short a good time with his friends to work for his father. Let's hope that it was really love that made him change his mind. But even if it was merely shame, and maybe a little fear of the consequences of his refusal, he did change his mind. If his friends were real friends, they more than likely respected him for his decision.

How different was the behavior of the second son who said "yes" to his father, but then never followed through! He just wanted to look good, and avoid the disappointment and perhaps anger in his father's eyes. He was quite possibly a hypocrite, who had no intention at all of helping in the vineyard. No one likes a hypocrite, not even the hypocrite himself. Of course, he may just have been a weakling, of whom it is said, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." His problem was loving himself and his own pleasure more than his father.

How do we know when to change our minds and when not to? The second reading gives us sound advice: "Do nothing out of selfishness~~rather, have that mind in you which is in Christ Jesus who humbled Himself even to the point of death." To change one's mind is often humbling, especially if we risk the ridicule of worldly friends or even worldly family members. But isn't it far better than to stubbornly keep to the road that will eventually send us over the proverbial cliff? 

Christ is our sure guide. His teaching for modern times is found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Try one of its shorter forms.