Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example.
Observe what they teach that is from God, but do not follow their example when it is not of God. In what way is the same true today?
For they preach but they do not practice.
In what way is this true sometimes in our own lives?

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.

Recall what Jesus taught about praying, fasting and giving alms for people to see. Their reward is the praise of the people but not the blessing from God. What in our lives reflect the same thing?
They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
According to the human interpretation of the Mosaic Law phylacteries were small containers in which verses of scripture written on parchments were stored and worn on the forehead and the left arm. This was to keep the Word of God always before them.
The Mosaic law also specified that tassels or sown fringes be worn on the corners of one's garment as an external reminder to the person of the need to keep the commandments
While the phylacteries and the tassels were part of the human additions, the widening of phylacteries and the lengthening of tassels were for show, to bring attention to the religious piety of the person.

They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.' As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.' You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called 'Master'; you have but one master, the Messiah.

What Jesus is condemning is not the teachings, not the external trappings, not the salutations "Rabbi" or "Father" or "Master" but the underlying motive and intention.
When someone uses this scripture "Call no one Father" as a way of rejecting the role of a priest as Father, do you know how to counteract this attempt? One rule is to see the context in which a statement is made in the scriptures; another is to see how this is in harmony with the rest of scripture. Here, the context is pride and ostentatiousness or show. As far as the rest of scripture, one of the commandments is honor one’s father. There can be no contradiction in the scriptures.

The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

How well do we live this in our daily lives?

As we grow in the fuller life of the Spirit, we will experience the greater call by God to the total commitment of discipleship. The focal point of discipleship is the cross; the purpose of the cross is death; the fruit of the cross is resurrected life with Christ now and forever in glory. Paul came to this realization early on in his relationship with Jesus. Later, Paul came to the actualization of total discipleship after many trials and difficulties. At that point he was able to say: "I have been crucified with Christ, and the life I live now is now my own; Christ is living in me. I still live my human life, but it is a life of faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himeself for me. I will not treat God's gracious gift as pointless" (Gal 2: 19-21).

In subsequent reflections, I would like to focus on two passages from Luke's Gospel account as we look at this call to discipleship which the Spirit gives us. Lk 9:57-62 and Lk 14:25-33. Read these in preparation for the reflections to come. In them we find certain conditions which are laid before us as we follow Christ and grow in the life of the Spirit.

Growth in the Spirit is the fruit of a life of zeal for the Lord. In the letter to the Church of Laodicea (Rev 3:14-22) the complaint of Jesus was lukewarmness and compromise in the Christian life. "I know your deeds. I know you are neither hot nor cold. How I wish you were one or the other--hot or cold! But because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spew you out of my mouth" (Rev 3:15-16).

Wow! What a statement for the Lord to say to any of us who have been saved and given a share in his own divine life. The lukewarm are those who received the seed of life sown by Jesus but who have let the thorns, weeds and brambles of life so choke this new life that it will eventually die unfruitful. The Lukewarm are those who through their own choice never go beyond the initial teachings about Christ nor advance to maturity (cf Heb 6:1). The Lukewarm are those who "have been enlightened and have tasted the heavenly gift and become sharers in the Holy Spirit and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come" (Heb 6:4-5), but then fall away.

What Jesus is looking for in each of us is zeal for the house of the Lord. We are called to be on fire for the Lord. That's what zeal means. When and where we find ourselves falling short, growing lukewarm, slacking in fervor, becoming complacent, no longer excited about the life of the Spirit generously given to us, we are called to be renewed and re-energized. We need to earnestly pray for a fresh outpouring of the grace of Pentecost in our lives. We need to pray for the fulfillment of the prophesy of Ezekiel over the dead bones. In the words to the Church in Laodicea: " Buy from (the Lord) gold refined by fire if you would be truly rich. Buy white garments in which to be clothed, if the shame of your nakedness is to be covered. Buy ointment to smear on your eyes, if you would see once more" (Rev 3:18). The gold refined by fire is a heart which is recommitted to the Lord. The white garment is the heart repented. The ointment for the eyes is the heart humble and true. And with this grace we are called once more to go forth in the power of the Spirit with zeal in our hearts to live as Jesus commands.

