Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 148

Reading 1

Exodus 22:20-26

Thus says the LORD:
"You shall not molest or oppress an alien,
for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt. 
You shall not wrong any widow or orphan. 
If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me,
I will surely hear their cry. 
My wrath will flare up, and I will kill you with the sword;
then your own wives will be widows, and your children orphans.

"If you lend money to one of your poor neighbors among my people,
you shall not act like an extortioner toward him
by demanding interest from him. 
If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge,
you shall return it to him before sunset;
for this cloak of his is the only covering he has for his body. 
What else has he to sleep in?
If he cries out to me, I will hear him; for I am compassionate."
 

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51

R. (2) I love you, Lord, my strength.
I love you, O LORD, my strength,
O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.
My God, my rock of refuge,
my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold!
Praised be the LORD, I exclaim,
and I am safe from my enemies.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.
The LORD lives and blessed be my rock!
Extolled be God my savior.
You who gave great victories to your king
and showed kindness to your anointed.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.
 

Reading 2

1 Thessalonians 1:5c-10

Brothers and sisters:
You know what sort of people we were among you for your sake. 
And you became imitators of us and of the Lord,
receiving the word in great affliction, with joy from the Holy Spirit,
so that you became a model for all the believers
in Macedonia and in Achaia.
For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth
not only in Macedonia and in Achaia,
but in every place your faith in God has gone forth,
so that we have no need to say anything. 
For they themselves openly declare about us
what sort of reception we had among you,
and how you turned to God from idols
to serve the living and true God
and to await his Son from heaven,
whom he raised from the dead,
Jesus, who delivers us from the coming wrath.
 

Alleluia

John 14:23

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord,
and my Father will love him and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
 

Gospel

Matthew 22:34-40

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus 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?" 
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."

 

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 

In Paul’s Letter to the Thessalonians today, he mentioned that they,  

 

“became imitators of us and of the Lord,

receiving the word in great affliction, with joy from the Holy Spirit,

so that you became a model for all the believers…”

 

Paul did his best to exemplify the virtues and teachings of Jesus Christ. God created us out of love to love and be loved. When we are told to follow the example of Paul, we are actually being told to follow the example of Jesus and the instructions of both Him and God. God, being the perfect love, means that we too must love with abandon, while also loving ourselves. This might seem very challenging, especially when we find ourselves in places and situations beyond our control; circumstances where we would want to be somewhere else and talking to someone differently. But it is not always about what we want. It is more about what God wants for us and how we implement what He wants for us in our lives. There are two ways: God’s way and our way. When things go wrong in our lives or when we face fears, anxieties, and resentments, it is most like only when we are doing things the way we want to instead of listening to God. God’s vision for us and our lives does not lead to negative thoughts, feelings, or circumstances. These are things that occur when we resist God or ignore Him completely. Psalm 89 tells us,

 

“My kindness lasts forever; my faithfulness is as firmly established as the heavens.”

 

These are positive words that have the capacity to have a positive impact on our lives; if we let them. This is done by letting God in and not keeping Him away.

 

In the Gospel Reading today, Jesus spoke of the two greatest commandments from God. He also mentioned that the whole law and prophets relied on these two commandments and everything else flowed from them. These two commandments have the commonality of love. Without love they amount to nothing. In much the same way, if we do not love and open ourselves up to be loved, our efforts to be better men and women will amount to nothing. Jesus goes further than this, telling us to love our enemies,

 

“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. This will make you children of the heavenly father. For he causes his sun to rise on evil people as well as those who are good, and his rain falls on both the righteous and the wicked. If you love only those who love you, what reward will you receive?”

 

The point is clear: those who do not follow Jesus Christ still have the capacity to love. It is who they love and how they love, coupled with their conduct that differentiates us from them. As Christians, we have to separate ourselves from those who profess to be good people, yet refuse to adhere to the principles laid down before us through Sacred Scripture, the prophets, and ultimately Jesus Christ. There can be no preconditions to our love and kindness. In all people’s we are challenged to see the face of Jesus and react as so. Paul emphasized this to the Thessalonians, and it is also emphasized to us.

 

The definition of Reverence is the feelings of respect, awe, and shame, felt at the proper time. It is considered a “virtue,” which means a high moral standard. Showing respect means showing deference and honor. This is automatically expected if we are to love and be loved. They go hand in hand. The negative emotions that oppose reverence and love have to be expelled from our thoughts and actions. These do not come from God; thus they should be though of as evil and things that prevent us from living a life the way that God intended.

 

When we find ourselves having negative thoughts or feeling negative emotions, we should bring this to prayer and try to divert our thoughts and actions towards God. When negativism is present, it is an indication that we are drifting away from God and are in danger of hurting ourselves and those around us. These things have no place around us anymore. They all lead to negative actions, which further alienate us from God. Getting closer is God is where we fin joy. And this is only found with love.

 

As Jesus said in the Gospel of John:

 

“Love one another as I have loved you.”

 

 

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 145

Reading 1

Isaiah 45:1, 4-6

Thus says the LORD to his anointed, Cyrus,
whose right hand I grasp,
subduing nations before him,
and making kings run in his service,
opening doors before him
and leaving the gates unbarred:
For the sake of Jacob, my servant,
of Israel, my chosen one,
I have called you by your name,
giving you a title, though you knew me not.
I am the LORD and there is no other,
there is no God besides me.
It is I who arm you, though you know me not,
so that toward the rising and the setting of the sun
people may know that there is none besides me.
I am the LORD, there is no other.
 

