34th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A and Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe-Nov. 26, 2023

 

34^th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A and Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe-Nov. 26, 2023

Ezekiel 34: 11-12; 1 Corinthians 15: 20-26, 28; Matthew 25: 31-46

 

Theme: Jesus Christ, King of the Universe will Judge all Nations

                Congratulations to all of us for we have completed this liturgical calendar year A. We have journeyed with our Lord Jesus Christ from his birth through his ministry, Passion, death, Resurrection, and Ascension, and into the growth of the Church and the spread of the Word of God to all nations. Today, we celebrate the end of the liturgical year with the Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. The Church, our Mother, suggests to us the Scriptures readings that talk about the end of time and final judgment. In the first reading, the prophet Ezekiel prophesized to the wicked leaders of the people of Israel that one day, God himself will shepherd the flocks (Israelites) that they scattered. Ezekiel’s prophecy is fulfilled in Jesus who, according to Saint Paul in our second reading, will hand over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power (1 Corinthians 15: 24). Jesus, “the first fruit”, as Paul calls him, “must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” (1 Corinthians 15: 25, NRSVCE). The Evangelist Matthew, in our Gospel passage, tells us how this final judgment will be. Jesus Christ will sit on the throne of his glory and pass sentence on all of us separating the righteous at his right hand from the wicked at the left. Those at his right hand will inherit the kingdom of heaven while the wicked will be thrown into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. The judgment will be based on what you and I do or do not do now to whom Jesus calls “the least of these who are members of my family” (Matthew 25: 40, 45). By selecting these Bible readings, the Church wants to teach us that the end of time (either the return of our Lord or the day of our death) and the final judgment are real. So, we need to prepare ourselves accordingly and be watchful.

                The Church has started preparing us for the end of time and the final judgment over the past two Sundays during which we have been meditating on Chapter 25 of the Gospel of Matthew. The first part (vv. 1-13) was the parable of the Ten Virgins that we read on Sunday, November 12^th. These ten virgins went to meet with the bridegroom. The narrator said that five of them were wise and the other five were foolish. The key question in this parable was what made the first group wise and what made the other group foolish? Note that all of them were virgins, which means, they represent all baptized. Each of them had a lamp (the lamp symbolizes our personal relationship with God), and each had oil in her lamp. Oil stands for prayers, Masses, sacraments, and charity work. The way the lamp cannot function without oil is the same way our relationships with God cannot stand without prayers, Masses, and all the good things we do for our Church and God’s people. Then if all of them had all of these, what really made the first five virgins wise and the other five foolish? Note that the difference between the wise and foolish is that the wise pre-brought “extra oil” that they used when the existing oil dried out because the bridegroom was delayed in coming. The foolish ones did not have extra oil. So, when their existing oil dried out, they had nothing to use to trim their lamps. “Extra oil” here stands for the extra time that we spend in prayers and the sacraments, especially in the celebration of the Eucharist (Mass) and confession. It is the “extra” love and generosity with which we help God’s people, love them, and forgive them. We cannot be content to come to Mass on Sundays only because it is the day of obligation. We, the “wise” Christians, need to listen to Jesus in the Scriptures and receive his Body and Blood in the Holy Communion as often as we can. We should not be content to use the sacrament of Confession once or twice a year because it is prescribed like that. We, the “wise” Christians, should go to confession as often as it is necessary and as soon as possible to make sure that we are reconciled and in a good relationship with God. When we help people, love them, and forgive them, we should not stop when we think that we have reached the limit. We, the “wise” Christians, help, love, and forgive the people with “extra” generosity and love without counting and without limit. Because we do not know the day or the hour of the end of time (either the second coming of our Lord or the day of our death), this parable taught us to always have “extra oil” which strengthens our relationships with God and with our fellow humans. By doing so, we stay awake and sober as Saint Paul exhorted us in the second reading.  

The second part of Chapter 25 (vv. 14-30) is the parable of the Talents that we read last Sunday. To prepare ourselves for the end of time and its last judgment, this parable taught us not to bury the baptismal gifts that we receive from God but to use them and build the reign of God where we live. Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a man who was going on a journey, called in his three servants, and entrusted his possessions to each of them. He expected them to invest in them. The first servant received five talents, the second two talents, and the third one talent, each according to his ability. The parable states that the first two servants did great jobs by doubling their master’s money. In recognition of their efforts, the master called them “faithful servants” and he authorized them to share in his “joy”. “‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’” (Vv. 21, 23). The third servant, however, was not invited to share his master’s “joy” because instead of investing his master’s money, he chose to bury it. When the time for accounting arrived, he returned the same amount of money without any interest. Consequently, the master treated him as a “wicked”, “lazy”, and “useless” servant. He had him be thrown into the darkness outside, where there was wailing and grinding of teeth. God has given us gifts according to our abilities. He expects us to use them and transform our societies, neighborhoods, Church communities, and families. Let us not be afraid to use our baptismal gifts. We will be judged on what we did with God’s gifts.

The third and last part of Chapter 25 of the Gospel of Matthew is the story of the Judgment of the Nations that we have heard today. In the context of the Solemnity of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, this passage, like the previous two, prepares us for the end of time and the last judgment. The Gospel says that all nations will be gathered before Jesus Christ, King of the Universe for the final judgment. The criterion for the judgment will be based on what you and I do or do not do now to our brothers and sisters whom Jesus calls, “the least of these who are members of my family” (v. 40, 45). This expression refers to the poor, marginalized, sick, prisoners, and all those who need our love, forgiveness, assistance, and protection, including the environment which today needs careful protection from all of us. To be counted among the righteous who will be at the right hand of Jesus, let us love everyone, forgive them, and assist them whenever they need us. What we do to our fellow humans, we do to Jesus.

The meditation on the full Chapter 25 during these three Sundays in a row prepares us very well to know what we need to do while we are waiting for the end of time and the final judgment. We must always have “extra oil in our lamps”, meaning that we must always have extra time for prayers, sacraments (especially Mass and confession), and charity works. We must work on Baptismal gifts that we have to transform wherever we live. And we must love, forgive, and assist everyone who is in need. If we observe all of these, we should never be afraid of the end of time or the final judgment because we know that we are the righteous ones who are at Jesus' right hand waiting for him to say to us, “Well done, my good and faithful servant (…) Come, share your master’s joy.” (vv. 21, 23, NABRE). “Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (v. 34, NABRE). That time, we will feast with him in the Heavenly Wedding Banquet. Amen.

Rev. Leon Ngandu, SVD

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A - Nov. 19, 2023

 

33^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A - Nov. 19, 2023

Proverb. 31: 10-13, 19-20, 30-31; 1 Thessalonians 5: 1-6; Matthew 25: 14-30

 

Theme: Fidelity to our Baptismal Commitment 

We are approaching the end of the liturgical calendar. Next Sunday, the 34^th Sunday in Ordinary Time and the Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ the King, will mark the end of the Liturgical calendar Year A. In this context of the end, our Mother Church (since last Sunday, today, and next Sunday) suggests we meditate on the Scripture readings that refer to the end of time and the fulfillment of the salvation story. Because we do not know when the end of time will come, whether it be for the whole creation or for ourselves individually, the Bible readings exhort us to stay awake, vigilant, and faithful to our Baptismal commitments. The Gospel readings of these three Sundays come from chapter 25 in the Gospel of Mathew. The first part of this chapter is the parable of the Ten Virgins that we heard last Sunday (vv. 1-13). The second part is what we read today, the parable of the Talents (vv. 14-30). And the third part is what we will hear next Sunday, the “Apocalyptic Discourse” (vv. 31-46).

