Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings for the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time[1][2]

Readings from the Jerusalem Bible

Readings and Commentary:[3]

Reading 1: Ezekiel 18:25-28

Thus says the Lord:

You say, "The Lord 's way is not fair!"

Hear now, house of Israel:

Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?

When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies,

it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die.

But if he turns from the wickedness he has committed,

he does what is right and just,

he shall preserve his life;

since he has turned away from all the sins that he has committed,

he shall surely live, he shall not die.

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Commentary on Ez 18:25-28

The theme of this section of Ezekiel is “The Lord’s way is just.”  In these verses the prophet presents an apology of the fairness of the Law saying that those who sin against God die but those who turn from sin and repent live.  This argument stresses individual responsibility and the ability of the faithful to choose life or death, fully informed.

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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14

R. (6a) Remember your mercies, O Lord.

Your ways, O Lord, make known to me;

teach me your paths,

guide me in your truth and teach me,

for you are God my savior.

R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.

Remember that your compassion, O Lord,

and your love are from of old.

The sins of my youth and my frailties remember not;

in your kindness remember me,

because of your goodness, O Lord.

R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.

Good and upright is the Lord;

thus he shows sinners the way.

He guides the humble to justice,

and teaches the humble his way.

R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.

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Commentary on Ps 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14

Psalm 25 is an individual lament. The sinful psalmist prays that “Your ways” be made know. This request directs us to repentance and ultimately justice.  The theme of guidance is continued in the psalm. This selection gives a clear sense of the Lord’s path announced by John the Baptist and Malachi.

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Reading II: Philippians 2:1-11

Brothers and sisters:

If there is any encouragement in Christ,

any solace in love,

any participation in the Spirit,

any compassion and mercy,

complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love,

united in heart, thinking one thing.

Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory;

rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves,

each looking out not for his own interests,

but also for those of others.

Have in you the same attitude

that is also in Christ Jesus,

Who, though he was in the form of God,

did not regard equality with God

something to be grasped.

Rather, he emptied himself,

taking the form of a slave,

coming in human likeness;

and found human in appearance,

he humbled himself,

becoming obedient to the point of death,

even death on a cross.

Because of this, God greatly exalted him

and bestowed on him the name

which is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bend,

of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that

Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

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Commentary on Phil 2:1-11

Contained in this selection from St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians are two specific instructions to the community.  He begins exhorting them to unity and harmony (see below) and then continues with the Kenotic (emptying) Hymn which focuses on humility.  Christ empties himself of the complete divinity that is his essence and accepts the human condition. As true man he suffers the ultimate humiliation of death (on the cross). The second section of the hymn focuses on God’s resulting actions of exaltation. The Christian sings to God’s great glory in Christ proclaiming him Lord and Savior.

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OR

Shorter Form: Philippians 2:1-5

Brothers and sisters:

If there is any encouragement in Christ,

any solace in love,

any participation in the Spirit,

any compassion and mercy,

complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love,

united in heart, thinking one thing.

Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory;

rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves,

each looking out not for his own interests,

but also for those of others.

Have in you the same attitude

that is also in Christ Jesus.

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Commentary on Phil 2:1-5

St. Paul tells the community in essence “If you want to console me in Christ, complete my joy by paying attention to the advice I am now going to give you.”[4] He then tells them that what they should strive for is unity with Christ (en Christō) which would bring harmony to the community.  He defines the “mind of Christ” in a sense; “…solace in love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion and mercy” then telling them they should be also of that mind but in humility.

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Gospel: Matthew 21:28-32

Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people:

"What is your opinion?

A man had two sons.

He came to the first and said,

'Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.'

He said in reply, 'I will not, '

but afterwards changed his mind and went.

The man came to the other son and gave the same order.

He said in reply, 'Yes, sir, ‘but did not go.

Which of the two did his father's will?"

They answered, "The first."

Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you,

tax collectors and prostitutes

are entering the kingdom of God before you.

When John came to you in the way of righteousness,

you did not believe him;

but tax collectors and prostitutes did.

Yet even when you saw that,

you did not later change your minds and believe him."

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Commentary on Mt 21:28-32

This passage is the first of three parables concerning the judgment of the people of Israel.  This parable could be taken simply as the difference between saying and doing (see also Matthew 7:21; 12:50). Presented as it is as a question to the Jewish leaders, they are forced to admit that the son who did the father’s will was the one justified. Jesus then clarifies his meaning by setting the analogy of the two sons against religious leaders, who disbelieved the message of St. John the Baptist and the sinners (tax collectors and prostitutes) who did. 

This characterization does not mean that St. John led a righteous life but pointed to how one might be lead.  Ultimately that parable tells the Jewish leaders that those they look down upon are achieving the inheritance of God before them because of their acts of repentance and devotion.

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Reflection:

Ezekiel and St. Paul set us up for the Gospel from St. Matthew.  Ezekiel tells us that those of us who repent of our human rebellion against God will find life.  In essence he tells us that the door to happiness and life is always open but we must turn away from sin.  St. Paul then exhorts us to not just turn from sin but to embrace the mind of Christ who provides solace in love coupled with participation in the Holy Spirit and living lives of compassion and mercy.  He follows this with the great Kenotic Hymn reminding us that Christ did this in humility “…taking the form of a slave”. 