As we grow in the fuller life of the Spirit, we may experience greater trials in our journey. The Church in Philadelphia (Rev. 3:7-13) was warned not to depend on their own strength during their trials but on the way provided by God. "I know your deeds, that is why I have left an open door before you which no one can close" (Rev 3:8).

Jesus has warned that being disciples will entail persecutions and trials both from within and from without. The trials will be attempts by the evil one to sidetrack us, derail us or destroy the life of God within us. What would please the evil one is for us to turn away from the truth of the Word of God and even to deny the person of Jesus, if not publicly, at least internally.

Knowing this personally in his own life Paul in the First Letter to the Corinthians: "No test has been sent you that does not come to all men. Besides, God keeps his promise. He will not let you be tested beyond your strength. Along with the test he will give you a way out of it so that you may be able to endure it" (1 Cor 11:13).

What is this way out, this door left open by God? Grace. "Let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and favor and to find help in time of need" (Heb 4:16). When we come to those moments and situations in our life that we cannot take another step, cannot fight any longer, cannot endure another moment, in our weakness and human incapability, we can cry to the Lord for the grace of endurance and strength of fidelity. Then with Paul we too will know and exclaim: "We were crushed beyond our strength, even to the point of despairing of life. We were left to feel like men condemned to death so that we might trust, not in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead. He rescued us from the danger of death and will continue to do so. We have put our hope in him who will never cease to deliver us" (2 Cor 1:8-10).

What does the Spirit say to the Church of Sardis? Read Rev 3:1-4.

What is the problem that is identified? External show of the Christian life but internal lack of real Christian living. It was the complaint of the prophets against Israel, the complaint of Jesus against the Pharisees, the complaint of the Spirit against many in the Church today. Recall the words of Jesus in the Gospel of Mathew as he applied to the Pharisees the words from the prophet Isaiah: "This people pays me lip service but their heart is far from me. They do me empty reverence making dogmas out of human precepts" (Mt 15:-9).

Three things are said to be necessary to counteract this attitude:

a) Be watchful. Through the gifts of the Spirit, especially knowledge, wisdom and understanding, we are to continually discern what is in accord with the truth of the Gospel as revealed, taught and interpreted by the Magisterium and what is not in accord with this teaching. It is easy for us to be lured into believing something because it is popularly accepted by the majority. Faith in Jesus and his teachings and life-style calls for radical living.

b) Strengthen any weak areas of our faith-life or spiritual life. Learn what the Church teaches and profess that teaching without hesitation. We may have personal questions and find it hard to understand rationally, but the need to be faithful and committed must not give room to any semblance of wavering. Again the attitude of Peter becomes important in these situations. Without understanding the words of Jesus concerning the gift of Eucharist Peter in faith professed: "Lord, to whom shall we go. You have the words of everlasting life. We have come to believe that you are God's holy one" (Jn 6:68-69). Not only are we to know and profess the full truth, but we are to put that truth into practice in our daily lives. Heeding the words in the Letter of James, "Humbly welcome the word that has taken root in you, with its power to save you. Act on this word. If all you do is listen to it, you are deceiving yourselves" (James 1:21-22).

If our spiritual life is weak, we may need to become more disciplined in regards to our prayer time, in fasting and abstinence from more than just food and drink, in study of the Word, in conscious eradicating of deeper areas of sin and imperfection in our lives.

c) Repent of any shortcomings in any of the areas we find ourselves failing to be watchful of and strengthened in. While there is still time, we need to take advantage of the grace God gives us to come to the fullness of life in the Spirit. Though our baptismal garment has become soiled over the years because of sin and indifference, complacency and the presence of false gods in our life, we can wash them once more in the Blood of the Lamb so that they may become white again.