In the parable of the Ten Virgins, Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to the ten virgins who went to meet with the bridegroom. Each of them had a lamp (the lamp symbolizes our personal relationship with God). Five were wise because they assumed that the arrival of the bridegroom could be delayed, so they prepared themselves accordingly by bringing extra oil with them (the oil without which the lamp cannot function represents the prayer life, the sacraments, especially the Eucharist (Mass) and Confession, and charity works without which our personal relationships with God cannot stand strong). The other five were foolish because they did not think about the probability of the delay of the bridegroom, so they did not bring extra oil. Effectively, the bridegroom was delayed in coming. He showed up at midnight, the unexpected hour. The wise virgins were able to trim their lamps using their extra oil which allowed them to meet with the bridegroom and enjoy the wedding feast. The foolish ones could not trim their lamps because they lacked extra oil. After they realized that it was not possible for their friends, the five wise virgins, to share with them their extra oil, they were forced to go to the merchants to buy extra oil. On their way back, they found the hall door locked already and the bridegroom told them he did not know them. So, they stayed outside and missed the wedding banquet. Jesus concludes the parable by inviting his listeners to stay awake. This parable taught us to pray a lot, attend the celebration of the Eucharist, use other sacraments, and do charity work. They are our “extra oils” that strengthen our one-on-one relationships with God which helps us to meet with our Lord when he comes back at the end of time.

Today, we meditate on the second part of chapter 25, the parable of the Talents. Like the first parable, this parable is also about the end times and how we might behave so that we pass the last judgment and inherit the heavenly kingdom. Here Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a man who was going on a journey, called in his three servants, and entrusted his possessions to each of them. He expected them to invest in them. The first servant received five talents, the second two talents, and the third one talent, each according to his ability. The parable states that the first two servants did great jobs by doubling their master’s money. In recognition of their efforts, the master called them “faithful servants” and he authorized them to share in his “joy”. “‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’” (Vv. 21, 23). The third servant, however, was not invited to share his master’s “joy” because instead of investing his master’s money, he chose to bury it. When the time for accounting arrived, he returned the same amount of money without any interest. Consequently, the master treated him as a “wicked”, “lazy”, and “useless” servant. He had him be thrown into the darkness outside, where there was wailing and grinding of teeth.

We first need to comprehend some details in this parable to understand its meaning better. First, the Greek word talanton is a monetary unit or weight measurement. Second, one cannot say that one talent that the third servant received was not enough money to invest in. Note that one talent was not insignificant; it was a huge sum of money. The estimated value of a talent was 80 pounds of silver. That is the equivalent value of 6,000 denarii (a denarius was a full day’s wages for most workers). So, one talent that the third servant received was still a substantial sum of money because it was the equivalent of over 16 years’ worth of wages to invest in.

The analogy of this parable is like this: the master represents Jesus himself. “Going on a journey” and “coming back to settle accounts with his servants” refer to his death, resurrection, ascension, and his second coming at the end of time for the last judgment. You and I are Jesus’ servants who receive from him different baptismal graces according to our abilities. Jesus has entrusted us with these graces, not to bury them as the third servant did, but to “invest” them in helping advance the coming reign of God while we are living until its full glory is revealed when he returns at the end of time.

The third servant failed to invest his master’s money because he was afraid and lazy, and he did not trust his master. “‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.’” (Vv. 24-25). Fear, laziness, and lack of trust continue to prevent many of us today from investing our baptismal graces in the fulfillment of the reign of God in societies, Church communities, families, and wherever we live. Let us overcome our fear, let us become courageous, and let us trust our God by using our baptismal gifts and building the kingdom of God wherever we live.

The parable says that each servant received his talents according to his ability. Also, both the second servant who had two talents, and the first who had five were rewarded in the same way. They both shared their master’s joy. This means that we all receive baptismal gifts according to our abilities and we will all be saved in the same way. The difference in the baptismal gifts is based on our “abilities” as parents/grandparents, children, youth, and young adults, priests/religious and lay ministers, schoolteachers, catechists, and any functions with which people serve in the Church and societies. We all are called to invest them for the good of God’s people.

Our first reading exalts a gracious wife who faithfully dedicated herself to the marital commitment of her time and culture. Although today many people might have difficulty embracing this reading due to what we might call gender stereotyping, we need to focus on the theological message that it conveys. This reading calls us to be faithful to our baptismal commitment as this woman is faithful to her marital commitment. Let us remain faithful, alert, and sober because the “day of the Lord will come like a thief at night” says Saint Paul in our second reading.

May the liturgy of this Mass enable us to stay always awake and faithful to our baptismal commitments by investing the gifts that God has entrusted us for our salvation and that of other people until the return of our Lord Jesus. Amen.  

Rev. Leon Ngandu, SVD

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A. Nov. 12, 2023

 

32^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A. Nov. 12, 2023

Wisdom 6: 12-16; Thessalonians 4: 13-18; Matthew 25: 1-13

 

Theme: Let Us Stay Awake for We Know Neither the Day nor the Hour

The Scripture readings today teach us what we Christians need to do while waiting for the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The first reading exhorts us to seek God who is personified as Wisdom. Saint Paul, in our second reading, teaches the Thessalonian believers how they should deal with the delayed return of Jesus. This young Christian community expected Jesus to return soon. Since this second coming of Jesus had been delayed, they became troubled especially because some of their members were dying without benefiting from the glory that would accompany the return of Christ. Paul encourages them that their beloved deceased are not lost; God, through Jesus, will raise them up. They will be the first to enter the divine presence. As for the delay of the return of Christ, (in the passage that immediately follows our passage (1 Thessalonians 5: 1-10), Paul invites them and us to wait with hope because we are the children of the light and the day but not of the night or of the darkness. The parable of the ten virgins that we heard in the Gospel teaches us to be wise while waiting for the second coming of Christ because it may be delayed. To be wise entails bringing “extra oil” which means to persevere in doing good works until the manifestation of the reign of God.  

In the Gospel, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven with the ten virgins who went to meet with the bridegroom. Each of them had a lamp. Five were wise because they thought about the probability that the bridegroom may delay, so they brought extra oil.  The other five were foolish because they did not bring extra oil that would have helped them if the bridegroom was delayed. Effectively, the bridegroom delayed in coming. He showed up at midnight, the unexpected hour. The wise virgins trimmed their lamps and went to the wedding feast accompanying the bridegroom. The foolish could not trim their lamps because they lacked extra oil. After they realized that it was not possible for their friends, five wise virgins, to share with them their extra oil, they were forced to go to a city a buy extra oil. On their way back, they found the hall door locked already and the bridegroom told them that he did not know them. So, they stayed outside and missed the wedding banquet. Jesus concludes the parable by inviting his listeners to stay awake. 

Our Gospel parable is full of images that need to be interpreted to understand better the message that the Church wants to teach us today. In the context of this parable, the phrase “kingdom of heaven” does not refer to heaven. Rather, it is the full manifestation of the reign of God and the dissolution of evil and suffering in the land. Jesus is the bridegroom who comes to bring this full manifestation of the reign of God. The Church is the bride, and the ten virgins are the bridesmaids who represent each of us who are the members of the Church. Note that many Biblical passages present Jesus as the groom and the Church as the bride (2 Corinthians 11: 2; Revelation 21: 2, 17; Matthew 9: 15; John 3: 29).

