What makes one a disciple of Jesus? First, the person has a personal encounter that changes one life. They may have heard about Jesus, but they wanted to see for themselves. They may have seen but didn't feel the need to follow up. They were satisfied. Those who have had a personal encounter, have to decide whether they want to remain with Jesus or move on in their life. This remaining with Jesus is the second step. Here we learn more about who he is in himself and to us. But the remaining with Jesus needs to move into the third step, namely, tell others about one's experience with Jesus. The fourth step is to invite others to come and see for themselves who Jesus is. This is the process we see in the way the first disciples were recruited. Were are you as a disciple of Jesus? The process is not a linear movement but a repetitive one. 

 What brought you to Jesus? As we read the scriptures we see the various reasons that drew people to Jesus. We have the curiosity seekers, like King Herod, who wanted to see Jesus perform magic. We have people who came because they heard about him, may have been impressed by his words, but did not become a disciple. We have the tax collector, Zechariah, who was curious, but also searching for something to make his life meaningful. We have the self-righteous Pharisees who sought to discredit Jesus. We  have the rich young man, who was searching for the truth but was not willing to make the sacrifice to obtain it. Finally, we have those who were awaiting for the Messiah, heard about Jesus, encountered him and their lives were touched radically. What brought you to Jesus? Have you found what you are looking for? What has happened to your life since? The same Jesus has a different impact on different people, depending on why they sought Jesus in the first place.

 

Homily Twenty-sixth Sunday Year A

 

Reading 1: This reading is a parallel to last Sunday’s first reading. Today, God gives an example of application of the prophetic word: “My ways are not your ways. My thoughts are not your thoughts. Today’s reading needs to be seen in the context of the covenant relationship between God and his people--God and each individual.

 

Even though a person lives a virtuous life, if he falls into serious sins, remains unrepentant and physically dies unrepentant and alienated from God, he will be spiritually dead eternally. From a human perspective this is unfair. But God is merely in justice confirming the decision of the heart at the moment of death.

 

On the other hand, if a sinful person repents, turns back to God sincerely and then physically dies, being in right relationship with God at the moment of death, he will be eternally with God.

 

We cannot begin to comprehend the reality of sin in relationship to God. Nor can we comprehend the reality of mercy in the face of our sinfulness. If God would render strict justice, without any mercy, there would be no hope for us. Without his loving mercy his justice would be everlasting alienation for us.

 

Seen in this light, is God being unfair or are we being unfair, wanting mercy when we refused it during our life time? At the moment of death, it is the time for judgment and justice.

 

Gospel: As the first reading compares two persons’ response to God’s covenanted love differently, so Jesus uses a similar comparison. It centers on embracing or not embracing the will of God in one’s life. While the one son externally agreed to do the will of the Father, in reality he refused to follow through. The other son initially and verbally refused, but later repented and did what the Father wanted or expected.

 

Jesus’ applies the comparison to the self-righteous among the chosen people, namely some of the religious leaders, who refused to accept him as the one sent from the Father as Messiah, even though they heard his teachings, confirmed by signs and wonders.  In contrast, he points to public sinners, who were looked down upon by the self-righteous, even when the former repented and turned back to God.

 

Are we like the elder son, who externally go through the motions of relationship with God, but internally we are living a sinful life? Or are we the one, who though have sinned, have repented and now are trying to live in relationship with God, trying to love as God calls us to love, trying to be obedient to the will of God even in difficult situations?

 

In both examples, physical death with eventually and inevitably occurr. Will we die in the grace-life of God or will we die alienated by choice from God? In each case will the judgment of God be unfair or will our choice be the real decider?

 

In his First Letter, St. Peter says that Jesus delays his second coming to give us a chance to repent, but we cannot presume on his mercy.  And as James says while it is day we should act for the night will surely come.

