Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 136
Reading 1
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.
Responsorial Psalm
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.
Reading 2
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.
or
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.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Gospel
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."
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
There are times in our lives that can be more frustrating than others. Fears, anxieties, and resentments have a way of overcoming us and challenging the peace and tranquility that most of us seek. Satisfaction and complacency can be things that are not easily obtained in these circumstances. It is very easy to blame God; raising our firsts in rage saying, “Why is God doing this to me?” It is also easy to find ourselves self-justifying our circumstances to conclude that God has a plan for us and that what we are facing is not of our own doing but more a divine plan that holds something greater for ourselves in the future as soon as we exit the crucible that He created for us to endure; thus we then remove ourselves from any blame or responsibility. What happens because of this avoidance of recognizing our own faults and misdeeds is a constant shifting to God as being the creator of the messes that we are ultimately the blame for. We then become stale and our spiritual development suffers.
The Prophet Ezekiel brings forth the revelation that we should really stop complaining. We are all accused of saying. “The Lord’s ways are not fair!” The statement is reminiscent of a small child stomping its feet and complaining, “THAT’S NOT FAIR!” when something is taken away from him or her as a punishment. The child is angry because something is being denied without fully realizing that the denial was linked to something that he or she did that was unacceptable. In much the same way, being God’s children, we can easily find ourselves in the same situation when facing the repercussions of our own bad behavior and sin. In our twisted logic we feel that we are not to blame for the circumstances that we find ourselves in. Consequentially, if we reflected a little bit, there can always be something that we could have done better in most of the interactions we have participated in. Assigning blame is rarely completely one-sided except when we are confronted with pure evil. It is more common for blame and responsibility to be parceled out by percentage and weight. Because of our fallen nature and our state of deniability it is easier to blame God then to be confronted with our own wrongdoings. One of the most difficult things that we can do in our lives is actually admit that we were wrong. Our pride and will are roadblocks to that conclusion and further prevent ourselves from being healed by these wounds that we bring on ourselves.
God is telling us through Ezekiel that before blaming Him or anyone else we should reflect on our own actions and our own faults. Regardless or circumstances, it can be argued that we can always find something within ourselves that we can improve. We cannot control the actions of others but we can always control our own actions. Whatever has happened or whatever is happening can become a corrective moment and advancement in our spiritual development if we first let go of our inclination to deny responsibility and assign blame to someone else. We are encouraged to understand that, through Sacred Scripture and the teachings of the Church, that we are given a blueprint of how to behave and conduct ourselves in order to obtain the most out of this life and God’s Creation. It is to our own detriment that we choose not to follow these instructions and instead create our own justifications for conducting ourselves differently.
We are all responsible for our own actions. God wants the best for us and tries to give us the best of everything spiritually, mentally, and physically. Unfortunately there are times when we get in our own way. God’s way may be perfect but our ways are not so we are living in an imperfect world confronted with imperfect things and imperfect people as a result. God encourages us to keep focus on the good and keep doing good under His counsel regardless of what circumstances we find ourselves in. When confronted with obstacles we are told that they can be turned into opportunities by following the instructions of God. It is through His vision that we can be strengthened and forged through any calamity and come out stronger on the other side. We can then look back with pride and satisfaction at a job well done. He has tenderly given us a warning that when we listen to Him we will be better off.
As Christians we are taught to model our lives after the teachings of Jesus Christ. Selflessly He entered this world and took on the form of a slave in service to others. He did not demand to be served but instead served. Instead of lifting Himself up He lowered Himself down below the stature of any other person. He did not demand but suggested. He did not judge but corrected. This is part of the key to a joyful life: to listen to the teachings of Christ and to be Christ-like in everything that we say and do. Taking these instructions and implementing them can cause us no harm. No evil can result from them. Coming from God, only good things can abound if they are adhered to and, if not, dissatisfaction and a lack of fulfillment will result.
Just like any parent who focuses on the child that needs them the most at a given time or the one who is in some sort of distress God does the same for us. We can suffer physical, mental, and emotional trauma. We also suffer spiritual trauma when we withdraw from God and embrace sin. When we encounter any of these Jesus Christ is ready and willing to be there to suffer with us. He wants to comfort us and help us endure the rough waters ahead. When we finally realize and accept Jesus Christ for who He is and follow Him to the Father we will be changed forever by the experience we will have with our Creator and God. We are the tax collectors and prostitutes that Jesus mentions in the Gospel Reading today. We are those who are beautifully broken and ravaged by sin. Even though we may be judged and looked down upon by many people it is through Jesus Christ that we are lifted up and it is through The Father that we are welcomed into the Kingdom of God with song and celebration.