Note that all these ten young women are described as virgins. Virginity here symbolizes the general temperance and self-control that characterizes the Christian life. We are all Church members who are baptized and live out our baptismal lives. All ten virgins have lamps, which could symbolize “good works” based on Matthew 5: 16, “Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” (NABRE). These lamps could also symbolize the light of the baptismal candle that we received on the day of our baptism and that we were told to keep it burning brightly until the day our Lord would return. In brief, this lamp is our personal relationship with God which needs to be maintained until the return of our Lord Jesus. These lamps of the ten virgins could not function without oil. Some Fathers of the Church identify the oil with charity, joy, and the Holy Spirit with all its fruits because the Christian faith loses its meaning without charity, love, joy, and the Holy Spirit. The oil represents our prayer life and the sacraments, mostly the Eucharist and confession which strengthen our personal relationship with God. As the lamp cannot function without oil, our personal relationship with God cannot stand without prayers and sacraments, especially the Eucharist and confession.

The ten young women are all virgins, and all have lamps. However, they are distinguished by their ability to wait. The first five are called “wise’ because they prepare themselves to wait as long as it takes for the groom to arrive. The other five are identified as “foolish” because they did not plan anything in case the groom delays. The key point of this parable is here. The five wise and five foolish virgins do not represent the believers and non-believers. Rather, they represent Christians who persevere and those who do not persevere while waiting for the return of Christ. The perseverance is symbolized by previewing “extra oil” because waiting for the second coming of Jesus may take longer. “Extra oil” alludes to extra times of prayer and extra moments of attendance in the celebrations of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, Mass, and confession. We are called to attend Mass regularly and use the sacraments. Prayer enables us to stay focused, perseverant, and always connected to our Lord. It is the spiritual food for our souls. It gives energy, protein, and all good spiritual nutrients that our souls need to stay healthier spiritually. So, a prayerful life nurtures and strengthens our one-on-one relationships with God.

 On arrival of the groom at an unexpected hour (midnight), the foolish virgins lacked the extra oil, so they could not trim their lamp. They begged their friends (the wise virgins) to give them some of their oil because their lamps were going out. The problem here is not about generosity but about the personal relationship with God which is not sharable with others. Everyone must have a one-on-one relationship with God to partake in the manifestation of the reign of God. We only can help each other to start our own relationships with God but we cannot share it because it is “personal”. No one will be saved using his/her parents or someone else’s personal relationship with God.  Christians who do not have a personal relationship with God and those who have but do not foster it with constant prayerful life and sacraments are like these foolish virgins. This Gospel urges us to ensure that we have a one-on-one relationship with our Lord and nurture it with constant prayerful life and sacraments, especially the Eucharist (Mass) and confession.

Jesus concludes the parable by exhorting us to stay awake, for we do not know neither the day nor the hour when our Lord will return. The foolish virgins realized that it was not possible to use someone else’s oil, so they went off to buy their own extra oil, but it was too late. When they returned, they found the door already locked. We need to seek God now and strengthen our relationships with him. We should not postpone it, because we do not know the day or the hour. Let us then sing with our Psalmist, “My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.” Amen.

Rev. Leon Ngandu, SVD

 

 

 

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A-November 5, 2023

 

31^st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A-November 5, 2023

Malachi 1: 14b – 2: 2b, 8-10; 1Thessalonians 2: 7b-9, 13; Matthew 23: 1-12

 

Theme: How Good Leaders of God’s People Should Be

Today’s readings invite all of us, especially all those in leadership professions like the Church leaders, to meditate on the virtue of humility and the gift of self-giving to those we serve. In the Gospel, Jesus spoke of the Scribes and the Pharisees of his time as bad examples of religious leaders. He asked the crowds and his disciples not to imitate them. Likewise, in our first reading, the prophet Malachi prophesized to the Levitical priests and warned them of being bad priests as they violated their covenant with God. Saint Paul, in our second reading, speaks of himself and his companions as good examples of leaders. Today, we have Church leaders, political leaders, family leaders, and all those in leadership positions. Note that all of us are leaders for one another. We are called to be good leaders. Therefore, let us follow the example of Saint Paul by serving with humility and giving ourselves to the people we serve.

Let us keep track of where we are at in the Gospel of Matthew to better understand today’s passage. Jesus entered Jerusalem and drove out all those engaged in selling and buying there.  The Jewish leaders questioned his authority (chap. 21: 1-27). In his response, he told them three parables in a row: the parable of the Two Sons (Chap. 21: 28-32), the parable of the Tenants (chap. 21: 33-46), and the parables of the Wedding Banquet (chap. 22: 1-14). Through these parables, he taught them that because they did not believe in him, the kingdom of heaven that he came to establish on earth was being taken away from them and given to the prostitutes, tax collectors, and all sinners who repent. Being angry against Jesus, the Jewish leaders plotted to get Jesus arrested and condemned. Matthew lines up three questions that different Jewish religious leaders asked Jesus to entrap him in order either to get him arrested and condemned or to shame him publicly and have the Jewish population disapprove of him. The first question was asked by the unholy alliance of the Pharisees and Herodians regarding whether it was lawful or not to pay tax to Ceasar (chap. 22: 15-22). The second question came from the Sadducees about marriage and resurrection (chap. 22: 23-33). The last question, asked by one expert of the law mandated by the Pharisees, was to know which of the commandments is the greatest (chap. 22: 34-40). Jesus escaped all their traps. His answers silenced and amazed them. Next, it was the turn for Jesus to ask the Pharisees double interrelated questions. The first one was to know whose son the Messiah was. They said, “David’s. in his second question, Jesus quoted Psalm 110: 1 where David called the Messiah ‘Lord”. Then, Jesus asked, if David called him ‘Lord’, how can the Messiah be his son? Matthew concludes that section by saying that no one was able to answer Jesus a word and no one dared to ask him any more questions (chap. 22: 41-46). After this episode comes the final section of the narrative part of the fifth book of the Gospel, which is a denunciation by Jesus of the Scribes and Pharisees (chap. 23: 1-39). Our Gospel story is the first part of this section.

It is important to note that in Jesus’ time, it was the Sadducees who oversaw the Jerusalem priesthood. Because they were not fulfilling well their priestly role, the Scribes and Pharisees who did not have any Scriptural mandate, nevertheless started functioning as catechists and religious educators. Surprisingly, Jesus, at the beginning of our Gospel story, first, encourages the crowds and his disciples to do and observe all things whatsoever the Scribes and Pharisees teach them. Why does not Jesus ask his people to just ignore them with their teaching since they do not have any Scriptural mandate? The reason is that the Scribes and Pharisees “have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.” (V. 2, NABRE). The “chair of Moses” is a reference to the need for an authoritative interpretation of sacred law in each generation. Since the Mosaic law was still in force at that time, Jesus recognized the need for authoritative religious instruction and recommended his contemporaries to do and observe their teaching.

Second, even though Jesus encouraged his contemporaries to do and observe the teaching of the Scribes and Pharisees, he asked them, however, not to follow the example. He describes the reason why the crowds and his disciples should not follow their example: it is because they “preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens [hard to carry] and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’” (vv. 3-7).

Today, many Christians ask whether to do and observe what the priests preach to the faithful, and what the schoolteachers, religious educators (catechists), and parents teach the children if they are reputed as bad persons. Jesus gives us an answer: we should do and observe the virtues that they teach us, but we should not follow their example.

Our first reading talks about the same topic. Note that Malachi prophesized to the people of Judah after they had returned from their exile in Babylon. Although they occupied their land, they were forbidden to establish their hereditary king of the line of David. So, politically speaking, they were still ruled by the Persian emperor or his representatives. That is why, as the Mosaic law had intended, the priests took a more active role in governing the people. They had three prominent duties: to bless the people, to instruct them, and to judge (or decide) disputes among them. Regrettably, our first reading passage reports that these priests were abusing their authority in these three duties. God threatens judgment on them unless they turn back to God and give glory to his name.    