To all of this, as we pull the Word apart, we are saying “Yes, yes! That is what I must do.  Thank you Ezekiel, thank you St. Paul.” 

Then we come to the Parable of the Two Sons from St. Matthew’s Gospel.  On the surface we see Ezekiel’s theme brought to life as Jesus uses the parable to tell the Jewish leaders how they have missed the boat by rejecting the repentance preached by St. John the Baptist. 

We applaud Jesus for taking those hypocrites to task.  Then we think about those two sons.  We ask ourselves; “Which of them most closely resembles me?”  Have I said to my Heavenly Father – Yes, I am here to do what you ask; but then fail?  Or have I been brought to obedience through my errors and sins, as so many of those saints before me?  There lies our trap, our conundrum.  If we chose the latter answer and say we have found the right path – that we are walking the “Way”’, have we missed the point of the Kenotic Hymn?  Have we put on the mind of Christ whose attitude St. Paul tells us to adopt?  Jesus emptied himself of all pride and, in spite of his perfection in love, allowed us to humiliate him and kill him, hanging him upon a tree.

Yet, on the other side, if we admit that we have said “yes” to the Father but not fulfilled our duty to him do we desperately need to undergo the conversion of heart necessary to put on the mind of Christ? Or are we acting out of the humility we are called to and indeed on the right path?

Of course the answer is that as hard as we try we shall never be able to completely personify the perfect love and ultimate humility of Christ.  He may have emptied himself of pride but that was part of his perfect nature, a nature reflected dimly in us in, a way befitting God’s creation.  Our challenge as Christians is to work constantly toward that perfect goal.  We do so firstly by never taking personal pride in the good we accomplish.  It is Christ’s glory we proclaim not our own.  Secondly, we recognize, through acts of contrition, that we have failed to answer our call but God’s mercy is there for those who ask for it.

Pax

SOURCE: A Servant of the World

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[1] ALTRE

[2] The picture used today is “The Eberhard Brothers” by Johann Anton Alban, Ramoux, 1822

[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.

[4] cf St. Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Philippians

September 25th, 2011 - 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings:

Ezekiel 18:25-28

You say, "The LORD's way is not fair!"

Psalm 25:4-9
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.

Philippians 2:1-11
Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory;
rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves . . . .
There is an alternate choice in readings:  Phil 2:1-5 - But Phil 2:1-11 is one of the most beautiful Biblical passages!  Take the time to read it in full.

Matthew 21:28-32 

Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you,
tax collectors and prostitutes
are entering the kingdom of God before you.

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The Humble Path

Echoing the complaint heard in last week’s readings, today’s First Reading again presents protests that God isn’t fair. Why does He punish with death one who begins in virtue but falls into iniquity, while granting life to the wicked one who turns from sin?
This is the question that Jesus takes up in the parable in today’s Gospel.

The first son represents the most heinous sinners of Jesus’ day - tax collectors and prostitutes - who by their sin at first refuse to serve in the Lord’s vineyard, the kingdom. At the preaching of John the Baptist, they repented and did what is right and just.

The second son represents Israel’s leaders - who said they would serve God in the vineyard, but refused to believe John when he told them they must produce good fruits as evidence of their repentance (see Matthew 3:8).

Once again, this week’s readings invite us to ponder the unfathomable ways of God’s justice and mercy.  
He teaches His ways only to the humble, as we sing in today’s Psalm.
And in the Epistle today, Paul presents Jesus as the model of that humility by which we come to know life’s true path.
Paul sings a beautiful hymn to the Incarnation. Unlike Adam, the first man, who in his pride grasped at being God, the New Adam, Jesus, humbled himself to become a slave, obedient even unto death on the cross (see Romans 5:14). In this He has shown sinners - each one of us - the way back to the Father. We can only come to God, to serve in His vineyard, the Church, by having that same attitude as Christ. 

This is what Israel’s leaders lacked. In their vainglory, they presumed their superiority - that they had no further need to hear God’s Word or God’s servants.

But this is the way to death, as God tells Ezekiel today. We are always to be emptying ourselves, seeking forgiveness for our sins and frailties, confessing on bended knee that He is Lord, to the glory of the Father.

Listen Here!



SOURCE:  Scott Hahn, Ph.D.

September 18, 2011 - 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings

Isaiah 55:6-9

Seek the LORD while he may be found . . . 

Psalm145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18

R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
 

Philippians 1:20-24, 27

Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ.

Matthew 20:1-16 

• The landowner is God.
• The vineyard is the kingdom.
• The workers hired at dawn are the Israelites, to whom He first offered His covenant.
• Those hired later in the day are the Gentiles, the non-Israelites, who, until the coming of Christ, were strangers to the covenants of promise (see Ephesians 2:11-13).

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First and Last
The house of Israel is the vine of God - who planted and watered it, preparing the Israelites to bear fruits of righteousness (see Isaiah 5:7; 27:2-5).

