30^th Sunday in Ordinary Time-A

I Reading: Exodus 22:20-26: If you are harsh with the widow, the orphan, my anger will flare.

II Reading: 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10: You broke the idolatry and became servants of God; you are now waiting for his Son.

Gospel: Matthew 22:34-40: You must love the Lord your God, and your neighbour as yourself.

The Question about the Great Commandment: A Study of Love

In the first reading, The Ten Commandments in the book of Exodus (cf. Deut 6:4-9 and Lev 19:18) are the principles, rules and instructions covering many aspects of life for justice and peace in the world. There are further instructions in the passage to be read: strangers, widows and children must be protected; lending money for interest (literally “biting”) is forbidden; a garment offered to secure a loan must not be kept overnight as it is the owner’s only protection against the cold. Compassion is the keynote of these regulations.

In the second reading, Paul thanks God for the spiritual development he sees in his converts. They are proof that his preaching was effective. Their Christian joy in spite of persecution (Acts 17:5-9) has made them an example in Macedonia and Achaia.

Jesus used the occasion to teach man the greatest provision and duty of human life: love. Love will provide for every need man has; therefore, love is the greatest duty of man/woman.

The Jews divided the books in Holy Scripture into two groups: The Law (Torah) and the prophets. God gave The Ten Commandments; the Jews made or had 613 precepts; whereas Jesus summed up into a single command: Love.  “On these two commandments hang (rest) the whole Law (five books of Moses) which is called “ The Torah”, a word which means “The Law” and the prophets” (Mt 22:40). The gist of Jesus’ reply to the Pharisee was as follows: Love God and love your neighbour sincerely with all heart, mind and soul and might; and doing so you are sure of attaining eternal life. “All the commandments are summed up in this single command: love your neighbour as yourself.” (Rom 13:9)

1. The Pharisees plotted (v.34-36)

a. They gathered together

b. They appointed a brilliant lawyer, an expert in the law, to challenge Jesus

c. The question: Which is the greatest commandment?

2. First: Love God (v.37-39)

a. Love as your own God

b. Love with all your being: Your heart, soul and mind

c. Love is a man/woman’s chief duty

3. Second: Love your neighbour (v.39)

a. Love self

b. Love neighbour as self

4. The conclusion: Love includes and embraces all the commandments (v.40)

Thought: A man loves God when he loves his neighbour. In fact, a man loves God only if he truly loves his neighbour (1Jn 4:20-21; Jn 13:34-35; Rom 13:10; 1Tim 1:5; Mt 7:12; 23:11-12; Phil 2:2-3).

Our love for our brothers, sisters, relatives, friends, enemies, persecutors and slanderers gives us the measure of our true Christian life.

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 29^th Sunday in Ordinary Time-A

I Reading: Isaiah 45:1.4-6: I have taken Cyrus by his right hand to subdue nations before him.

II Reading: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5: We constantly remember your faith, your love and your hope.

Gospel: Matthew 22:15-21: Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.

The Question about God and Caesar: Two Citizenships

This is the second challenge or attack by the leaders against Jesus. The words “laid plans” indicate that the ruling body of the Jews, the Sanhedrin, held an official meeting. They plotted how they might deal with this man who was claiming to be the Messiah. They fear Christ, for he was gathering the loyalty of the people so strongly around himself.

Their plot was to ask him a question about a person’s citizenship. The question was supposed to “trap him in his words” (V.15); that is, it was supposed to be impossible for Christ to answer without discrediting himself either with the people or with the Roman authorities. If he discredited himself with the people, they would react and desert him; if he discredited with the Romans, they would arrest him.

Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God used the occasion to teach the truth about citizenship because the Jews believed that the loyalty of a citizen belonged only to God, and the rest of the world believed that loyalty belonged to the ruling monarch of their territory.

Jesus Christ astounded the world of his day by declaring there was an earthly, physical citizenship to which some things are to be given; and there was a spiritual, heavenly citizenship to which some things are to be given.