Both the first and Gospel readings are particularly meaningful to the leaders of the Church but also to all the leaders like parents, schoolteachers, catechists, everyone in any leadership profession, and all of us because we are somehow leaders for each other. This liturgy of the Mass does not only blame us for misusing our leadership positions but also councils us on how to be good leaders of the people of God. The first council comes from Jesus himself in the second part of our Gospel story. He advises his disciples and us to not be called rabbi, father, or master. (Matthew 23: 8-10). Jesus here does not mean that we should not use all those titles; he uses a figure of speech called “hyperbole” to mean that we should be humble and servants of the people we lead.  He makes it clear when he says, “The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matthew 23: 11-12).

The second council is that of Saint Paul in our second reading. Talking to the believers of Thessalonica, Saint Paul says that he and his companions minister to them “as a nursing mother cares for her children.” Note that the nursing mother feeds her baby with her very self. Likewise, Paul and his companion do not share only the Word of God with the Thessalonians, but they also share “our very selves as well.” (1 Thessalonians 2: 8). Here Paul councils us to observe the virtue of self-gift when we lead God’s people.

Let us pray to God during this Mass for all the Church leaders and for all of us that we should be good leaders of God’s people by being humble, servants, and by giving our very selves for the people we lead. Amen.

Rev. Leon Ngandu, SVD

 

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A-Oct. 29, 2023

 30^th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A-Oct. 29, 2023

Exodus 22: 20-26; 1Thessalonissians 1: 5c-10; Matthew 22: 34-40

 

Theme: Love Your God, Love Your Neighbor, And Love Yourself

Let us first recall the historical context of our Gospel story. Jesus has been facing a series of questions from the Jewish religious leaders who were looking for legal evidence to get him arrested and condemned. Everything started when they questioned Jesus’s authority (Matthew 21: 23-28) and in response, Jesus told them three parables in a row. These parables were: the parable of the Two Sons (Matthew 21: 28-32) that we heard on Sunday, October 1^st, the parable of the Tenants (Matthew 21: 33-43) that was the Gospel reading of Sunday, October 8^th, and the parable of the Wedding Feast (Matthew 22: 1-14) that we read on Sunday, October 15th. Through these parables, Jesus revealed to them that the kingdom of heaven was being taken away from them and being given to tax collectors, prostitutes, and sinners because they failed to believe in him, but the tax collectors, prostitutes, and sinners welcomed the Gospel, believed in him, and repented. The reaction of these Jewish religious leaders was to get rid of Jesus whom they considered a threat to their power. Matthew lined up a series of trapping questions that they asked Jesus to embarrass him in public and get something legal to accuse him and have him condemned.  

The first question came from the unholy alliance of the Pharisees and Herodians regarding whether it was lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not. While their question was a trap, they were amazed by Jesus’ answer. He told them to “repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” (That was the Gospel story of last Sunday. To know the theological interpretation of Jesus’s answer, please see my homily for that Sunday). Matthew ends this story by saying that they were amazed at hearing Jesus’s answer and left Jesus.

The second question was that of the Sadducees. (This story is omitted in the Lectionary of the Sunday Mass). Note that The Sadducees were part of the leadership in Jerusalem and Judea. They were members of the powerful priestly party in the time of Jesus. The Jewish population did not like them because they conspired with the Romans to maintain their positions of power. Theologically speaking, the Sadducees were known as conservative, and they did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. They made up a story in which a woman, by Moses’s law, ended up marrying seven brothers because all of them died without giving her a child. Their question to Jesus was to find out whose wife this woman would be in the resurrection of the dead due to all seven brothers marrying her. Their intention was to make the belief in the resurrection of the dead ridiculous and consequently embarrass Jesus in public (Matthew 22: 24-28). Jesus rebuked them for knowing neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. The sexual relationships of this world will be transcended as the risen body will be the work of the creative power of God (See note to Matthew 22: 29, NABRE). “At the resurrection, they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like the angels in heaven.” (Matthew 22: 30). And concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” (Matthew 22: 31-32). Matthew concludes this story the same way he did in the previous one by telling how the crowds were astonished at hearing Jesus’s answer.

The third question is that of the Pharisees regarding the Greatest Commandment. This is our Gospel passage of today. Note that, unlike the first trap in which the intention of the Pharisees and Herodians was to entrap Jesus in speech and obtain legal evidence to get him arrested and condemned, in the last two tests, their goal was to ridicule Jesus publicly to have the Jewish population disapprove him.

 The sacred author starts our passage by referring to the previous question of the Sadducees, “Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together.” (V. 34, NABRE). This introductory verse shows that the Pharisees are aware that Jesus Has escaped their traps two times already. The first time was when Jesus amazed them with their alliant Herodians and the second time was when Jesus silenced the Sadducees. Keeping all these in mind, they came again to test Jesus for the third time. It appears to me that this time they have prepared themselves very well with a very complicated question in order not to fail again. That is why, they mandated an “expert in the law” to be the one to question Jesus (v. 35). The question is: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” (V. 36, NABRE). The test resided in the level that for them there could not be one greatest commandment insofar as all laws were important. In his answer, Jesus has summarized all the laws into two: the first is “Love your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (V. 37, NABRE). Here Jesus quoted the Jewish famous passage known as the shema (Deuteronomy 6: 4-5) which to this day is recited several times a day by pious Jews as the Christians recite the “Our Father’s prayer.” The second law is “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Here Jesus quoted the “Holiness Code” of Leviticus (Leviticus 19: 18).

Before I analyze these two laws, I think it is important to point out that it is wrong to think that by summarizing the Law with the two commandments of love Jesus somehow made the Law less challenging or demanding. We will understand that Jesus does not make it easier to fulfill the law; rather, he makes it more challenging because there are no excuses in love. It is very challenging to live out love for God and love for our neighbors perfectly.

Let us find out what Jesus means by his two commands of love. The first command says, “Love your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind”. The stress is on the words “all”, “heart”, “soul”, and “mind”. The Greek word for heart is kardia; it can be understood as the seat of emotions or affections. So, when Jesus commands us to love God with all of our hearts, he asks us to cultivate our affection and emotional attachment to him. The “soul” is our spiritual nature. Then, to love God with all our souls means that we need to seek spiritual union with him, a personal relationship with God, and intentional discipleship. The “mind” (in Greek, dianoia) is an intellectual endeavor. So, loving God with all our minds challenges us to seek to know God, not only using our faith but also using our intellect. That is why we are all encouraged to attend my Weekly Bible Study on Sunday’s Gospels (Online and in-person every Friday at 5:00 p.m. Central time) to learn how God reveals himself to us in the Scriptures[1].  

The second command challenges us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. This command alludes to what the sacred author of Exodus teaches us in our first reading. This reading comes from a larger section of the book of Exodus that Biblical scholars called the “Covenant Code” (Exodus 20: 22 – 23: 33) which contains a collection of case law, pronouncements, commands, and prohibitions. The passage that comes immediately before the Covenant Code talks about God’s appearance on Mount Sinai when he delivered the Ten Commandments. Because God’s appearance was accompanied by thunder, lightning, and smoke on the mountain, the Israelites became afraid to encounter God directly; so, they asked Moses to speak God’s commandments to them instead. That is why in our first reading passage, Moses plays the role of a mediator who speaks two of God’s Covenant laws to his people. Both commandments can be put into a category that today we might call “Social Justice Teaching’ or, to use Jesus’s language, “Love for our neighbor”.