From the letter to the Church in Thyatira (Rev. 2:18-29) we learn that greater holiness comes from doing all things, even the ordinary things of daily life, with a deeper intensity of love and focus on God. This is what we read: "I know your deeds--your love and faith and service--as well as your patient endurance; I know also that your efforts of recent times are greater than ever"(Rev 2:19). As we grow in the deeper life of the Spirit we come to the realization that the basic call and response of life is love. We come through the gifts of the Spirit to the understanding that the Command of love is the central message of revelation for a purpose. Love is the key that opens the door to eternal life. Love is the narrow path that leads to life on high. Love simplifies a life that is otherwise complicated by non-essentials. We are called to fall in love with the greatest of Lovers, the personification of love-God!

St. Theresa of Lisieux discovered this message early on in her life. "At last I have found my vocation. My vocation is love." What she came to realize is that what God has shown us in his command to love is what would complete us as human persons. God is love. We are made in his image and likeness, sharing his own divine life. The more our life is love, the more we become fully alive and fully self actuated. Love which is selfless and other focused brings us into right order with God, with others and with ourselves. She would later write: " Among the countless graces I have received this year, perhaps the greatest has been that of being able to grasp in all its fullness the meaning of love....Jesus made me understand what the will (of the Father) was by the words he used at the last supper when he gave his"new commandment" and told his apostles "to love one another as he had loved them."...When Jesus gave his apostles a "new commandment," his own commandment, he did not only ask that we should love our neighbors as ourselves, but that we should love them as he loves them and as he will love them to the end of time." (St. Therese of Lisieux)

Thirtieth Sunday Gospel Reflections Year A


When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them a scholar of the law tested him by asking, "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?"

Last Sunday we reflected on one of the many times the leaders tested Jesus in order to trap him or discredit him. Here is another instance of the same. While the question was valid, the intent was not.
There were over 600 different laws that were proposed in living a life according to the covenant. The question deals with priority.

He said to him "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."

Love is the most fundamental law and command: love of God and love of others.
Jesus recognized the Jewish practice of reciting the Shema at least three times a day. "Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might" (Deut 6:4-5). Jesus simplified it. The command reflects the first three commandments of the Decalogue and roots them in the context of love.
Then Jesus shows the importance of love of others, which is reflected in the last seven commandments of the Decalogue and again roots them in the context of love.
In what concrete ways do we live out the word of Jesus in our daily life?
It is easy to say we love everyone, but is our love sincere? Is it expressed in words or in deeds?
What can we do this week to reflect the teaching of Christ in our daily lives? Can we become conscious of doing all things in love?

What does the Spirit say to the Church of Pergamum (Rev 2:12-17)? The people of that church community were applauded that they held fast to the name of Jesus and to faith in Jesus. But some exhibited in their lives ways contrary to right living. To be truly victorious in Jesus we must align our life with the true faith, our morals with the beliefs of the church, our external actions with our words, our public and private life with the life of an authentic witness for Jesus Christ.

It is not enough to believe in Jesus, we must believe in those he has sent in his name and in the power of the Spirit to teach and guide us. What Jesus said to the Apostles he continues to say to those he has set in authority over the church. "He who hears you, hears me. He who rejects you, rejects me. And he who rejects me, rejects him who sent me"(Lk 10:16). "I solemnly assure you, he who accepts anyone I send accepts me, and in accepting me accepts him who sent me" (Jn 13:20).

There are many issues today in which people disagree with some of the teachings of the Church. Like the disciples who heard Jesus speak very emphatically about his Body to eat and his Blood to drink, there is a tendency to walk away or disassociate from this or that teaching because it is too hard to believe and accept. The rich young man walked away from his desire for eternal life because the cost presented to him by Jesus was too great to accept. Judas couldn't wait for the plan of Jesus to bring about the Kingdom. He had to make it happen as he perceived it.

While not understanding all things, while not seeing the rational of this teaching, practice or discipline in the Church, while hearing and agreeing with arguments which seem more plausible on the human level, we are called to make our response that of Peter. When the disciples left Jesus over the teaching concerning the Eucharist, Jesus asked the twelve: "Do you want to leave me too?" Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe, we are convinced that you are God's holy one" (Jn 6:67-69).