We do not have to wait for this celebration to begin when we triumphantly march towards God into Heaven. Instead, the celebration can begin in the present when we surrender our life and will over to God. It is then we are healed and are continuously healed through the adjustments and corrections we make throughout our lives with God as our master and guide. The fears, anxieties, and resentments that once overwhelmed us will easily be put at bay and we can then be filled with the Holy Spirit. There will be no need to struggle against what God is telling us and no temper tantrums when we don’t get our way. God can be our way if we just let Him and listen to Him.
Deacon Tom
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
Repentance and redemption are two wonderful and beautiful things. This is what is offered to us through a relationship with Jesus Christ. When we come to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we are told by Him that whatever sins we have from the past are forgotten. We just have to ask for forgiveness. Going forward we are then able to model our lives through the knowledge of Sacred Scripture, the teachings of the Church, and through our personal relationship with Jesus. That moment when Jesus is revealed to us, we are redeemed from our past ways and are brought forward into a new life. We are asked to change our ways and understand that many things that what we did in the past are things that we should not be proud of and fall short of the expectations that Jesus has for us. Through this exercise, we can then repent for what we have done and commit to doing better in the future.
The forgiveness, love, and mercy that Jesus shows us is something that we can give to others. In a community, with Jesus as the head, placing the needs and wants of others before those of ourselves brings us all closer together. This includes the message of repentance and redemption that we have already received. When this is shared and when the importance of other people’s wants and desires are placed before ours, then everyone in the community benefits from this shared experience. All rise up together and all are healed together. Yes, we are all individuals, but that does not mean that we have to struggle alone. It is when we are alone that we become the most vulnerable to the allures of Satan and the trapping of sin. Singularly we are a brick while together we can build a wall that can withstand any assault.
Paul in his letter today says, “complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing.” He is speaking about unity in Jesus Christ. If all of our thoughts are focused on Jesus Christ then there is no doubt that a unified love and heart will follow. This will bring about a spiritual experience borne from the Living Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ working within our midst. What we have through this statement is a blueprint of how a Christian Community should work. We are all going down the same path, making that same journey. We need to come together as a group so that we all may reach that goal. The goal of complete repentance and redemption.
It does not matter where we came from. It is where we are going. Everyone has a past with things we all hope are never to be revealed. It is what we do in the present now that is most important. From the present, we can then shape our future with the aid and support of our community lead by Jesus Christ. As Christian, we all have a stake in the success and failure of each other. They key is to act as a community so that we all can be molded into the best version of ourselves which will then emulate the Light of Christ which dwells within all of us.
Deacon Tom
Scripture Readings: Book of the Prophet Ezekiel 18:25-28; Letter to the Philippians 2:1-11; Gospel According to Saint Matthew 21:28-32
Here at the Monastery it is definitely “harvest time.” Such is the case as well in many other parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Our vegetable garden has produced abundantly and we are enjoying fresh produce nearly every day, including zucchini, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, kale, squash, and many other eatables. The leaves of the many deciduous trees in our canyon are rapidly turning yellow and leaves are falling. The weather is still pleasant at night and warm during the day. It is really a beautiful time of year! Smoke from the tragic fires in the West is not affecting our air quality, so the sky is clear and crisp.
While we ponder the end of the summer and the growing season, we are offered this Sunday important lessons about the “spiritual harvest” that must also take place in our lives. A life lived in and for Christ, we believe, will yield a bountiful harvest, directing us to the fulfillment to be found in eternity, hence doing all we can now to gain the prize of life on high in God’s kingdom.
Addressing the religious leaders of the time, Jesus offers a short parable about a father and his two sons. The first of the two says yes to his father’s wishes, but then does not do what was asked of him. The second son initially says no, but ends up doing as he was told. In telling the story, Jesus asks “What do you think about the case?” The audience is invited to decide about “which of the two sons did what the father wanted?” They correctly reply, “The second son,” but in doing so they show their own failure to embrace the teaching and person of Jesus Christ. In their case, they need to do more than simply render lip service, which lacks sincerity and thereby runs the risk of exclusion from God’s kingdom. As the Prophet Isaiah preached: “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me” (Isaiah 29:13, and quoted by Mark 7:6).