The first command calls to “not oppress or afflict a resident alien (…) You shall not wrong any widow or orphan.” (Exodus 22: 20-21, NABRE). The Hebrew word for resident aliens is ger, which means stranger, temporary dweller, or sojourner. And note that in the Old Testament society, the resident aliens are regularly grouped with widows and orphans as the poorest and most vulnerable. God gave them one reason why they should not abuse the strangers: “For you were once aliens residing in the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 22: 20, NABRE). Then God told them about the punishment for those who would not follow that command, “My wrath will flare up, and I will kill you with the sword” (Exodus 22: 23, NABRE).

The second command deals with money lending. Note that in the context of the Old Testament, only the poor people used money lending because they did not have any other access to financial resources. And the lenders used to take advantage of them by overcharging them and demanding significant collateral. In the case of our first reading, the collateral is the cloak which represents the highest riches that poor people could have as it served as their bedding at night to protect themselves from the cold. So, God commanded them to not demand interest when they lend money to the poor and when they take their cloak as a pledge, they should give them back their cloaks before sunset so the poor could use them at bedtime (See Exodus 22: 24-26).

Notice how God identifies poor people: “My people” (v. 24) and “your neighbor” (v. 25). This teaches us that the poor are God’s people and are our neighbors. In the Biblical language, especially in the context of our Gospel passage, a neighbor is anyone (near or far away) who needs our assistance. So, when Jesus commands us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, he wants us to know that there are his people (near us and far away from us) who need our love materially, spiritually, and emotionally. The reason why we need to show love to our “resident aliens” or “neighbors” is because we too are “resident aliens” and “neighbors” in front of God and need God’s love. (Cf. Exodus 22: 20).

In this second commandment, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself”, there is a third love that many of us do not pay attention to when we analyze this passage. It is the “love for yourself”. The model for the love for our neighbors is the love for ourselves. One cannot love others if the person does not love himself or herself. To love oneself means to forgive oneself, reconcile with oneself, and give oneself a second chance. Once we are capable of loving ourselves, then we can do the same to our neighbors.

Jesus is the model of this love for us to imitate. He has loved his “neighbors” who are you and me. He continued to love us even to the cross when he sacrificed his life for our salvation. Saint Paul, in our second reading, speaks of himself as a model as well and he encouraged us to imitate him and the Lord Jesus. Note that this second reading is the second half of the Thanksgiving section of Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, which we started reading last weekend.  This section contains the major themes of Paul’s letter. There are two of these themes in our second reading passage: “Imitation’ and “affliction”. So, here Saint Paul calls us to imitate him and the Lord Jesus with joy even in great affliction (Cf. v. 6). When we do so, we too will become models for our family members, church members, and other people in our neighborhoods and everywhere we live to imitate (Cf. v. 7).

So, amid the suffering and trials that we go through today, let us continue to love God, our neighbors, and ourselves with joy. May the liturgy of this Mass enable us to become models of love for others to imitate us. Amen.  

Rev. Leon Ngandu, SVD

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[1] In my Weekly Bible Study program, we study, share, and pray with the Gospel passage that we hear on Sunday of the same weekend. First, we study the Gospel passage to understand what the evangelist tried to teach his people at the time he wrote his passage. This analysis Is called “Exegesis”. Second, we try to know what our Mother Church wants to teach us today by selecting this Gospel passage for this weekend. This exercise is called “Pastoral Implication. After studying the Gospel, we now do the Lectio Divina. This is praying with the Scripture. We meditate on the Gospel passage, share with our peers what God speaks to us individually, and pray to God to give us his grace so that we can live out what he just taught us. If you are interested in joining us every Friday at 5:00 p.m. Central time, email me at ussbiblicalapostolate@gmail.com

Here is the Zoom link that you can use to participle to all sessions: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83645165259?pwd=9fXYojZSPWIViJm9iA1SOt6QQJnSHu.1

 

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A / World Mission Sunday-October 22, 2023

29^th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A / World Mission Sunday-October 22, 2023

Isaiah 45: 1, 4-6; 1Thesalonians 1: 1-5b; Matthew 22: 15-21

 

Theme: “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what Belongs to God”

Today, we celebrate the 29^th Sunday in Ordinary Time and the World Mission Sunday. Let us first try to understand the Scriptures readings of today, then next, I will analyze the message of Pope Francis for the World Mission Sunday.  

Our Gospel passage is a continuation of what we heard last Sunday. Jesus told the chief priests and elders of the people of Israel the parable of the Wedding Feast (Matthew 22: 1-14) in addition to the two other parables he told them previously (the parable of the Two Sons (Matthew 21: 28-32) and that of the Tenants (Matthew 21: 33-43)). Through these three parables, the main message of Jesus was that the Jews rejected him, and the kingdom of heaven was being opened to the Gentiles, sinners, and all those (Jews and non-Jews) who were willing to repent. Upon hearing the teachings of all these parables, the Jews were furious. They planned to have the Roman authorities arrest and condemn Jesus. For this, they needed legal evidence. Matthew lines up a series of three questions in a row that the Jewish religious leaders asked Jesus to entrap him in order either to obtain legal evidence to get him arrested and condemned or just to embarrass him publicly and have the Jewish population disapprove of him. The first question came from the Pharisees and Herodians. This is our Gospel story today.

Our Gospel passage says that the Pharisees and Herodians team up to entrap Jesus with his teachings. Note that these two groups were not getting along. They team up here just because Jesus is their common enemy. At the time of Jesus, Israel was under the occupation of the Romans. The Pharisees were against paying taxes to the Romans, but the Herodians (one group of the Israelites who supported Herod, the puppet king of the Romans) were working for the Romans, so they supported paying taxes. For this and many other reasons, the Pharisees and Herodians were at odds with one another. However, Jesus here was their common enemy as they found his teachings threatening their powers. So, they created an unholy alliance to try to find a way to condemn Jesus, their common enemy.

They asked Jesus a “Yes or No” question in public: “Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?” This is a political dilemma question. Both groups (Pharisees and Herodians) presumed there was no right answer Jesus could give here.  On the one hand, if Jesus said “Yes, it is right to pay tax”, then the Pharisees could spread the news to the Jewish community accusing Jesus of supporting the Roman regime with all its human rights abuses. Consequently, Jesus would lose credibility among his fellow Jews. On the other hand, if he said “No, it is wrong to pay taxes”, then he would be in trouble with the Herodians who would immediately report to the Roman authority that Jesus was teaching people not to pay their taxes. That would be legal evidence for them to get Jesus arrested and condemned.

Knowing their malice, Jesus answered them like this: “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” What can we learn from this answer? It is important to note that the Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, and other religious groups at that time benefited from the Pax Romana in which the Roman government permitted the Jewish government in Jerusalem to tax all expatriate Jews who were living in the Roman Empire for the support of the Temple. However, just a small amount of this tax served the support of the Temple as these religious groups were enriching themselves from this tax illegally. So, in the first part of Jesus’ answer “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar”, he tried to tell the Pharisees and Herodians that If they decided to continue participating in the Roman currency system and benefiting from it (in enriching themselves from the tax allowed by the same Roman government for the care of the Temple), then, they must also be willing to play by its rules. In a word, Jesus here pointed out their hypocrisy. Before they refused the tax imposed by the Roman government, they should have first abandoned the tax that they imposed on the expatriate Jews which made them illegally wealthy.  

In the second part of his answer, “Repay to God what belongs to God”, Jesus taught them and teaches each of us today a deep lesson. Note that Caesar’s image is stamped on coins but according to the book of Genesis, “God’s image and likeness” is stamped upon each human person. “Then God said: Let us make[a] human beings in our image, after our likeness (…) God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1: 26-27). This means that since the coin has Caesar’s image, it belongs to him, so, they should render to Caesar “this currency” as it belongs to him. Likewise, God’s image and likeness are stamped in each of us, meaning that everything that we have and who we are belongs to God. Therefore, we should render to God “ourselves” and “what we have” because we belong to him. This was what the Pharisees and Herodians in our Gospel failed to do. Their concerns were more about maintaining their social and political powers than embracing the kingdom of heaven that Jesus came to establish.