Like the Church in Pergamum, if we want to share in the fuller life of the Spirit, we need to put our faith in the name, power and authority of Jesus, made present to us in the authentic teaching Magisterium of the Church. While asking questions and seeking greater clarity, we continue to give assent to the teachings of the Church. For it is better to err through obedience than to err through pride and the human need to be right.

The letter to the church in Smyrna (Rev 2:8-11) stresses the need to be victorious over tribulations.  Our life as human beings and our life as Christians is beset by trials, tribulations and difficulties. Those of life come from the imperfection of nature; those of our Christian life come from our sinfulness and the wiles of the evil one. In any case, we can become conquerors or be conquered. Paul says: "Do not be conquered by evil but conquer evil with good" (Rom 12:21).

What the Spirit said to the church in Smyrna, he says to us: "Have no fear of the sufferings to come...(but) remain faithful until death" (Rev 2:10). In other words, by not allowing fear to turn us away from the trials and difficulties, we will be more open to the grace of endurance and perseverance which will mark us as true disciples of Jesus.

Tribulations are not something we seek nor something we should  avoid. Trials are never pleasant but there is no other way except through them to victory in Christ. "In him who is the source of my strength I have strength for everything"(Phil 4:13). We have to remember that these are grace moments by which God prepares us for the greater blessings he desires to bestow upon us.

Of all the trials and tribulations, the difficulties and sufferings Mary endured throughout her life, the greatest was standing beneath the cross, watching, weeping and waiting in the painful emptiness of helplessness. Even the prophetic words of Simeon in the temple decades earlier did not prepare her for the struggle she experienced on the hill of crucifixion. Her heart cried out to God "why?"; her submission to the mystery of the Father's plan said "fiat". Overshadowed by the Spirit in the conception of this Son now she is perfected by the Spirit through the sufferings she endured.

The letter to the Church in Ephesus, found in Revelations: 2:1ff, commends the loyalty of the members, expressed in their deeds, labors and patient endurance in the midst of hardships as well as their fidelity to the Word of God in counteracting the false teachings of some members. That is good. But what needs to be dealt with and changed is their zeal for holiness and their hunger and thirst for the Lord is less than it formerly was. "I hold this against you tough, you have turned aside from your early love. Keep firmly in mind the heights from which you have fallen. Repent and return to your former deeds" (Rev 2:4-5).

Human nature being such, it is hard to sustain and enhance initial fervor. We allow the normal circumstances of life and the subtle probings of the evil one to eventually weaken our excitement and enthusiasm. Have we fallen in the same trap as the Ephesians? Are we as dedicated and committed in our fervor and love of the Lord and in our desire to grow in holiness as we were when we first fell in love of God? Those who are married, is your sacrament of marriage as alive, more alive, less alive than on the day of your wedding? Those who are religious, is your relationship to Jesus the same, greater or less than when you vowed your life publicly as his bride? Those who are single for the Lord, which way have things changed in your life since that day of days when nothing else matter but Jesus?

Each of us is called to overcome the apathy, the complacency, the conditional human responses to love through repentance so that the fire of love can once more be stirred up in intensity. Paul's words to Timothy are aways applicable to us: "I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God bestowed when...hands were laid on you. The Spirit God has given us is no cowardly spirit, but rather one that makes us strong, loving and wise" (2 Tim 1:6-7).

