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
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