Through this Gospel passage, Our Mother Church warns us to not follow the example of the Pharisees and Herodians. Sometimes many Christians, for example, involve themselves in fighting for political causes, even good ones, but neglect their spiritual lives. Any good cause that we fight for will lose its sense if we neglect our relationship with God, which is the primary need of our lives. As we continue to fight for justice and peace for the well-being of people in our societies, let us keep in mind that it is in the same way that we need to fight to bring people closer to God for the well-being of our souls in the heavenly kingdom. Political needs and spiritual needs must not contradict each other. This is what we heard in our first reading. God used King Cyrus, a political leader, and blessed his people, the Israelites. Amen.

 

World Mission Sunday

Theme: Hearts on Fire, (Eyes Opened), and Feet on the Move (cf. Lk 24:13-35)

 

 Today we celebrate World Mission Sunday. Our Holy Father, Pope Francis suggests the whole Catholic Church to meditate on this theme: “Hearts on Fire, Feet on the Move”. He is inspired by the story of the Two Disciples of Emmaus (Luke 24: 13-35). After the death of Jesus, these two disciples’ hope placed in their Lord evaporated. Jesus is dead, everything is done, and now it is time to return home to Emmaus. On their way, they encounter the Resurrected Christ who interpreted the Sacred Scripture and broke the Bread with them. This means that the Risen Lord celebrated the Eucharist with them and then they received Him in Holy Communion. This encounter with Christ brought a tremendous change in their lives: from being confused and dismayed on the way toward Emmaus to becoming enthusiastic disciples on their way back to Jerusalem to announce the resurrection of the Lord in Jerusalem. Instead of continuing their trip to Emmaus, they made a U-turn and returned to Jerusalem. To do what there? To announce that Jesus had truly risen. Pope Francis emphasizes a few revealing images in this Gospel account through which we perceive the change in these two disciples: “Their hearts burned within them as they heard the Scriptures explained by Jesus, their eyes were opened as they recognized him and, ultimately, their feet set out on the way.” (Cf. Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for World Mission Day 2023). Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, invites us to meditate on these three images (Heart on Fire, Eyes Opened, and Feet on the Move), which reflect the journey of all missionary disciples like you and me today. By meditating on these, Pope Francis believes that each one of us can renew our zeal for evangelization in today’s world.

Talking about the first image (Heart on Fire), the Holy Father Pope Francis expresses his closeness in Christ to all the men and women missionaries in the world, (priests, religious, and lay alike) especially to those enduring any kind of hardship. He says, “Dear friends, the Risen Lord is always with you. He sees your generosity and the sacrifices you are making for the mission of evangelization in distant lands. Not every day of our lives is serene and unclouded but let us never forget the words of the Lord Jesus to his friends before his Passion: “In the world, you will have tribulations, but be courageous: I have conquered the world!” (Jn 16:33). Our Holy Father invites us always to be willing to let ourselves be accompanied by the Risen Lord as he explains to us the meaning of the Scriptures as he did with the two disciples of Emmaus. Amid our suffering, we are called to let Jesus make our hearts burn within us and transform us so that we continue our mission to evangelize the world with the power and wisdom that come from his Spirit.

The second image is “Eyes Opened”. The eyes of the two disciples of Emmaus and the eyes of each of us today are opened and we recognize Christ in the breaking of the bread which is the Liturgy of the Eucharist at Mass. Pope Francis says, “Jesus in the Eucharist is the source and summit of the mission.” He then explains that Jesus is the one who breaks the bread, at the same time, he is the bread itself that is broken for us. So, all Baptized are missionary disciples. We are called to become like Jesus. Our mission is to become the ones who break the bread and at the same time to be the bread that is broken for the world. For Pope Francis, on the one hand, breaking our material bread with the hungry in the name of Christ is already one of the missions of Christianity. On the other hand, the breaking of the Eucharistic bread, which is Christ himself, is a work of mission par excellence because the Eucharist is the source and summit of the life and mission of the Church.

The third image is “Our Feet on the Move”. After their eyes were opened and they recognized the Risen Lord “in the breaking of the bread”, the two disciples of Emmaus “set out without delay and returned to Jerusalem to announce to others that Jesus had truly risen (cf. Luke 24: 33). When we meet Jesus in the Word of God proclaimed at Mass and the Eucharist that we share in the Holy Communion, the joy of the Gospel fills our hearts and our whole lives. In Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis says, “With Jesus Christ, Joy is always born and reborn.” (Evangelii Gaudium, 1). One cannot encounter the risen Jesus without being set on fire with enthusiasm to tell everyone about him. Therefore, Pope Francis affirms that the primary and principal resource of the mission “are those persons who have come to know the risen Christ in the Scriptures and in the Eucharist, who carry his fire in their heart and his light in their gaze. They can bear witness to the life that never dies, even in the most difficult of situations and in the darkest of moments.”

So, Pope Francis invites all of us, in this world Mission Sunday, to “set out once more, illumined by our encounter with the Risen Lord and prompted by his Spirit. Let us set out again with burning hearts, with our eyes open and our feet in motion. Let us set out to make other hearts burn with the Word of God, to open the eyes of others to Jesus in the Eucharist, and to invite everyone to walk together on the path of peace and salvation that God, in Christ, has bestowed upon all humanity.

On this World Mission Sunday, the Church reminds us that we all are missionaries and we all can contribute financially to support the mission around the world. That is why, all parishes worldwide collect funds on this Sunday and send them to the Pontifical Mission Society (PMS).

The “Pontifical Mission Societies” (PMS) are four mission offices: The Society of Propagation of the Faith, the Missionary Childhood Association, the Society of Saint Peter Apostle Missionary, and the Missionary Union of Priests and Religious. They have a special responsibility in the Universal Church. National offices exist in more than 120 countries around the world including the United States. I used to work in the National Office of PMS in Congo-Kinshasa. Central administrative offices are located in Rome, Italy, under the direction of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. 

I am myself a religious priest. I belong to a religious congregation called “Society of the Divine Word” founded on September 8, 1875, by Saint Arnold Jansen, a German priest. As of 2020, we have around 6,023 members composed of priests and religious brothers working in more than 70 countries. We also have two religious congregations for the nuns: The Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit (founded on December 8, 1889) and the Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit for Perpetual Adoration (founded on December 8, 1896) known as “Pink Sisters”. As of 2020, there are around 3,000 sisters working in more than 50 countries. Our work is based on four dimensions: promotion of the Bible, Communication, Mission animation (We open new communities and parishes, especially the places where the mission is not well established due to poverty or other difficulties), and Justice and Peace. 

All of your financial support for World Mission Sunday will go to Rome and will be used to support the mission around the world. Together, through our prayers and financial support, we bring the Lord’s mercy and concrete help to the most vulnerable communities in the Pope’s missions. Let us be generous in supporting the mission of the Church around the world. Amen.

Rev. Leon Ngandu, SVD

 

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A. Oct. 15, 2023

 28^th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A. Oct. 15, 2023

Isiah 25: 6-10a; Philippians 4: 12-14, 19-20; Matthew 22: 1-14

 

Theme: The “Wedding Garment” is Our Willingness to Repent and Meet with Jesus

Many of us like being invited to big celebrations like wedding parties. The first reading and the Gospel today remind us that God invites each one of us to the greatest feast. The Gospel represents this feast as a wedding banquet that God organizes for his Son Jesus whose bride is the Church. Prophet Isaiah, in the first reading, describes this banquet as a feast of rich food and choice wines that will take place on the mountain Zion, alluding to the end of the time. The Church teaches us that this heavenly banquet starts here on earth and takes place at every Eucharistic celebration (Mass).