The Spirit is given to us that we may become victorious conquerors over all that would prevent us from experiencing the fuller life promised and given by Jesus. Paul says in Romans 8:37: "Yet in all this we are more than conquerors because of him who has loved us." In the Book of Revelation we are told that Jesus will reward the one who is victorious. "I will see to it that the victor eats from the tree of life which grows in the garden of God"(Rev 2:7). "The victor shall never be harmed by the second death" (Rev 2:11). "To the victor I will give the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone upon which is inscribed a new name, to be known only by him who receives it" (Rev 2:17). "I will give authority over the nations--the same authority I received from my Father. He shall rule them with a rod of iron and shatter them like crockery; and I will give him the morning star" (Rev 2:26-28). "The victor shall go clothed in white. I will never erase his name from the book of the living, but will acknowledge him in the presence of my Father and his angels" (Rev 3:5). "I will make the victor a pillar in the temple of my God and he shall never leave it. I will inscribe on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem which he will send down from heaven and my own name which is new" (Rev 3:12). "I will give the victor the right to sit with me on my throne, as I myself won the victory and took my seat beside my Father on his throne" (Rev 3:21). "To anyone who thirsts I will give to drink without cost from the spring of life-giving water. He who wins the victory shall inherit these gifts. I will be his God and he shall be my son" (Rev 21: 6-7).

Ultimately, besides separation and suffering the cross means death. What must die? The false self which is like a little god. What is this false self? All that I cling to which is other than God; all the created things that I think I need to make me who I am; all the trappings I put on so that others may accept and like me. It is only when the false self is put to death that the true self is able to fully live in the freedom of a child of God.

The false self is imbued by pride, the pride that sees myself other than what I really am or whom God actualy sees me to be. To die to this pride that puffs and props me up is not easy. Something within me is afraid to allow this to die, for fear that I will be nothing. But the fact is that I am nothing what I claim or pretend to be, only what I really am.

The false self seeks the affirmation of others, seeks to be liked and accepted by others. The false self is willing to pay any price for such affirmation and acceptance. There is the perception that others make me who I am and pleasing others is necessary for me to be acceptable and loved.

To die to the false self is to entrust our lives into the hands of the living God. It is only trust in God that allows us to accept the true self loved and accepted by God. As we are able to accept and embrace this aspect of death, then the final decision to commend our lives into the hands of God at the moment of our physical death will not be that difficult. For just as both in life and death we belong to the Lord, our true self can only find its ultimate fulfillment in God now and in death.

Twenty-ninth Sunday Gospel Reflections A

Then the Pharisees went off and plotted how they might entrap him in speech.
We have another confrontational story between the leaders and Jesus.
The question that is posed is intended to back Jesus in a corner. Either he will have to side with the majority of the people who oppose this taxation or he will have to support the Roman authorities. In either case, he will alienate someone.
Notice how Jesus is not interested in pleasing either one, but only God.
They sent their disciples to him, with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. And you are not concerned with anyone's opinion, for you do not regard a person's status. Tell us, then, what is your opinion: Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?"
Do we at times say the right words but we do not mean them? How and when have we been deceptive in our words?
The Pharisees would be opposed to the payment of the tax; the Herodians would be in favor.
Knowing their malice, Jesus said, "Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? Show me the coin that pays the census tax." Then they handed him the Roman coin.
By the very fact that they were able to show him such a coin in their possession indicate that they were explicitly acknowledging the right of Rome to tax.

He said to them, "Whose image is this and whose inscription?" They replied, "Caesar's." At that he said to them, "Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God."
Jesus avoids taking sides. But he raises a more important concern: their debt to God for all he has done for them. Do we sometimes get caught up with less important things and not focus on that which is more important?
Do I give to each that which is due to that person? Do I give to God what belongs to God? This is true justice.
Do I sometimes please human beings rather than God for fear of displeasing them?
What is my attitude when I am rendering to another and to God what is their due? Do I do it grudgingly or with joy and a sense of rightness? Where else do I fall short in following the Word of God?

"We recognize a tree by its fruit, and we ought to be able to recognize a Christian by his action. The fruit of faith should be evident in our lives, for being a Christian is more than making sound professions of faith. It should reveal itself in practical and visible ways. Indeed it is better to keep quiet about our beliefs, and live them out, than to talk eloquently about what we believe, but fail to live by it." (St. Ignatius of Antioch) This is the same concerns the Old Testament prophets and Jesus spoke about in their day. It is the difference between a mere external relationship with God and a truly internal relationship with God that is lived according to his will. Today, there are many who professed to be Christians but in fact are only so on the surface. Jesus put it very clearly: "It is not the one who says Lord, Lord, but the one who does the will of my Father, enters the Kingdom of God."  Let our actions speak louder than our words, lest our words condemn us for lack of action.