 

Reading 2: Because of our covenant relationship with God, entered in and sealed in the water of Baptism, we are called to live a different way of life. The key is “have among you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus.” What is this attitude? We are called to embrace obediently and freely the will of the Father, even if it means the cross in our life.

 

The cross comes in many forms, but it is to be approached out of love of God. Jesus was so in love with the Father that he said “yes” in all things. Paul identifies this love that we should have. “Do nothing out of selfishness or pride; but regard others as more important, looking to the greater good of others.” It is a service of love. Living this way, embracing our daily crosses this way, will enable us to die in the embrace of the Father like Jesus. The Father, in turn, will raise us up to eternal glory with him.

 

"The most powerful weapon to conquer the devil is humility. For as he he does not know at all how to employ it, neither does he know how to defend himself from it. Humility is nothing but truth and pride is nothing but lying." St. Vincent de Paul

Adam and Eve failed to live in the truth of their relationship with God. Their pride opened the door for their lost. On the other hand, Jesus and Mary lived in the truth of who they were, no matter the temptations the Evil One placed before them. Jesus knew he was the Son of God and in his humanity was depended on the Father. Mary knew she was a handmaid of the Lord. They accepted and lived in the truth of their relationship with the Father. We are tempted. But God gives us the grace to live in the truth of our relationship with him as his adopted sons and daughters. We are dependent upon him for everything. Without him we can do nothing. Living in that truth will be the strength we will need to  overcome the various temptations that come our way.

 Twenty-sixth Sunday Gospel A

Jesus said: "What is your opinion? 

· Jesus addresses the question to the religious leaders of his day, who have rejected both John the Baptist and himself.  But reflect how it applies to each of us at different times.

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 he changed his mind and went.

· Have we acted this way in the past towards God? Have we said “No” to God and sinned, but later repented and returned to the Lord?

 The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, 'Yes, sir,' but did not go. 

· Have we acted this way in the past as well towards God? Have we said “Yes” on the surface but in fact did not do what God desires? It was a “yes” of convenience not of commitment.

· When have I said “yes” to God but failed to do it? This past week? This past month?

Which of the two did his father's will?" 

· Isn’t this the heart of the question? Doing the will of God, either initially or ultimately?

· How consistently and consciously do we see the will of God in our daily life?

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. 

· Do we at times find ourselves self-righteous towards others?

· What is the attitude God is challenging us to have?

 "This is the struggle of every person: to be free or to be a slave." (Pope Francis)

We want to be free. We were created to be free. But many times, without us acknowledging it, we are slaves to something by choice. If there is an addiction to something, other than to God, we are a slave to that. If there is a sin that we are struggling with, we are a slave. If there are possessions that we cannot do without, we are a slave. But true freedom is found in our relationship with God. Slavery keeps us in subjection. Freedom allows us to be who we are truly meant to be, a son or daughter of God.  Be free in Christ! If you choose to be a slave, be a slave of God in Christ Jesus. 

ARE MORMONS CHRISTIANS?

 From the perspective of Mormons, they profess not only to be Christian but the only true Christian Church. From the perspective of the Catholic Church and some Protestant communities, the Latter Day Saints, or Mormons, are more of a cult or sect than a Christian Church. The basis for this conclusion comes from their tenets. Let me try to explain some of the basic beliefs of the Mormons.

Authority
They believe that the Mormon Church is the only true Christian Church. They state that after the death of the Apostles, the Church fell into error and has remained in this state until the true authority was restored in the 1800’s. This happened when the apostles Peter, James and John appeared as heavenly messengers sent by Jesus and conferred the restored authority on Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowley. These two men, in turn, have restored the Church with its original mandate upon the earth. Accordingly, all churches except the Mormon Church are abominations in the sight of God.