To better understand the parable that we heard in today’s Gospel, let us first recall its historical context which starts back in chapter 21. Jesu’s long journey with his disciples to Jerusalem came to an end. First, Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem, and the crowds sang for him, “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the lord; hosana in the highest.” The whole city of Jerusalem was shaken. (21: 1-11). Second, Jesus entered the Temple area and drove out all those engaged in selling and buying there. The blind and the lame came to him, and he healed them. Children continued crying out in the temple area, “Hosanna to the Son of David.” The Chief priests and Scribes were indignant (21: 12-17). V. 17 says that Jesus spent the night out of the city of Jerusalem, it was in Bethany. On his way back to the city in the morning, he cursed one fig tree because he did not find anything to eat on it. Immediately the fig tree withered. Because his disciples were amazed at seeing this miracle, Jesus taught them what a prayer with faith can do (vv. 18-22). When Jesus arrived in the temple area, he started teaching. The chief priests and elders questioned his authority of preaching, “By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?” Jesus asked them to tell him the origin of the baptism of John the Baptist instead, but they did not provide a correct answer. Since they failed to answer his question, Jesus did not tell them the origin of his divine authority for doing all these things (vv. 23-27).

While the chief priests and elders were still waiting for Jesus to tell them by what authority he drove out the vendors and buyers from the temple, he preached, and performed miracles, in response, Jesus told them three parables in a row. The first parable is the parable of the Two Sons that we heard on Sunday, October 1^st (Matthew 21: 28-32). The second is the parable of the Tenants which was the Gospel of last Sunday (Matthew 21: 33-43). And the third is our Gospel’s passage today, the parable of the Wedding Feast (Matthew 22: 1-14). Note that in all these three parables, Jesus addresses the chief priests and the elders of the Jews.

Let us now analyze our parable. Its analogy is that the king is God, the wedding feast is the heavenly kingdom that Jesus established, and today is manifested in the liturgy of the Mass. The king’s son is Jesus and the bride in this wedding is the Church. The servants are the prophets and today could be you and me. The invited guests represent the Jews who are the first people God invited to be his “chosen people”. In the New Covenant with Jesus, all of us are “God’s chosen people” so we are the invited guests of the Eucharistic Celebration, the Mass. The second group of guests who fill the hall stand for the non-Jewish people and all sinners, including you and me, who repent and believe in Jesus. The man who did not dress in a wedding garment represents all those who apparently come to Jesus but do not believe in him. Today, this man represents all those who come to Mass but with no intention to repent.  

This parable has two parts and a closing statement. The first part describes the mission of the servants and the reactions of invited guests (vv. 1-10). The second part portrays the judgment of the man who attends the banquet without a wedding garment (vv. 11-13). The concluding statement alludes to the final judgment at the end of time (v. 14).

In the first part of the parable, Jesus taught the chief priests and elders of the people of Israel that God sent his prophets to summon them who are the first invited guests to partake in the “wedding feast” which is the heavenly kingdom that Jesus started. However, they ignored God’s invitation and refused to come. They privileged their business and even killed God’s servants. (vv. 1-6). Why did these first invited guests ignore God’s invitation? There are two reasons. First, because they knew very well that responding to God’s invitation meant that they needed to spend their time with him and that God had to become their first priority. For these invited guests, their priority was their business, and they did not want to change it. Second, they ignored God’s invitation because they knew that the “wedding garment” was required for them to access the hall of the feast. Note that the “wedding garment” stands for the desire from our hearts to repent. So, they did not want to repent, neither did they want to consider God as their priority. 

Today, there are still people who refuse God’s invitation to come to the heavenly wedding banquet that takes place in the Eucharistic celebration, the Mass. The first reason why they reject God’s invitation is that they avoid “dressing in wedding garments”, which means, they do not want to repent and let Jesus lead their lives. The second reason is that they do not want to consider God as their priority. Their business, leisure, social gatherings, and travels are their priorities but not their spiritual growth and their relationship with God. So, we are called to respond to God’s invitation every Sunday to participate in the Eucharistic celebration which prefigures the heavenly kingdom. God knows that we all are sinners, yet he invites us. What he expects from us is our willingness to work on our weaknesses and let God transform our lives, and also to consider him as our priority. All that we do, business, leisure, traveling, and social gatherings are good, but we need to prioritize our spiritual lives.  The willingness to repent and to consider God as our priority is the ticket to partake in the heavenly kingdom.

Another reason why some people do not come to Mass is because they have nobody who reminds them and motivates them. The mission of the servants in our parable consists of reminding the invited guests that the wedding banquet is about to start and that the king is waiting for them. Likewise, our mission as Baptized Christians is to remind our family members, relatives, and friends about the Weekend Masses (also the weekday Masses) to which God our Father invites us and waits for us. Many families do not even converse about going to Mass together as a family. In our neighborhood’s meetings, do our agendas include the point regarding our spiritual growth and encouraging one another to go to Church? For families, relatives, and friends who live far away from each other, do we pick up our phones and motivate our members to go to Church, especially on weekends? This first part of our parable teaches us that we are God’s servants, and our mission is to remind people every weekend that God waits for all of us to come and partake in the Heavenly Wedding Banquet which is the Eucharistic celebration, the Mass.

Because the Jews who were the first invited guests were not worthy to come to the feast, God extended his invitation to the non-Jewish people. “The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come.  Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.” (vv. 8-10). Notice how paradigms change here.  The first mission of the servants was to remind the invited guests but here their mission consists of inviting everyone they meet on the roads. The first group of people already knew about God’s invitation; what was needed was just to remind them, while the second group did not know anything; they were surprised on their way to their businesses. This teaches us that our mission as Baptized is to remind Christians to come to Mass and to invite non-Christians to join our Church. In other words, we are called to encourage our existing Church members to attend Weekend Masses and also seek those who do not belong to our Church community to join us. Note that our mission is not to judge but to remind and invite everyone, good and bad alike. Jesus came to establish a New Israel, a heavenly kingdom on earth that includes all people from all nations. 

The second part of our parable deals with the judgment of the man who attends the banquet without a wedding garment (vv. 11-13). This part portrays a scenario in which all people, good and bad alike, are invited to the wedding feast. The hall is full of guests. Among them, one does not have a wedding garment. We may wonder why the king is so harsh with him since it is the king himself who asked his servants to invite whomever they meet on the main road (v. 9). This man probably may have been going to his business and upon receiving this invitation, he responded instantly. So, he did not have time to return home and dress appropriately. Why is this man condemned? What does the Church try to teach us here?

Note that the wedding banquet in this parable represents our celebration of the Eucharist which takes place at each Mass. Then, the wedding garment represents our desire from our hearts to meet with the Lord and to repent. So, this man had enough time to repent so he could meet the Lord with a pure heart. Conversion needs just a few seconds of our decision. When God calls us, we need to decide whether we want to start a new life with Him or want to continue our old lives without Him. This man without a wedding garment represents all those who respond to the invitation of God but refuse to repent and refuse to spend time with Jesus in a one-on-one relationship. In other words, this man represents all those who come to Mass just to entertain themselves (for example, to enjoy the Gospel choir) or merely per the obedience of the parents/grandparents who ask them to do so but, in their hearts, they have no intention of repentance and no intention of discipleship (following Jesus). This part of the parable teaches us that we all are invited to partake in the Eucharistic celebration, the Mass, which prefigures the heavenly Wedding Banquet. We are expected to express our willingness to let the Word of God proclaimed at Mass transform us and the Body and Blood of Jesus that we receive in the Holy Communion strengthen our relationships with God. The heavenly kingdom is for all people (bad and good alike) but only those who accept to repent and let Jesus lead their lives are the ones who are allowed to access the kingdom of heaven.  