In a follow up to the parable, Jesus gives the example of reputed or notorious sinners, specifically tax collectors and prostitutes, who seem to be disobeying God’s law, yet repent and so enter the kingdom. They end up doing the will of God, and are like the second son of the parable today, initially saying no then having a change of heart.
In another place in the Gospels, Jesus warns: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father” (Matthew 7:21). While Jesus addresses these words especially to the religious leaders of those times, they are words directed to us as well.
We are always given free will and God does not force us to act one way or another. God always lovingly invites us to walk in the ways of love, justice, patience and all that builds up the kingdom of God. God never takes delight in punishment, but the Gospels teach us that there are consequences, good or bad, for human free action.
Jesus refers to all those who “do the will of the Father” as his “brother and sister and mother” (see Matthew 12:50). Jesus is the model for this type of commitment and invites us all to be so also. We all fail in doing it perfectly, but we are never to give up along the journey of life.
In the mind of Jesus those stigmatized as sinners are not automatically “lost,” and often demonstrate more willingness to change than those who are not recognized as wrongdoers. What matters for all and us as well is a change of heart and dedication to God.
A short commentary from the splendid “Didache Bible” (Ignatius Press) says this: “The seasons connected with life and time are strictly established by God, and it is up to us to discern the proper season” (commentary on the Book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 3, verses 1-15).
As autumn dawns and summer ends, the time is right to ask again if we are preparing for the final harvest, reflecting on where our priorities lie: either in and for the things of God or somewhere else. Most of us may reply: “somewhere in the middle.” We all need to stretch our “spiritual muscles,” so to speak, for a closer relationship with God and selfless service to one another, thereby fulfilling the two great commandments: love of God and love of neighbor. May the Lord always help us in this important work!
Brother Abbot
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
It is moving for me to celebrate this Eucharist, this Thanksgiving, with so many people from different parts of Germany and the neighbouring countries. We offer our thanks above all to God, in whom we live and move and have our being (cf. Acts 17:28). But I would also like to thank all of you for your prayers that the Successor of Peter may continue to carry out his ministry with joy and faithful hope, and that he may strengthen his brothers in faith.
“Father, you show your almighty power in your mercy and forgiveness”, as we said in today’s Collect. In the first reading we heard how God manifested the power of his mercy in the history of Israel. The experience of the Babylonian Exile caused the people to fall into a deep crisis of faith: Why did this calamity happen? Perhaps God was not truly powerful at all?
There are theologians who, in the face of all the terrible things that happen in the world today, say that God cannot possibly be all-powerful. In response to this we profess God, the all-powerful Creator of heaven and earth. And we are glad and thankful that God is all-powerful. At the same time, we have to be aware that he exercises his power differently from the way we normally do. He has placed a limit on his power, by recognizing the freedom of his creatures. We are glad and thankful for the gift of freedom. However, when we see the terrible things that happen as a result of it, we are frightened. Let us put our trust in God, whose power manifests itself above all in mercy and forgiveness. Let us be certain, dear faithful, that God desires the salvation of his people. He desires our salvation, my salvation, the salvation of every single person. He is always close to us, especially in times of danger and radical change, and his heart aches for us, he reaches out to us. We need to open ourselves to him so that the power of his mercy can touch our hearts. We have to be ready freely to abandon evil, to raise ourselves from indifference and make room for his word. God respects our freedom. He does not constrain us. He is waiting for us to say “yes”, he as it were begs us to say “yes”.
In the Gospel Jesus takes up this fundamental theme of prophetic preaching. He recounts the parable of the two sons invited by their father to work in the vineyard. The first son responded: “‘I will not go’, but afterward he repented and went.” The other son said to the father: “‘I go, sir,’ but did not go.” When asked by Jesus which of the two sons did the father’s will, those listening rightly respond: “the first” (Mt 21:29-31). The message of the parable is clear: it is not words that matter, but deeds, deeds of conversion and faith. As we heard, Jesus directs this message to the chief priests and elders of the people of Israel, that is, to the religious experts of his people. At first they say “yes” to God’s will, but their piety becomes routine and God no longer matters to them. For this reason they find the message of John the Baptist and the message of Jesus disturbing. The Lord concludes his parable with harsh words: “Truly, the tax collectors and the harlots go into the Kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the harlots believed him, and even when you saw it, you did not afterward repent and believe him” (Mt 21:32). Translated into the language of the present day, this statement might sound something like this: agnostics, who are constantly exercised by the question of God, those who long for a pure heart but suffer on account of their sin, are closer to the Kingdom of God than believers whose life of faith is “routine” and who regard the Church merely as an institution, without letting it touch their hearts, or letting the faith touch their hearts.