As Catholics, we believe that there has been an unbroken apostolic authority from Jesus through Peter to the present Holy Father. Yes, there have been difficult periods over that time frame, but the promise of Jesus to be with the Church until the end of time and to send the Holy Spirit to be with the Church as its guide to the end of the ages has not been broken. The basic apostolic teachings, the Scriptures and worship of God in Spirit and truth are the same today as it was in apostolic times. That is why we profess: “We believe in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.”  The Church believes it is the true Church founded by Jesus Christ upon the foundation of the Apostles. However, it does not see others who hold some of the same teachings as abominations, but as separated brothers.

God
The Mormons speak about the Father, Son and Holy Ghost as three separate beings who are “one in purpose.” But they do not believe in the Trinity as we do. They see God as the Heavenly Father who has a physical body. Jesus Christ is called Son of God and Savior. But Jesus was originally one of the spirit beings that all humans used to be and who became God. For Mormons, Jesus is not the eternal Word of God (Jn 1:1) or God Himself. He is a spiritual being who won a contest over Satan to be the redeemer. It was then he was given a body through the Virgin birth to Mary.

As far as the Holy Ghost, he too is a separate being from God and Jesus but not co-eternal with God and thus not God.

Baptism
Mormons do not believe in original sin. There is only personal sin. Once Jesus died for sin, children come into the world without sin. Therefore, according to the Mormons, there is no need for infant baptism.

After a month of the birth of a child to a Mormon parent (one sealed in the Temple), the child is blessed and given a name and is known as a “child of record.” Once this child reaches the age of 8, the child is invited to be baptized and confirmed. It is at this point the child becomes a member of the Church.

For Catholics, we believe in original sin and that everyone, except Jesus and Mary, is born separated from God. It is in the Sacrament of Baptism that a person is freed from all sin (original and personal) and adopted as a son or daughter of God, incorporated as a member of the Church, and share in God’s life through the presence of the Holy Spirit.

For Mormons, Baptism is done by a member who belongs to the Melchizedeck Priesthood (see below). Baptism is by immersion only. This Baptism takes away any sin the child may have committed once the person comes to know the difference between right and wrong. Through Baptism a person enters into a covenant with God. The person promises to take on the name of Christ and to follow his commandments. In turn God promises to provide the companionship of the Holy Spirit as a help to the person. The person is, at the same time, confirmed.

Because of the views of Mormons about God and Jesus, as Catholics, we believe that Mormons converting to the Catholic Church must be re-baptized. Their baptism is not the same as that intended by Christ and taught by the Church since apostolic times. In other words, we do not accept their baptism as valid.

The Sacrament
What we refer to as Eucharist or Communion, Mormons use the term the Sacrament. They believe that, if they sin after baptism, those sins are taken away by partaking in the Sacrament each week. What is the Sacrament? During their weekly service, bread and water (not wine) are blessed by one in authority and distributed to the congregation, who eat and drink. The bread and water stand for symbols or reminders of Jesus’ body and blood. Where, as Catholics, we believe that this is the real Body and Blood of Jesus, not a symbol or reminder. We adhere to what is in the Scriptures and use bread and wine.

Scriptures
Mormons believe God’s revelation has been given to the world through the Bible (King James OT and NT) but that the revelation of God did not end with the Bible. They teach that the Bible contains many errors and mistranslations and thus it is of lesser authority than the Book of Mormons. They hold that the Book of Mormons, translated by Joseph Smith (Founder of Mormonism), is the continuation of God’s revelation. Thus, they hold the Book of Mormons to be of greater importance than the Bible.
According to the Mormons, the Book of Mormons contains the writings of ancient prophets, compiled by one of the last prophets, Mormon. These were written on gold plates and buried around 421 A.D. in New York State. According to Joseph Smith, the angel Moroni appeared to him in 1823 and told him where the gold plates were. According to Smith, he was inspired by God to translate them.

Priesthood
There are two levels of priesthood in the Mormon sect: the Aaronic priesthood and the Melchizedeck priesthood.

The Aaronic priesthood is the lower order of the two. Those who belong to this group take care of the temporal affairs of the community. It includes deacon, teacher, priest, bishops. At the age of 12, boys enter this order as deacons.

