Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 142

Reading 1

Isaiah 25:6-10a

On this mountain the LORD of hosts
will provide for all peoples
a feast of rich food and choice wines,
juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.
On this mountain he will destroy
the veil that veils all peoples,
the web that is woven over all nations;
he will destroy death forever.
The Lord GOD will wipe away
the tears from every face;
the reproach of his people he will remove
from the whole earth; for the LORD has spoken.
On that day it will be said:
"Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!
This is the LORD for whom we looked;
let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!"
For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain.
 

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

R. (6cd) I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
He guides me in right paths
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
with your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
 

Reading 2

Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20

Brothers and sisters:
I know how to live in humble circumstances;
I know also how to live with abundance.
In every circumstance and in all things
I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry,
of living in abundance and of being in need. 
I can do all things in him who strengthens me. 
Still, it was kind of you to share in my distress.

My God will fully supply whatever you need,
in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
To our God and Father, glory forever and ever. Amen.
 

Alleluia

Cf. Ephesians 1:17-18

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our hearts,
so that we may know what is the hope
that belongs to our call.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
 

Gospel

Matthew 22:1-14

Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and elders of the people 
in parables, saying, 
"The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who gave a wedding feast for his son. 
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. 
The king 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."
 

 

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 

 As Christians, we have responded to an invitation by Jesus Christ to recognize that He is the Son of God and the gateway that will lead us to salvation. The imagery of a wedding feast is one that we can use to meditate on our condition. What more could we ever want if we are offered all these things that encompass a full relationship with God: knowledge of Him, fear of Him, love of Him, and the ability to apply what we have come to know into all aspects of our lives. That is the Christian Way. Central also to this way of living is the understanding that there are certain responsibilities that we have upon responding to the invitation. It is very common nowadays for a person to claim that one believes in God or “some sort of spirituality” without ever defining what those two terms really mean or how they impact their life. There is no deep relationship, understanding, or expectations drawn from recognizing even a slight awareness of a higher power. What we must do on a regular basis is pursue God and strive to get closer to Him through prayer, worship, and the pursuit of wisdom.

 

Every Sunday, we gather to worship in community. Part of this ritual is the recitation of the Nicene Creed. Part of the Creed reads,

 

  “I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.”

 

When we recite these words, we are professing what we believe. With the resurrection of the dead and life of the world to come, is a reminder that there is more to this life here and that there will also be a final judgement. All these things should make us remember that we should be in a constant state of preparation for that, which we should be looking forward to. Treating it with any less importance will affect our present experiences in this life and will cause us to fall in all the areas that impact our final destination.

 

The prophet Isaiah tells us that God will provide us with everything that we need and that He will wipe away every tear; defeating death itself. He offers the vision of another banquet where we will again be nourished. A promise is then made about lifting the veil of ignorance, unifying all of His creation. To us, the veil has already been lifted, and we have the capability of coming forward now to take part in the feast. Before partaking comes preparation. Before preparation comes an awareness of the presence of God. It is very easy to say that we believe these things and understand them. It is another thing entirely to let these things mold us and shape us into something new. Ask anyone a series of questions (this can include ourselves if we want). The first centers around God: Do you believe in God the Father and His only begotten son Jesus Christ, who was sent into this world to testify, suffer, and die for our sins and for our salvation?” The second question then follows: “How are we living our lives with full knowledge of that truth asked in the first question?”

 

Arguably we will fall short regarding the second question, for we all can do better. In order to get better , though, we must apply ourselves and overcome all of our short-comings and the factor of sin abounding around us and inside of us. The Apostle Paul writes that he has learned the, “secret of being well fed and going hungry, of living in abundance and of being in need.” He makes no differential between the two extremes when presented. This serves as guidance for us: with Jesus Christ guiding us, we should be thankful and complacent in any circumstances we find ourselves in. Knowing that Jesus is walking with us, can then encourage us to put our energies towards the preparations for the wedding feast. We cannot be caught off-guard in this area. Yes, in this life we cannot prepare for everything, but we can accept all circumstances while being fully prepared for an eternity with our God. The sooner we realize this, the more joyful we will be and the trials and tribulations of this world can be put into perspective in comparison to the kingdom that has yet to come.

 

Abbot Christian Leisy from the Benedictine Monastery in New Mexico writes,

 

“We are being invited this day by the Lord to the most important banquet and wedding feast that there ever could be, nothing less that the royal wedding feast prepared by God for his beloved children, which includes each of us, young and old and in between.”