Israel failed to yield good fruits and the Lord allowed His vineyard, Israel’s kingdom, to be overrun by conquerors (see Psalm 80:9-20). But God promised that one day He would replant His vineyard and its shoots would blossom to the ends of the earth (see Amos 9:15; Hosea 14:5-10).

This is the biblical backdrop to Jesus’ parable of salvation history in today’s Gospel.
• The landowner is God.
• The vineyard is the kingdom.
• The workers hired at dawn are the Israelites, to whom He first offered His covenant.
• Those hired later in the day are the Gentiles, the non-Israelites, who, until the coming of Christ, were strangers to the covenants of promise (see Ephesians 2:11-13).
In the Lord’s great generosity, the same wages, the same blessings promised to the first-called, the Israelites, will be paid to those called last, the rest of the nations.

This provokes grumbling in today’s parable. Doesn’t the complaint of those first laborers sound like that of the older brother in Jesus’ prodigal son parable (see Luke 15:29-30)? God’s ways, however, are far from our ways, as we hear in today’s First Reading. And today’s readings should caution us against the temptation to resent God’s lavish mercy.

Like the Gentiles, many will be allowed to enter the kingdom late - after having spent most of their days idling in sin.

But even these can call upon Him and find Him near, as we sing in today’s Pslam. We should rejoice that God has compassion on all whom He has created. This should console us, too, especially if we d ones who remain far from the vineyard.

Our task is to continue laboring in His vineyard. As Paul says in Sunday’s Epistle, let us conduct ourselves worthily, struggling to bring all men and women to the praise of His name.

SOURCE: Dr. Scott Hahn

BUT THERE IS MORE! . . . That's Not Fair

The Good Thief by Titian

We have trouble with today’s Gospel because today’s society values the concept of equal pay for equal work.  We argue that this principle is fair, just and, reasonable.  In trying to understand God’s justice, the prophet Isaiah in the first reading tells us that “my thoughts are not your thoughts and my ways are not your ways.”  Let us look at the difference between Blessed Theresa of Calcutta and St. Dismas.  Mother Teresa spent most of her life in service to God.  She took care of the poorest of the poor, the abandoned, the unwanted, and the unloved.  She worked long and hard in the grueling heat of the Indian sun.  When she died she received her reward, her place in heaven among the blessed.  But then there is St. Dismas.  Dismas is the traditional name given to the Good Thief who was crucified with Jesus on Calvary.  Dismas was a thief and criminal.  Yet, hanging on the cross in the last hours of his life, he recognized Jesus as the Messiah. Dismas said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus replied to him, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."  Blessed Theresa of Calcutta worked for years serving God among the poor of India and is welcomed into Paradise.  Dismas, a thief, makes a deathbed conversion and is welcomed into Paradise.  There seems to be something wrong here; something unfair.  Is it God’s ways that are unfair or is it our ways that are unfair?  God wishes that all people be saved.  This is why the Master went out to the marketplace five different times to gather in all who were lost.  Apparently, the people who were there at the “five o’clock hour” were not there at dawn, or at nine, or at noon, or at three because the Master hired all those who were available at those earlier times.  Yet the excuse the late workers give for not working was “because no one has hired us.”  That means they were either too lazy to answer the first four calls or else they were lying about being in the marketplace all day.  Those who worked the full day were also not totally free from guilt for they grumbled and were jealous of the late workers and greedy about their pay.  As Pope Benedict has written in his encyclical on hope, “There is a God, and God can create justice in a way that we cannot conceive, yet we can begin to grasp it through faith.  Yes, there is a resurrection of the flesh.  There is justice. There is an “undoing” of past suffering, a reparation that sets things right. . . I am convinced,” the Pope writes, “that the question of justice constitutes the essential argument, in any case the strongest argument, in favor of faith in eternal life.”  How is this justice to be achieved in the next life?  There are two answers to that question.  The first answer is purgatory.  Purgatory is that intermediate “pit stop” before we enter heaven.  Purgatory is that place where we are purged of all the jealousies of our pride.  Those who worked in the heat of the day were jealous of the late-comers and prideful of the fact of how long they had worked in the vineyard.  Purgatory is also the place where the temporal consequences of sins already forgiven can be worked out.  This is where the lying and the neglect of the late-comers is equaled out.  Why then not just wait until the end of our life to become a worker in God’s vineyard, if every worker gets into heaven at the end of the day.  Why not wait until the five o’clock hour to join God’s work crew, if the rewards are the same.   One reason is that if you wait until 5 pm to join crew, you could die at 4:55 pm.  You could end up like the unrepentant thief and end up in hell rather than the good thief who ended up in Paradise.  St. Therese of Lisieux gives another reason why we should deepen our relationship with God, rather than wait for a deathbed conversion.   St. Therese thought about the glory of the saints in heaven.  If we compare a large drinking glass full of water to a little thimble full of water, they are both full.  So too with God’s love, no one will feel excluded or empty because they have not done great things.  They will be full of the love of God as much as they can hold.  The only question is how big will our souls be when we reach heaven.  The more we work on it, the greater will be our capacity for loving God.