The Melchizedeck priesthood includes every practicing Mormon male who has reached the age of 18 and adheres to the teachings of the Church. They are divided into elders, seventy, high priest, patriarch, apostle and president. The young men evangelizing two by two on bicycles are elders.

After Life On Earth
Mormon belief states that after death all spirits go to the spiritual world where they undergo instructions and purification, waiting for the restoration of their bodies in the resurrection.

Only Satan and the other fallen angels are condemned to hell forever. Other spirits are not. Instead, they will share some form of heavenly glory in one of the three heavens. The telestial kingdom is the lowest of the three and it is reserved for adulterers, murderers, thieves, liars and other evil doers. Though their sins are forgiven, they can only enjoy the eternal presence of the Holy Ghost because of their deeds.
 
The middle heaven or terrestrial kingdom is reserved for the souls and bodies of good non-Mormons and those Mormons who were not in full compliance with the Mormon Church. These will enjoy the presence of Jesus Christ.

The highest heaven or celestial kingdom is the place where devout Mormons, who go on to become gods and rulers of different universes, reside. If their wives and children are sealed with them during a temple ceremony, their families will also be with them.

Mormons believe in multiple universes and multiple gods. While there are other universes and may be other living creatures than human beings, we believe there is still only one God who created all out of nothing.

Sealing of the Dead
A person can be saved even after death, so Mormons teach, if someone stands in proxy for them and they are sealed by one in authority. They believe that life does not begin at birth nor end at death but that each person pre-existed. If a person has died, that person can still repent of past sins and still be saved. Or others can have them sealed and thus they will experience salvation, even after death.

As Catholics, we believe that life begins in conception and continues after death. But we believe that one’s final state of existence is determined at the time of death. There is no further chance for that person to gain salvation.

 "Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ for when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Cor 12:10)

Whoever would think that weakness is strength? Only when I embrace my human weakness and allow the Lord's strength to supply what is needed. One's human weakness, yielded to the Lord, can become a manifestation of the power and presence of the Lord. Let the Lord use our weaknesses to minister to others. The weakness is our own, the strength is the Lord's. Paul was aware that he was not a great preacher because of some speech defect. But his effectiveness was the power and presence of the Holy Spirit who convicted the hearts of the hearers.

 Some people try to go pass the cross to get to the glory. This is the in line with what Jesus taught. To be his disciple, we must follow him and take up our cross. It is through the cross that he redeemed us. He embraced it out of love for the Father and out of love for us. A life without the cross is a life without Jesus. But what was at the heart of the cross for Jesus? It was to do the will of the Father even if it meant death by crucifixion. What is at the heart of the cross for us? To do the will of the Father whatever he sees fit for us to remain one with him. It is not suffering that God wants but a desire to be one with him because of all he has done for us. Scripture says that God chastises his sons and daughters. The cross our chastisement. Like Paul we need to glory in the cross so that we may glory in the resurrection.

 

Our purpose sometimes change throughout our lives. What we thought of at an earlier stage of our life to be our goal may not be true later on. When children are asked what they want to be when they grow up, the answers may vary from being a pilot, a fireman, an astronaut, a nurse, a teacher etc. Ask the same person the same question in high school, the answer probably will be different. Why? We have had new experiences and things have changed in our lives. Again, ask the same person twenty years later, you may get a different answer. Why? If we have not found what we are missing, what could give us true happiness, we will continue to search. But once we have found our purpose for existence to be for God and to be with him forever, we set our compass or we lock in our GPS on this destination.

 

Homily: Twenty-fifth Sunday Year A

 

Reading 1: This reading speaks of an obvious mystery. Have you ever wondered, can God forgive me of my sins after all I have done? How could God forgive the terrorists or the abortionists or the serial murderers? The answers are beyond me. God’s ways and God’s thoughts are beyond our understanding. At the same time, we are to seek him and to call to him, even though we cannot begin to comprehend the plan of God, the love of God, the infinite mercy and forgiveness of God.