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 96:1, 3, 4-5, 7-8, 9-10

R. (7b) Give the Lord glory and honor.
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R. Give the Lord glory and honor.
For great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
awesome is he, beyond all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are things of nought,
but the LORD made the heavens.
R. Give the Lord glory and honor.
Give to the LORD, you families of nations,
give to the LORD glory and praise;
give to the LORD the glory due his name!
Bring gifts, and enter his courts.
R. Give the Lord glory and honor.
Worship the LORD, in holy attire;
tremble before him, all the earth;
say among the nations: The LORD is king,
he governs the peoples with equity.
R. Give the Lord glory and honor.
 

Reading 2

1 Thessalonians 1:1-5b

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians
in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
grace to you and peace.
We give thanks to God always for all of you,
remembering you in our prayers,
unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love
and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ,
before our God and Father,
knowing, brothers and sisters loved by God,
how you were chosen.
For our gospel did not come to you in word alone,
but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction.
 

Alleluia

Philippians 2:15d, 16a

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Shine like lights in the world
as you hold on to the word of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
 

Gospel

Matthew 22:15-21

The Pharisees went off
and plotted how they might entrap Jesus in speech. 
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?" 
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. 
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."
 

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 

It is good to remember that our God and our Lord Jesus Christ isn’t only the God of Christians or a select few people. He is the creator of all things, visible and invisible, and is therefore the God of all things and all peoples. There are those who refuse to recognize Him or outrightly oppose Him. This does not exempt them from encountering God, entering into a relationship with Him, or become benefactors of His participation in their lives. Yes, we are Christians and have recognized our birthright as His children, but we must also recognize that God has other children who have not fully embraced a relationship with Him. This can be considered their loss and something that will affect their lives and what it could become. But God is patient and merciful. He waited for us and He will definitely wait for all those who have yet to come to Him. In the meantime, God will continue to call to all of us, Christians and non-Christians alike, to return to Him and love Him just as He loves us all.

 

The worldly reaction to different religions and faith backgrounds is different than the reaction of God. With infinite patience, God will wait for each person to have a conversion of their heart and to orient themselves towards Him. This should come in the “renewal of the mind,” that the Apostle Paul talks about in his Letter to the Romans and his Letter to the Corinthians. First, to the Romans, he writes:

 

“I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.^a

Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.^”

 

Paul urges that we give everything over to God. This includes all things that are physical in nature and come from this material world. All these things that are of this earth and not created by God must be purged from our experiences until only God Himself is left to fill the void. This can only be achieved through a “renewal of the mind,” which is in itself  a transformative experience. This renewal leads to a “God first” focus which will then lead to better things. To the Cornithians, he continued,

 

“godly sorrow produces a salutary repentance without regret, but worldly sorrow produces death.”

This salutary repentance comes in the form of “Metanoia,” which means a transformation of the mind. This transformation occurs when we finally sacrifice everything over to Him, and do everything, think everything, and experience everything in His name. Unfortunately, it is hard to get there. The obstacles and challenges are many, while it may feel like the relief and rewards are few and far between. The good news is that no one is expected to have this type of spiritual renewal immediately and without consequences. Instead of immediately, this comes progressively, slowly influencing our entire existence; entering completely into our conscious until it influences everything. This takes time. Thankfully, God loves us and is infinitely patient. He wants us to succeed and is always here to help us. Welcoming Him into our lives is trulely the answer.

 

Identifying as a Christian is only the first step in this process. There is much more to do after that initial recognition. Just because we call ourselves Christian, doesn’t mean the process is complete. There are those who might identify as Christian but still haven’t begun any of the hard work necessary. Consequently, there can be those who do not identify as Christian and maybe have not even entered into relationship with Jesus, that can be further along the path of Metanoia than some who call themselves Christians. It is the condition of the heart and soul that matters instead of the label given that is merely used to identify but not define. God is as patient with these individuals as much as He is patient with us. He has no need or urge to separate people in a variety of different categories. We as human beings and social creatures always do this, but God has no need or desire to do so.

 

In the First Reading today, God tells us through Isaiah that King Cyrus of the Persian Empire is “God’s Anointed.” He was chosen for a specific role by God. This included conquering the Babylonian Empire and initiating the building of the Second Temple; ending the Jewish Exile.  King Cyrus was not Jewish and, of course, he was not a Christian. Yet, God tells us that He chose Him and specifically rose Him up to the highest of heights to do His will. Where does that leave King Cyrus in his relationship with God? We really do not know, except that God specifically said,

 

“  I have called you by your name,
giving you a title, though you knew me not.”

 

So, when first utilized by God, King Cyrus was unaware of who God was. Yet, we also know that King Cyrus was known to give homage to all foreign gods that were present throughout his vast empire. We also know that the prophet Daniel prospered during the reign of King Cyrus and remained an advisor in his royal court According to ancient Jewish historian Josephus, Daniel likely showed Cyrus the centuries-old writings of the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 44:26–45:7), which called Cyrus by name and predicted his role in freeing Jewish captives and allowing the Jerusalem Temple to be rebuilt. Where that relationship ended up, we don’t know. What is obvious though was that it was progressive and complex. Everyone’s journey to God will be just like King Cyrus’: we will be His instruments, and we will also be works in progressive; never being fully complete before we die.

 

We must focus on ourselves and our spiritual progress, separating that which is material in nature and focusing on things that are spiritual instead. There are some societal obligations that have to be met and this is a definite part of our spiritual journey: separating the two while keeping the spiritual aspect at a level of higher importance. Our overall conduct in corporal matters should reflect our overall spiritual fitness. Each has a part in our lives, with the spiritual needing to be the driving force, while things of the flesh follow; being influenced by our spiritual condition. A conditional balance can then be made where our spirituality influences our material matters, which our materialistic state has no bearing on our spirituality.

 

Deacon Tom