Jesus concludes this parable by stating that many are invited, but few are chosen. The criterion for choosing the people is the “wedding garment”, the willingness to repent. If you and I want to be among the “chosen”, let us open our hearts and allow God to change our lives. Amen.  

Rev. Leon Ngandu, SVD

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A. October 8, 2023

 

27^th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A. October 8, 2023

Isaiah 5: 1-7; Philippians 4: 6-9; Matthew 21: 33-43

Theme: God Expects Us to Bear Fruits That Will Last

Today’s Gospel passage is a continuation of that of last Sunday. Through the parable of the two sons that Jesus told the Jewish leaders last Sunday, he stated clearly that they were the first to say “yes” to God’s will to work in his vineyard as they were the Chosen People of God, but they failed to do so. The vineyard that God called them to work in is the Kingdom of heaven that Jesus came to initiate, but they rejected Jesus. So, their initial “yes” became “No”. Yet, the Gentiles, tax collectors, prostitutes, and all sinners who initially had said “no” to the will of God changed their minds later, repented, and accepted to work in God’s kingdom.  

Just after the parable of the two sons, Jesus tells them another one: the parable of the tenants. This is our Gospel passage of today. The analogy of this parable is this: the landowner is God, the vineyard is Israel, the tenants are the Jewish religious leaders, the servants are the prophets, and the landowner’s son is Jesus. Through this parable, Jesus tells the Jewish religious leaders that God (the landowner) planted Israel (the vineyard), surrounded it with a hedge, dug a wine press, and built a tower (v. 33). He then entrusted the care of Israel to them (the tenants). Afterward, God sent his servants (different prophets) to them to collect his share of the harvest, meaning, to evaluate how the Jewish religious leaders lead the people of Israel in the way of God. But they beat the prophets, stoned them, and killed them. Again, God sent other prophets, more numerous than the first ones, but the Jewish religious leaders treated them in the same way. Finally, God sent his son Jesus, thinking, “They will respect my son”. (v. 37) Because the intention of the Jewish religious leaders is to acquire the inheritance of the son and become like God, they throw Jesus out of Israel and kill him (v. 39). Jesus ends this parable with a question addressed to the Jewish religious leaders, “What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?” (v. 40). Their answer is “He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times.” (v. 41). Then in response, Jesus reminds them of Psalm 118 which he applies to himself. The stone that builders rejected is Jesus who has become the cornerstone of the Church. He is deemed “wonderful” in the eyes of those who received him and cared for the vineyard of his Father (v. 42). Matthew ends his Gospel by affirming that God’s kingdom will be taken away from the Jewish leaders who represent all those who reject Jesus; it will be given to those who accept Jesus by producing its fruits (v. 43).

By telling us this parable, the Church wants us to know that the “vineyard” or the Israel of today is our societies, neighborhoods, families, Church, and environment; and the Israelites of the New Covenant are you and me, the Christians. God has entrusted the care of our societies to the political leaders, the care of our Church to the religious leaders, the care of our families to the parents, the care of our brothers and sisters to you and me, and the care of the environment to each of us. Some questions that we should ask ourselves are the following: How each of us here is taking care of his or her “vineyard” that God has entrusted us? Are we bad tenants like those in the parable? Here our Mother Church reminds us that we are just the stewards but not the “landowners” or God. When we ignore God’s will and do whatever pleases us by destroying the environment, mistreating the people of God in our families and neighborhoods, and not serving or helping our Church, at that time, we are bad tenants like those in our parable. We are good tenants when we do, not our will, but God’s will; and God’s will is to serve and protect the people and the environment that God has entrusted to our care.

The Church also wants us to identify ourselves as the servants and the “son” of this parable whom the tenants persecuted. On one hand, until today, there are still wicked tenants who continue to persecute God’s servants. And on the other hand, God still needs the servants to work in his vineyard. So, knowing very well all the sufferings of this mission, are we still willing to accept God’s mission? To be Christian entails commitment and willingness to carry our crosses and follow our Lord. As God’s servants, people may reject us, criticize us, discourage us, and even persecute us. This is the way that the devil operates to hinder and stop the mission of God. His goal is to prevent the people from being evangelized so that they may not be saved on the last day. We are called to be courageous servants who are willing to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of the salvation of the souls of our brothers and sisters in our church community, families, and everywhere we live.

In addition to considering ourselves as “tenants” and “servants” of our Gospel’s parable, our Moder Church wants us to also consider ourselves as the “vineyard” of our first reading. In this passage, the prophet Isaiah addresses the real theme of the people of Israel’s infidelity to God in a prophecy that takes the form of a song. He states that the song is sung concerning his “friend” who has invested his energy and his livelihood into his vineyard. He planted it on a fertile hillside, spaded it, cleared it of stones, and planted the choicest vines. He built a watchtower within it and hewed out a wine press (see vv. 1-2a). With all these tremendous works, Isaiah’s friend waited for the crop of grapes, but his vineyard yielded rotten grapes instead (v. 2b).

The analogy of this son is that the friend of Isaiah is God. The vineyard is Israel (remember Israel of the New Covenant are all Christians, meaning you and me). The fertile hillside is our society, families, church, and everywhere we live. The choicest vines represent the desire that God put in our hearts to know him, love him, and follow him. The crop of grapes represents virtues, and rotten grapes stand for wickedness, acts of violence, and all sorts of sins. So, God has given us fertile and well-arranged land, neighborhoods, families, and the Church to live in. He planted in us “the choicest vines”, meaning the desire to know him, love him, and follow him. With all that he has done for us, God expects us to yield for him the “crop of grapes” which are all the virtues such as coming to his Church (especially every Sunday) to worship him, loving, helping, and serving the people he entrusted us, and protecting the environment. However, we, his “vineyard”, yield “rotten grapes” instead of the “crop of grapes”. We do not come regularly to Church to worship him and express our gratitude for all the blessings that we receive from him. We do not love him and serve him much through our brothers and sisters. And we do not protect well enough the “fertile” environment that he has given us. 

The reading ends with Isaiah prophesying what God will do with this “wicked vineyard”, meaning with all those who do not do God’s will. He says that God will “take away its hedge, give it to grazing, break through its wall, let it be trampled! Yes, I will make it a ruin: it shall not be overgrown with thorns and briers; I will command the clouds not to rain upon it.” (vv. 5-6, NABRE). This punishment alludes to the condemnation of the last judgment at the end of time.

By choosing these Bible readings today, our mother Church wants to remind us that being Christians is not just avoiding sins, but it is also producing good fruits. This is what Saint Paul exhorts us to do in our second reading. He calls us to have no anxiety at all but to make our requests known to God by prayer, petition, and thanksgiving (Philippians 4: 6).  Also, he urges us to think of everything that is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, gracious and anything that is excellent and worthy of praise (v. 8). Finally, he encourages us to imitate his example (v. 9).

In this liturgy of the Mass, let us ask God’s grace so that we may be the “good tenants”, “obedient servants”, and the “fruitful vineyard” who always do God’s will by loving and serving his people, his Church, and his environment. As we are in October, the month dedicated to the veneration of the Virgin Mary, let us ask our Blessed Mother to intercede for us. Amen.

Rev. Leon Ngandu, SVD