 

We must treat the invitation with the importance that it deserves: The most important one we will receive in our lives.

 

Deacon Tom

 

 

 

 

 

 

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 139

Reading 1

IS 5:1-7

Let me now sing of my friend,
my friend's song concerning his vineyard.
My friend had a vineyard
on a fertile hillside;
he spaded it, cleared it of stones,
and planted the choicest vines;
within it he built a watchtower,
and hewed out a wine press.
Then he looked for the crop of grapes,
but what it yielded was wild grapes.

Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard:
What more was there to do for my vineyard
that I had not done?
Why, when I looked for the crop of grapes,
did it bring forth wild grapes?
Now, I will let you know
what I mean to do with my vineyard:
take away its hedge, give it to grazing,
break through its wall, let it be trampled!
Yes, I will make it a ruin:
it shall not be pruned or hoed,
but overgrown with thorns and briers;
I will command the clouds
not to send rain upon it.
The vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel,
and the people of Judah are his cherished plant;
he looked for judgment, but see, bloodshed!
for justice, but hark, the outcry!
 

Responsorial Psalm

PS 80:9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20

R. (Is 5:7a) The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
A vine from Egypt you transplanted;
you drove away the nations and planted it.
It put forth its foliage to the Sea,
its shoots as far as the River.
R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
Why have you broken down its walls,
so that every passer-by plucks its fruit,
The boar from the forest lays it waste,
and the beasts of the field feed upon it?
R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
Once again, O LORD of hosts,
look down from heaven, and see;
take care of this vine,
and protect what your right hand has planted
the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
Then we will no more withdraw from you;
give us new life, and we will call upon your name.
O LORD, God of hosts, restore us;
if your face shine upon us, then we shall be saved.
R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.

 

 

Reading 2

PHIL 4:6-9

Brothers and sisters:
Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters,
whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is just, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious,
if there is any excellence
and if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things.
Keep on doing what you have learned and received
and heard and seen in me.
Then the God of peace will be with you.

Alleluia

JN 15:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I have chosen you from the world, says the Lord,
to go and bear fruit that will remain.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

MT 21:33-43

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
"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. 
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. 
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 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?
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."

 

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

The Christian Way of Life is a beautiful and wonderful thing. To shape ourselves in the image of Jesus Christ; being selfless and giving in all of our thoughts, actions and modeling our conduct by the teachings of God  can produce no negative results but only a life the way God intended us to live. When we face trials and tribulations they are confronted with the knowledge that God is on our side and that, whatever is faced, we will be stronger as a result. It is understood that suffering is a part of being Christian because we are going against a society that is permeated by evil and Christ suffered for us to overcome this evil. To walk with Christ means we too must suffer using Him as an example to be united with Him so as to overcome the evil. In the end  good will always triumph over evil because God is the good. This is the Christian Story. This is our story.

The shaping that we go through is not directed by ourselves alone but by God. If we permit Him to do the work He wants to do we can then feel this happen every moment of our lives. God tells us through the Prophet Isaiah: He is the potter and we are the clay. If we truly stop resisting God and let him form and mold us into a new creation beautiful things will happen to us. We are all a part of God’s Vineyard which is representative of His entire creation. He has nurtured it, cared for it, and loved it. He continues to do so today and will for eternity. As we grow we can easily respond to this love or reject it. If there is acceptance we have the opportunity to flourish and grow while being tended to. If there is rejection that means that we become a sort of infection that can spread wildly and causes discord throughout the vineyard. Working with God and listening to him equals living in communion with His creation while working against God causes us to actually working against His creation.

We can also be seen as being workers in God’s vineyard as well as being part of the vineyard. When we are shaped and formed then we are the grapes and the fruits of His creation. When we go forth and do good works in His name and evangelize the faith; building up The Kingdom of God here on this earth we then become workers in the vineyard as we too care for the soil and what is produced therein. God works through us and we go forward in His name moved by the Holy Spirit. Others are then capable of witnessing Jesus Christ through us as we become their source of nourishment and strength. When we act as the workers our responsibilities become greater and our conduct becomes all the more important. Other people will be listening to us and watching us more closely than before. When we work in the vineyard we are bringing Jesus Christ to them and the messenger needs to be a vessel well prepared for its cargo.