Not only do we experience sufferings from the daily situations of life and from the hands of others, there may be times we will be invited and graced by Jesus to suffer for his sake, not because we are special, but because he chooses the weak to confound the strong. Paul refers to this in his letter to the Philippians. "For it is your special privilege to take Christ's part--not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him" (Phil 1:29). In this Paul may have been recalling the words of Jesus in the Beatitudes: "Blest are those persecuted for holiness' sake; the reign of God is theirs. Blest are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of slander against you because of me. Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is great in heaven; they persecuted the prophets before you in the very same way" (Mt 5: 10-12). What Jesus and Paul alluded to was the experience of the Apostles in Acts. After being threatened and flogged because of their persistence in speaking about Jesus as the Messiah, we read: "The apostles for their part left the Sanhedrin full of joy that they had been judged worthy of ill-treatment for the sake of the Name" (Acts 5:41).

Having so suffered Peter would later exhort others to follow the same pattern. "Do not be surprised, beloved, that a trial by fire is occurring in your midst. It is a test for you, but it should not catch you off guard. Rejoice instead, in the measure that you share Christ's sufferings. When his glory is revealed you will rejoice exultantly. Happy are you when you are insulted for the sake of Christ, for then God's Spirit in its glory has come to rest on you....If anyone suffers for being a Christian...he ought not to be ashamed. He should rather glorify God in virtue of that name....Accordingly, let those who suffer as God's will requires continue in good deeds, and entrust their lives to a faithful Creator" (1 Pet 4:12-19).

Information
Women's Monthly Mass
Saturday, October 14, 2017
8:00am
Bishop Jacob's house
107 Albany Dr.
Houma, La. 70360
Bring a friend
Fellowship afterwards

Jesus went through various trials and difficulties during his human journey, culminating in his arrest, trial and death on the cross. After his baptism in the Jordan and the anointing of the Spirit, he experienced the threefold temptations to satisfy himself, to prove himself and to enhance himself. He was rejected by his own family and townspeople. He was discredited and called a drunkard, glutton and the prince of devils. He was ridiculed by the mourners at the house of Jairus and criticized by the friends of Lazarus. Because of his association with public sinners like prostitutes and tax collectors, his reputation was tainted. He was embarrassed by the apostles.

We too go through many trials and difficulties in our lifetime. These range from the daily temptations of life; personal or family setbacks, misfortunes or tragedies; physical and mental illnesses and diseases; struggling with the limitations of human existence and our own personal limitations; suffering at the hands of others through misunderstanding, false perceptions and verbal abuse; rejection by those we considered friends.

What does the Word of God say to us about these aspects of life?

"There is cause for rejoicing here. You may for a time have to suffer the distress of many trials; but this is so that your faith, which is more precious than the passing splendor of fire-tried gold, may by its genuineness lead to praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ appears" (1 Pet 1:6-7). "My brothers, count it pure joy when you are involved in every sort of trial. Realize that when your faith is tested this makes for endurance. Let endurance come to its perfection so that you may be fully mature and lacking in nothing" (Jas 1:2-4). "When a man can suffer injustice and endure hardship through his awareness of God's presence, this is the work of grace in him....If you put up with suffering for doing what is right, this is acceptable in God's eyes. It was for this you were called, since Christ suffered for you in just this way and left you an example, to have you follow in his footsteps" (1 Pet 2: 19-21).

"Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do." (Pope St. John XIII) Basically, what he is saying is focus not on the negatives of life but on the positives. How often we let our life be determined by fears, frustrations, and failures. These drain us and leave us in a state of hopelessness. But if we would change our focus to their opposites, then in time we will be able to realize that the sky is beautifully blue rather than to look at the mud and slush on the ground of life.

TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY: YEAR A


Jesus again in reply spoke to them in parables, saying,

This Gospel parable has a number of similarities with last Sunday’s Gospel, the parable of the tenants: a) two groups of servants are sent.; b) the murder of these servants; c) the murderers are punished; d) new groups are given the very privileges the others were offered and proved not worthy.
Again, this is more of an allegory than a parable: each detail stands for something: a) the king is God; b) the son is Jesus; c) the invited guests are the chosen people of Israel; d) the first servants are the OT prophets; e) the second and third sets of servants are the apostolic and subsequent missionaries; e) the destroyed city is Jerusalem; f) the "good and bad" consists of the diverse background of the members of the Church.
This is a reflection of salvation history: Old Testament and New Testament times.

"The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.

Is 25:6 portrays the messianic kingdom to come as a wedding banquet. Thus, what Jesus is speaking about is not just an ordinary banquet. This is "the" banquet for all eternity. No one has a right to be invited. At the same token, no one should refuse to accept, given the seriousness of the invitation.

He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come. A second time he sent other servants, saying, 'Tell those invited: "Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast."' Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, '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.' The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to meet the guests he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment.

For the new invitees (converts), the wedding garment is the baptismal relationship between God and them: the life of grace. If a person is not in relationship with God by one’s own choice, that person will not be part of the eternal celebration.
We are the ones who have been sought out by God and invited. What is the state of our "baptismal garment" at this time? Am I truly responding to God’s invitation to me to share his life for eternity?

He said to him, 'My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?' But he was reduced to silence. Then the king said to his attendants, 'Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.' Many are invited, but few are chosen."
What will you do differently this week as a result of your reflections?

For Jesus there were several levels on which he experienced this separation on the cross. The greatest of these was the sense of abandonment by the Father in the midst of his greatest moment of need. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me" (Mk 15:34)? In praying Psalm 22 Jesus expressed the depth of his anguish and the height of his trust. Lacking all spiritual consolation, including the tangible love of the Father on the human level, Jesus embraced this reality as part of the gift of himself to the Father for our sakes.

The second level of separation of affections occured in his relationship with his Mother, Mary. "Seeing his mother there with the disciple whom he loved, Jesus said to his mother, 'Woman, there is your son.' In turn he said to the disciple, 'There is your mother.' From that hour onward, the disciple took her into his care'" (Jn 19:26-27). To complete the total gift of himself to the Father, Jesus heeded his own words to the disciples. He let go even the most natural human relationship--that between a mother and her son. There was no denial of this bond, just the acknowledgement that the greatest bond is between him and God.

The third level of separation of affections was the realization and acceptance that those he had personally chosen as his disciples and companions--except for John and the a handful of faithful women disciples--had abandoned him when he needed their presence and support the most. Instead he is surrounded by those who called for his death and mocked him even to the end. The very friends he said earlier that he was going to lay down his life for and was doing that on the cross were no where to be seen. Did Jesus also recall Psalm 41 at this point? "Even my friend who had my trust and partook of my bread has raised his heel against me" (Ps 41:9).

To disciple one into the full life of the Spirit involves separation and prioritization. The cross defines each. When we are baptized in water this separation includes the death of the old self so that the new self can live in Christ. The old self steeped in sin, unable of itself to break this bondage, is gratuitously freed by the death and resurrection of Jesus. From that point on we are called to make intentional that which was made explicit in our lives. We are to choose more and more to separate ourselves from sin no matter the cost. This separation of ourselves from sin becomes more actual when we develop a true abhorrence of sin, as we view sin more and more as God does. As sin is abominable to God, so it becomes to us as we grow in God's life after baptism in water.

Baptism in the Spirit brings about a deeper separation. On our own we can do nothing. Only in the power of the Spirit do we have the means to overcome the shortcomings of our human limitations. Only in the power of the Spirit can we extend the boundaries of our tent pegs. Only in the power of the Spirit do we have the gifts of knowledge, wisdom and understanding to perceive things beyond our rational abilities.