1. The false concepts of Citizenship (v.15-16)

          a. Religion is supreme: The Pharisees

          b. The state is supreme: The Herodians

2. The sins common to false concepts of citizenship (v.16-17)

          a. Selfish ambition: Leads to compromise

          b. Deception: Leads to false flattery and destruction

          c. Close-minded and obstinate unbelief: Leads to the rejection of truth and self-condemnation

3. The truth about citizenship: There are two citizenships (v.18-22)

          a. Christ sees through false concepts and evil motives

          b. There are things which belong to Caesar: An earthly citizenship

          c. There are things which belongs to God: A heavenly citizenship

Thought: Any person who loves the things of this world  will turn away from Jesus, and anyone who feels threatened by Jesus and His claims will react against Jesus (1Jn 2:15-16).

It is God’s will that we be faithful citizens of God’s kingdom and of the country where we live. God wants us to contribute to the welfare of everyone, whether Christians or non-Christians.

Only sin can render us laves: we must walk in life firm in our faith, active in our love, and with our hope placed in the life to come. Our life must drawn to God.

We must obey the lawful authorities, ray that they may discharge their duty according to God’s will, and fulfil all the laws which have the common good in view. The civil authority must be recognized with justice, peace, equality, dignity and fraternity in the society.

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 28^th Sunday in Ordinary Time-A

I Reading: Isaiah 25:6-10: The Lord will prepare a banquet, and will wipe away tears from every cheek.

II Reading: Philippians 4:12-14.19-20: There is nothing I cannot master with the help of the One who gives me strength.

Gospel: Matthew 22:1-14: Invite everyone you can find to the wedding.

The Parable of the Marriage Feast:

Israel’s Rejection of God’s Great Invitation

This parable deals with the Kingdom of Heaven. The parable tells how God dealt with Israel and turned from Israel, its major point is God’s dealings with His new people, the church (the new nation, Mt 21:43; Pet 6).

The meaning of the parable is: the King is God, the Son is Jesus Christ himself (Mt 21:37-39), the great marriage feast (represents God’s kingdom) is the glorious day of redemption (1Thes 4:13-18), those who have been invited to the marriage refers to Israel- they were called by God from the very first and beginning with Abraham, those on the street corners are the Gentiles, people from all other nations who are ready to accept God’s invitation to His Son’s wedding, the wedding clothes represent righteousness  (dikaios=one who totally depends upon God, trust in God, does the will of God, walks in the way of God), which means repentance and change of life (shub=U turning); turning to God from all evil. The parable has both a historical and personal meaning.

How Jesus describes the group of people invited last to the banquet. The king told the servants to invite “everyone they could find”, and the servants “collected together bad and good people alike”. (Mt 22:10)

Luke adds that the king ordered his servants to bring in “the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame” (Lk 14:21).

That is, we can apply to any of us.

1. Jesus again shared a parable (v.1-2)

a. Of the Kingdom of Heaven

b. Of a marriage prepared by God for His Son

2. God’s invitation to Israel (v.3-7)

a. God invited Israel, but they rejected

b. God showed great mercy

          1) Extended a second invitation

          2) Prepared an abundance

c. God saw His great invitation rejected

          1) by a busy farmer

          2) by a busy businessman

          3) by religionists and worldly: who denied, scoffed, abused and persecuted

d. God judged Israel for rejecting His invitation: destroyed the abusers and murderers; rejected the rejecters

3. God’s invitation to any and all (v.8-10)

a. God then invited all

          1) Those who were out on the street corners

          2) Those who were both good and bad

b. God’s invitation was accepted

4. God’s confrontation with the guests (v.11-14)

a. God entered to see the guests

          1) He saw a man without wedding clothes

          2) He asked only one question

          3) The man was speechless

b. God judged the man who was not clothed properly

          1) was bound

          2) was taken away

          3) was cast into the darkness

c. God calls and invites many, but few are chosen

Thought: The wedding clothes that the man lacked represented righteousness. The man did not possess the righteousness of Jesus Christ nor did he live righteously (Mt 5:6; Rom 5:1; 10:3-4; 2Cor 5:21;Lk 9:23).