 

He chooses the foolish and confounds the wise; the weak to confound the strong. Of all the nations of the earth he chose Israel to be his chosen people. Of the seven sons of Jesse, he chose David, the youngest. He chose to become man. He chose to be born in a stable in Bethlehem, the least of the town of Judah. He chose to save us from our sins through the cross. We cannot make logical sense of God’s ways, because they flow not from the human process but the divine process of his loving being.

 

We are told by the prophet to seek the Lord; call to him; turn away from sin and turn back to God who is generous in forgiving. This word, generous, is key to the Gospel.

 

Gospel: Human beings demand justice towards themselves when it is to their advantage versus God’s extravagant mercy, which is given to all. It is good to be just versus unjust, but better to be merciful and generous.

 

Last week we heard the response of Jesus to Peter: forgive not 7 x 7 but 70x70. We are to both receive and acknowledge God’s mercy as well as extend mercy. Last Sunday the master forgave the larger debt of his servant, but the servant would not show the same mercy to another servant who owed him a much smaller fraction.

 

Here the invitation to work in the field is a grace/gift and the wage was a gift. Yes, the workers responded. But the gift was from the owner to the others was complained against because they saw that they were owed more than the one who work less.

 

God’s ways are mysterious. He is just and merciful. We judge according to human standards of justice or expectations. He who does more should receive more. Salvation is not something we earn or gain, but a gift we receive from the bounteous goodness of God.

 

In Jesus’time, the Pharisees and Scribes could not understand or accept that pubic sinners, such as prostitutes and tax collectors, could be saved. These Jewish religious leaders could not accept that pagan believers could be saved without becoming circumcised and following the Mosaic Laws.

 

On the human side, people who worked longer and harder should be paid more than someone who worked only one hour. From God’s perspective salvation is a gift from him. He determines the rules, if you will. God’s ways are not our ways. If he wishes to grant salvation to the thief on the cross at the last moment of his life, who am I to object. He received the mercy of God as I received the mercy of God. We can’t be presumptuous over God’s mercy and forgiveness. We have to be willing to respond at the moment.

 

We want mercy for ourselves but not others. What the men who worked all day wanted was justice and they got justice. Had they rejoiced in the mercy shown to others, they would have received mercy as well. Do we want to be judged with the blind scale of justice or by the generous scale of God’s mercy? The measure with which we measure will be measured back to us.

 

Reading 2: Paul was so in love and so committed to Jesus as the Lord of his life that he desired to die and be with his Lord. What he wanted to do was to please Jesus whether in life or in death. He did not fear death, but saw it as the final moment before seeing and being with Jesus eternally. At the same time, he knew that if he continued to live, he would be doing what God wanted him to do, namely to proclaim the Good News of salvation to others. Whether he lived or died he belonged to Christ. All he wanted was to be and do the will of Jesus.

 

His final statement is a haunting challenge for us. Conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of God. Live as Jesus has called us to live. Have we gotten there yet? Am I conscious of magnifying Christ in my body, so that whether I live or die, it makes no difference, as long as I am glorifying Christ?

 "After all, maturation in a spiritual sense is a growing willingness to stretch out my arms, to have a belt put round me, and to be led where I would rather not go (John 21:18)." (Henri Nouwen)

It is hard for us to totally trust in God's providential care for us, We are afraid of where he may lead us, what cross he may ask us to bear. We would rather be in control of our life. But how many times that has led us to dead ends in our life, to decisions that have been self-destructive? When will we ever learn that God's plan for us is our eternal happiness with him? When we finally do, we will be ready to surrender the control of our life to the Author of our life. Even the difficulties he may lead us through will be beneficial and not destructive. Remember the words of the Lord. "My ways are not your ways, my thoughts are not your thoughts."  His was is the surest and safest one.