The Baptism in fire brings about another separation within us. "Whoever loves father or mother, son or daughter, more than me is not worthy of me. He who will not take up his cross and come after me is not worthy of me" (Mt 10:37-38). Jesus is speaking of the separation of affections, not that we are not to love those closest to us, but that not even these can be first in our lives. Only Jesus is to be the Lord and prime focus.

We continue our reflection of growing in the life of the Spirit.  The life-death-life cycle is evidenced in nature from conception to one's last breath of physical life. However, such evidence does not seem to be accepted when the cycle includes the mystery of the cross. It is one thing to allow the process of nature to take its course. It is another to freely embrace the abnormal happenings, the unexpected situations, the imposed difficulties, the painful trials, the hurts from others, and the evils inflicted from the outside.

The Spirit who led Jesus in his decision to journey to the cross for our salvation leads us in our own decision to journey to the cross for our sanctification. Jesus said: "I have come that they might have life and have it to the full" (Jn 10:10). This full life is not possible without the mystery of the cross. Again the words of Jesus: "If a man wishes to come after me, he must deny his very self, take up his cross, and follow in my steps. Whoever would preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will preserve it" (Mk 8:34-35).

"Lord, help me to live this day, quietly, easily. To lean upon Your great strength, trustfully, restfully. To wait for the unfolding of Your will, patiently, serenely. To meet others, peacefully, joyously. To face tomorrow, confidently, courageously." (St Francis of Assisi) These four steps embraced and activated can make a difference in our attitude towards life and our ability to be truly happy in the present moment. Basically, St. Francis is proposing that we strive to cultivate and live a virtuous life. Otherwise the opposite of virtue, namely vices, will be in control of our life. Instead of living in the light, we will be in the twilight or in darkness.

Twenty-seventh Sunday Ordinary Gospel: A

Jesus said: "Hear another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey. When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned. Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way.
Jesus is sharing with them how the prophets God sent to Israel were treated.

Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.' They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

Jesus is the Son sent by the Father. Jesus is the Son rejected by the leaders.
This is another prediction of his own, violent death at the hands of the leaders.

What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?" They answered him, "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."

Jesus allowed them to judge their own actions.
Recall what the prophet Nathan did in confronting David over the death of Uriah and the taking of his wife as David’s own to cover up the conception of their child. He asked his opinion and David gave the judgment against himself without knowing it.

Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the scriptures: 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes'?

Jesus is quoting one of the psalms. He is the stone rejected by the leaders and yet he will be the foundation stone of the Kingdom of God.

Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.

How has God blessed us? How have we responded to the blessings of God? Are we following the Lord’s plan or ours? Have we heard and acted on the word of God or rejected it?

In reflecting on today’s Gospel account (Lk.

9:52-56), Pope Francis focused on two responses of Jesus to his mission from the Father: determination and obedience. Jesus knew that he must go to Jerusalem to embrace the cross for the salvation of the world. He was determined to fulfill this mission in total obedience to the Father. Though he shared this with the Apostles, his intimate friends, they were no support. He was alone in this journey, even though
physically they were with him. In the end they would abandon him. What kind of a disciple am I? A convenient one or a faithful one? In my journey will I imitate Jesus in determination and obedience? Pray for that grace.

"'He has given his angels charge over you to guard you in all your ways.' These words should fill you with respect, inspire devotion and instill confidence; respect for the presence of angels, devotion because of their loving service and confidence because of their protection. And so the angels are here; they are at your side, they are with you, present on your behalf. They are here to protect you and to serve you. But even if it s God who has given them this charge, we must nonetheless be grateful to them for the great love with which they obey and come to help us in our great need."(St Bernard) How marvelous is our God! Loving us so much, God provides us these spiritual helpers on our journey from birth to death into eternity. Though unseen, according to God's revelation to us, they are ever present with us. In faith and love we give thanks to God and to the angels for their loving care and attentiveness. My guardian angel, pray for me as you gaze on the face of God in adoration.