Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 123
Reading 1
Thus says the LORD:
I know their works and their thoughts,
and I come to gather nations of every language;
they shall come and see my glory.
I will set a sign among them;
from them I will send fugitives to the nations:
to Tarshish, Put and Lud, Mosoch, Tubal and Javan,
to the distant coastlands
that have never heard of my fame, or seen my glory;
and they shall proclaim my glory among the nations.
They shall bring all your brothers and sisters from all the nations
as an offering to the LORD,
on horses and in chariots, in carts, upon mules and dromedaries,
to Jerusalem, my holy mountain, says the LORD,
just as the Israelites bring their offering
to the house of the LORD in clean vessels.
Some of these I will take as priests and Levites, says the LORD.
Responsorial Psalm
R.(Mk 16:15) Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD, all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples!
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For steadfast is his kindness toward us,
and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Reading 2
Brothers and sisters,
You have forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as children:
"My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord
or lose heart when reproved by him;
for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines;
he scourges every son he acknowledges."
Endure your trials as "discipline";
God treats you as sons.
For what "son" is there whom his father does
not discipline?
At the time,
all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain,
yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness
to those who are trained by it.
So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees.
Make straight paths for your feet,
that what is lame may not be disjointed but healed.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the way, the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father, except through me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus passed through towns and villages,
teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem.
Someone asked him,
"Lord, will only a few people be saved?"
He answered them,
"Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter
but will not be strong enough.
After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door,
then will you stand outside knocking and saying,
'Lord, open the door for us.'
He will say to you in reply,
'I do not know where you are from.
And you will say,
'We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.'
Then he will say to you,
'I do not know where you are from.
Depart from me, all you evildoers!'
And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth
when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
and all the prophets in the kingdom of God
and you yourselves cast out.
And people will come from the east and the west
and from the north and the south
and will recline at table in the kingdom of God.
For behold, some are last who will be first,
and some are first who will be last."
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
The Word of the Lord has spread throughout the world, bringing the Good News and the message of salvation to all who would listen, as proclaimed through the prophet Isaiah in the Scripture Reading today. The message is one of promise and hope; a vision of where we are now, today, in the modern world. Contrary to what society and its many evils try to tell us, the Christian Message is alive and well, offering comfort and a new way of living through the influence of Jesus Christ. These tenants, by their very nature, go against the expectations of the modern world and run sometimes directly opposite to the morays established by earthly powers. These are grounded in that which is not eternal and not part of the Divine Plan. This understanding goes back to Jesus’ proclamation that He has come to set the world on fire and that His presence would divide families and friends, pitting them against each other as the perpetual battle of against evil comes to a climax. When does it end, we do not know, but it is evident that we are participants in these events and are by no means mere bystanders to what is occurring. All of us have major roles and are invested in Creation’s Salvation Story, where our conduct plays a major part of the conclusion. Yes, we are important. It is undeniable that we are indeed central to God’s Divine Plan and Jesus Christ knows us intimately as a result.
How many times have we heard people that we have known proclaim, “I am not that important,” or “That is above my paygrade.” Maybe we have said it ourselves. This is part of the dehumanizing effect that accepting societal norms can have. The individual doesn’t matter. The man on the street remains faceless and obscure. People do not talk to people. There is no effort to understand or even see someone else as an individual person with individual needs, wants, and desires. When this mindset is accepted, then all those individuals become expendable and of no consequence to those following a vision grounded in materialism and the ways of this world. God does not adhere to this status-quo. He is beyond that by His very nature: the perfect Good. Sacrificing His only Son for our salvation is the example He set for us to follow. God’s willingness to do this, coupled by Jesus’ acceptance of this, displays just how important each of us are to Him. The message, spread throughout creation, gains credibility and truth as a result. Contradictory in nature, there will be those who balk and choose the easier path. Yet, the easy path is not what God wants for us. He asks for suffering, for it is what Jesus experienced. It is through suffering that true joy and love are realized, not through compliance and obedience alone. To suffer means we are blessed and given a gift.
This suffering comes in basically three forms: suffering through our sins, suffering through the sins of others, and suffering through punishment by the Father. All three form and shape us for something better. Accepting all these brings about a spiritual experience once the suffering comes to an end and only the Love of God remains. When, in the presence of suffering, we might find ourselves lamenting and pondering why we are suffering we should not focus on such things. Instead, the focus should be on Jesus Christ and the promises that He has given to us now and once the suffering has ended. We must accept where we are in the present while making the adjustments necessary in our lives to live in the Sunlight of the Spirit, which is Jesus Christ.
God has called everyone to salvation, yet not everyone will answer, thus we come forward as refugees from this world and become strangers in a strange land. Recognizing ourselves as God’s children mean we have separated ourselves from those who choose materialism and the physical world above that which is eternal. This act of acceptance means that we have become palpable and can be shaped by what God is saying to us. Our Creator has the capability to participating in our daily lives and help us on the way. If we are in right relationship with Him, we can be corrected and aided on our journey. This is where the presence of Jesus Christ in our lives is key. With no acknowledgement of Jesus, there is no clear path to the Father. The Holy Spirit is prevented from doing the necessary work for us to be moved by the Love of God and develop a contrite heart. To do so, we must listen intently and also ask for counsel. We must speak, then we must be willing to listen. As King David proclaimed in Psalm 51:
“ My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite sprit;
a contrite, humbled heart, o God, you will not scorn.”
This is what God will not spurn, nor turn away from. Yes, we will be chastised and will receive punishment or consequences for our actions. At the same time, we will endure through these things and be better as a result. It is through fortitude and a complete reliance on God that we will persevere through all things. Jesus emphasized in the Gospel Reading today, there will be those who would not persevere through their trials and tribulations, but this will occur because of the lack of fortitude. Fortitude is inner-strength that comes directly from God. It is one of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. If one is lacking in that gift, then it is the fault of the person, not God. A gift is freely given, but one must accept it in order of receive it. To accept it, we must acknowledge it first and then use it. Using it correctly indicates familiarity and a wantonness to utilize it.
The Letter to the Hebrews encourages us to welcome the pain and suffering of this life,
For what "son" is there whom his
father does not discipline?
At the time,
all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain,
yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness
to those who are trained by it.
So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees.
Make straight paths for your feet,
that what is lame may not be disjointed but healed.”
Approaching all calamities in such a way ensures proper healing and proper future conduct. God does not want us to continuously suffer but does invite us into the life of the Suffering Christ. This is where the message of Jesus Christ can serve as the light and guiding force in our lives. Something better lies in store for us. Something wonderful and beautiful. There is nothing in comparison that this world has to offer. One way is filled with the truth, while the other only lies and disappointment. Listening to what God has to say and acting accordingly will always lead to truth. That truth being eternal life with our God.
Deacon Tom