These words should make all of us stop and reflect, in fact they should disturb us. However, this is by no means to suggest that everyone who lives in the Church and works for her should be considered far from Jesus and the Kingdom of God. Absolutely not! On the contrary, this is a time to offer a word of profound gratitude to the many co-workers, employees and volunteers, without whom life in the parishes and in the entire Church would be hard to imagine. The Church in Germany has many social and charitable institutions through which the love of neighbour is practised in ways that bring social benefits and reach to the ends of the earth. At this moment I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to all those working in Caritas Germany and in other church organizations who give their time and effort generously in voluntary service to the Church. In the first place, such service requires objective and professional expertise. But in the spirit of Jesus’ teaching something more is needed – an open heart that allows itself to be touched by the love of Christ, and thus gives to our neighbour, who needs us, something more than a technical service: it gives love, in which the other person is able to see Christ, the loving God. So let us ask ourselves, in the light of today’s Gospel, how is my personal relationship with God: in prayer, in participation at Sunday Mass, in exploring my faith through meditation on sacred Scripture and study of the Catechism of the Catholic Church? Dear friends, in the last analysis, the renewal of the Church will only come about through openness to conversion and through renewed faith.
The Gospel for this Sunday, as we saw, speaks of two sons, but behind them, in a mysterious way, is a third son. The first son says “no,” but does the father’s will. The second son says “yes,” but does not do what he was asked. The third son both says “yes” and does what he was asked. This third son is the Only-begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ, who has gathered us all here. Jesus, on entering the world, said: “Lo, I have come to do thy will, O God” (Heb 10:7). He not only said “yes”, he acted on that “yes”, and he suffered it, even to death on the Cross. As the Christological hymn in the second reading says: “Though he was in the form of God, [Jesus] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a Cross” (Phil. 2: 6-8). In humility and obedience, Jesus fulfilled the will of the Father and by dying on the Cross for his brothers and sisters, for us, he saved us from our pride and obstinacy. Let us thank him for his sacrifice, let us bend our knees before his name and proclaim together with the disciples of the first generation: “Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:11).
The Christian life must continually measure itself by Christ: “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” (Phil 2:5), as Saint Paul says in the introduction to the Christological hymn. And a few verses before, he exhorts us: “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind” (Phil 2:1-2). Just as Christ was totally united to the Father and obedient to him, so too the disciples must obey God and be of one mind among themselves. Dear friends, with Paul I dare to exhort you: complete my joy by being firmly united in Christ. The Church in Germany will overcome the great challenges of the present and future, and it will remain a leaven in society, if the priests, consecrated men and women, and the lay faithful, in fidelity to their respective vocations, work together in unity, if the parishes, communities, and movements support and enrich each other, if the baptized and confirmed, in union with their bishop, lift high the torch of untarnished faith and allow it to enlighten their abundant knowledge and skills. The Church in Germany will continue to be a blessing for the entire Catholic world: if she remains faithfully united with the Successors of Saint Peter and the Apostles, if she fosters cooperation in various ways with mission countries and allows herself to be “infected” by the joy that marks the faith of these young Churches.
To his exhortation to unity, Paul adds a call to humility, saying: “Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Phil 2:3-4). Christian life is a life for others: existing for others, humble service of neighbour and of the common good. Dear friends, humility is a virtue that does not enjoy great esteem in the world of today, or indeed of any time. But the Lord’s disciples know that this virtue is, so to speak, the oil that makes the process of dialogue fruitful, cooperation possible and unity sincere. The Latin word for humility, humilitas, is derived from humus and indicates closeness to the earth. Those who are humble stand with their two feet on the ground, but above all they listen to Christ, the Word of God, who ceaselessly renews the Church and each of her members.
Let us ask God for the courage and the humility to walk the path of faith, to draw from the riches of his mercy, and to fix our gaze on Christ, the Word, who makes all things new and is for us “the way, the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6): he is our future. Amen.
POPE BENEDICT XVI
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