That is not to say we have to be perfect. No one is perfect but if we are to be workers and witnesses for Jesus Christ then the workings of the Holy Spirit need to be seen clearly in us so that what we are preaching can have credence and strength. If what we are saying and what we are testifying to, which is from God, is going to have any impact on anyone else the product of a right relationship with God must be evident within ourselves. Sin is rebellion against God. If we are in a rebellious state while spreading the Good News then we are actually promoting discord through our own conduct instead of the message God wants us to promote. Our own sins have the capability of overshadowing what is being said and done in His name. It says in Sacred Scripture that what comes out of a man’s mouth is a reflection of what is in his heart. Our words and actions do have consequences; especially when we are doing God’s work. When we are working in the vineyard and when we are being nurtured by God we have to be ever-mindful of what we are doing wrong and where we have gone wrong. We can then make the necessary corrections and benefit as a result. Our own development is never done. The work that we do in the name of God is never done.

The Apostle Paul encourages us in the reading from his letter to the Philippians. We are all told to continue doing what is right and what is good. All these things come from God. We are instructed to dismiss all negative thoughts and emotions. These things come from Satan and our imperfections; not from God. Not coming from God means these things have no value and no place in the Christian Way of life. They cause doubt and discord. Instead we should focus on the good things that come from God which make us develop and grow into better people. We all are wise enough to know what is good and what is bad for us. The challenge is not to make excuses to justify us doing the bad things that have and always will hurt us. Instead we should commit to a better way of living that includes and does not exclude God. This better way can then be used to reveal God to other people; all peoples that we interact with. This offers us and those we come in contact with an opportunity to be nourished and to grow; all the while producing good fruit from all of the abundant works.

Deacon Tom

 

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 

 We all dwell within the vineyard together. Jesus Christ has opened the gates wide and offers entrance to anyone who wishes to work, live, and rejoice in His name. There is no price to pay. There are no requirements and there is no cost for admission. There only needs to be a desire to leave the wasteland that is a life without Jesus and enter into an existence with Him. The work that we then do and the life that we live becomes one that is inseparable from Jesus Christ. The land that we find ourselves living in is one that is owned by the Father. So, as tenants in the vineyard, we belong to Him and are encouraged  to listen to what He has to say. The Landowner knows His land the best and He knows how He wants it tended to and harvested. He also knows how to bring forth the highest yield of grapes which will then in nurture us and satisfy our thirst and hunger for something better.

 

In one way, the vineyard in the Parable of the Tenants represents Israel and the tenants the People of Israel. God, as the landowner, sends forth his servants (the prophets) to encourage these people to return to Him with love. The response is to reject the prophets and continue their ways of disobedience. Jesus then indicates that they will also do this to Him (the son). Even though this is the case, it is through Jesus Christ and the Incarnation that the message of salvation is revealed to the entire world. What was initially revealed to a Chosen People was now opened up to the entire world.

 

This is such beautiful imagery. Even though we are not perfect and tend to pursue of own needs and wants, God is so loving that He keeps calling us to return to Him so that He may love us. There is no limit to this love, demonstrated by the fact that He sent His only son into the world to suffer and be crucified so that we may obtain eternal life. He did not have to do this. He wanted to do this. When we are receptive to this love, we are transformed by it: we want to do good works, we want to love one another as we are loved, and we want to live a good Christian Life.

 

The landowner did not have to send his servants. He did not have to send others to follow. And he certainly did not have to risk his only son. He did it because he wanted to give the tenants an opportunity to do the right thing. God does the same thing. Time and time again we are given chance after chance to accept Him into our lives. So many times we have failed to respond to Him and there will be times in the future when these same actions are repeated. Yet, God is always there willing to forgive and love.

 

Upon the acceptance of Jesus Christ, the vineyard becomes a paradise. It represents our relationship with God. It will feed us and provide for our needs physically, mentally, and above all spiritually. We are guided and protected by the landowner who is God. Paul tells us in his letter today to have, “no anxiety at all.” All will be provided for through prayer and petition. As long as Jesus Christ is central in our lives then all obstacles, trials, and tribulations can be overcome. Continuous prayer leads to a continuous relationship with Jesus. We will then be able to conduct ourselves and develop all of our relationships through the lens of Jesus Christ.

 

And as Paul says,

 

“Keep on doing what you have learned and received
and heard and seen in me.
Then the God of peace will be with you.”

 

Deacon Tom