Deacon Tom Anthony

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 136

Reading 1 Ez 18:25-28

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,
and 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 Ps 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9

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 Phil 2:1-11

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 Phil 2:1-5

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 Jn 10:27

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 21:28-32

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,

 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