We must be grateful to God for having sent his servants (prophets, messengers and disciples) to call us (his Christian community) into his banquet (kingdom), and for having provided us with the wedding garment(righteousness of repentance) the Life in the Spirit. The Sunday service is the privileged time for our spiritual nourishment to cleanse the wedding garment we received at Baptism; if not we become foolish indeed (“The king”, says the Gospel, “was furious; he dispatched his troops, destroyed those murderers and burnt their city-Mt 22:7) because of our carelessness to His invitation and lack of faith in God.

God is always faithful as we are unfaithful to Him. Let us repent and believe in the Good News and take part in his banquet (kingdom) of righteousness, forgiveness, love,  joy, peace, justice, equality and fraternity.

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 27^th Sunday in Ordinary Time-A

I Reading: Isaiah 5:1-7: In Isaiah’s “Song of the Vineyard” because of their poor stewardship, God proposes to remove the privileges of Judah and Israel.

II Reading: Philippians 4:6-9: Paul urges the Philippians to aspire to all that is true, good, and beautiful, as revealed by God.

Gospel: Matthew 21:33-43.45-46: Jesus uses the imagery of Isaiah to tell a new parable about the coming rejection of the Son of Man and Son of God. This is the heir. Come on, let us kill him.

The Parable of the Wicket Tenants:

Israel’s Rejection of Jesus’ Messiahship, Mt 21:33-46

This is one of the most interesting parables ever told by Jesus Christ. It is interesting because it is both historical and predictive. Christ covered the history of Israel from God’s perspective, just as God sees it. Then he predicted or revealed exactly what was going to happen to Israel: they were going to reject God’s own Son and because of their rejection and cruelty, God was going to reject them by giving the kingdom of God to another people.

What is said throughout this passage is applicable to all nations as well as to Israel. God has entrusted the vineyard of the church and of the world to us, the new nation, the new creation of God. Every point covered in Israel’s history should, therefore, be a dynamic message speaking loudly and clearly to our hearts.

There are three major points in this passage.

1. The parable: Israel’s history as God sees it (v.33-41)

a.    God planted a vineyard (the nation of Israel)

b.    God entrusted his vineyard to the cultivators

c.     God sent messengers to gather the fruits

i.                Fruit was expected

ii.              The tenants rebelled and rejected God’s messengers

d.    God showed patience- He continued to send messengers

e.     God finally sent his Son

i.                Christ claimed to be God’s Son

ii.              They saw God’s Son

iii.            They plotted his death

iv.            They planned to seize his inheritance

v.              They murdered the Son

vi.            God is to judge the tenants

i.                God is coming

ii.              God will miserably destroy the wicked

iii.            God will trust his vineyard to others (to the Gentiles)

2. The three claims of Jesus (v.42-44)

a.    He is the head cornerstone

i.                At first, he is rejected

ii.              But he becomes the head cornerstone

b.    God shall take his kingdom away from Israel and give to other people

c.     Some are doomed

i.                Those who stumble over the stone

ii.              Those who oppose the stone

3. The result of the Parable

a.    The religionists saw that Christ spoke to them

b.    The religionists reacted instead of repenting

c.     The people saw Christ as a prophet (a great teacher), not as the Messiah

Thought: Jesus said, the kingdom of God is among you or within you. We are the tenants of the vineyard of God today. Each one of us is God’s field/vineyard; and so is our Christian community. Each one of us should question himself or herself: what sort of fruit have I yielded so far in life?? The fruits of mutual love and concern, justice, integrity, equality, or those of dissension and selfishness, jealousy, hatred, murders, killings, etc. what type of heart do I have? A tendered heart, a hatred heart, a forgiving heart, a revengeful heart, a productive heart, an unproductive heart, etc.

Jesus said to his disciples, “I am the vine and you are the branches….if you are cut off from me, you can do nothing” (Jn 15:1-5). Jesus Christ joins hands with us in all our works and undertakings. Let us remain with him by obeying his teachings and commandments of God and bearing good fruits in life.

The family and household of God (Eph 2:19; 5:1, 8; Rom 8:16-17; 1Pet 2:5-10)

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