 Twenty-fifth Sunday Gospel A

Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. Going out about nine o'clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and he said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard, and I will give you what is just.' So they went off. (And) he went out again around noon, and around three o'clock, and did likewise. Going out about five o'clock, he found others standing around, and said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?' 

They answered, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard.' When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Summon the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and ending with the first.' When those who had started about five o'clock came, each received the usual daily wage. So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more, but each of them also got the usual wage. And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying, 'These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day's burden and the heat.' 

· Have we ever felt that God’s ways are unfair?  Or is it that God sees things differently than we do?

· Instead of thinking about money, substitute grace. If no one earns grace,--it is freely given by God to whomever he chooses-- does it make any difference who gets what?

· Or look at it from the point of view of eternal life, which is also a gift from God. If God chooses to give the repentant thief on the cross eternal life does that take away anything from the same gift to us? Being a disciple for many years or being a disciple for a short time, God chooses to give eternal life freely to both. Their equality comes not from what they did but from what God freely gave them.

· What is their real complaint? They got what was agreed to at the beginning of the day.  They figured that if the owner was going to be generous towards those who worked less, he should be more generous with those who worked longer. Human standards vs Divine standards.

He said to one of them in reply, 'My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? (Or) am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? 

· How does Christ’s words challenge the world’s understanding of justice (and maybe yours)?

Are you envious because I am generous?' Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last." 

· Is there envy or jealousy in our hearts over what God seemingly does for others? His blessing to them in comparison to his blessings to us?

· How grateful are we for the generosity of God whose gifts are gratuitous?

 

A hard-working parish priest, after a lifetime of ministry, died and went to heaven.  When he got there he was assigned an attractive two bedroom house to serve as his heavenly abode.  He was rather pleased with his house until he took a walk around the neighborhood and ran into a parishioner who had been a cab driver and now was living in a mansion with a swimming pool and tennis courts.  The priest went directly to St. Peter to complain.  He said, “I’ve worked my whole life long serving God’s people.  Now this parishioner of mine is a very good person, but he was a cab driver!  Why is he living in so much bigger a house than I am?”  St. Peter said, “Here’s how it goes.  When you preached, people slept.  But when he drove, people prayed.”

Why are we jealous of other's good fortune? Because we think we are better than another or are more deserving than the other? What is the root of jealousy? Not accepting ourselves as we are and not rejoicing with another? If we would work more on ourselves than on comparing ourselves with others, maybe we would be appreciative of all the good things we have. Count your many blessings not your lacks. Be grateful to God for all your blessings and for all other's blessings. Jealousy leads to other sins. Gratitude to other blessings. 

 Do we have a driving purpose that gives meaning to our life? 

Purpose grounds us: Being grounded means knowing ourselves and our purpose. Implied in this, of course, is knowing what one is not and does not want to become.  St Catherine of Siena stated “If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world ablaze!”  To become that person is the mission God gives each of us. God has willed that we share his divine life eternally. We became his sons and daughters in the waters of Baptism. Our whole life is to be that person God sees and wills us to be. We fall short many times. That is not as important as that at the most important moment in my life--the moment of death--I am that son or daughter, living in union with him. I will then fulfill my purpose. 

 “‘Standing by the cross of Jesus was his mother’ (Jn. 19:25). The Virgin, with her mother’s grief, participated in a quite particular way in the Passion of Jesus, cooperating deeply with the salvation of mankind. Like Mary, each of us can and must unite with the suffering Jesus in order to become, with his own pain, an active part in the redemption of the world which he effected in the Paschal Mystery." (St. John Paul II)

We can never begin to comprehend the depth of Mary's sorrow, as she stood at the foot of the cross. She could have chosen not to be present. But she didn't. This was the will of the Father that Jesus should give his life for our lives. She embraced that will. Simeon had previously said that a sword would pierce her heart. She stands in support of her Son, uniting her sorrows with his sufferings. This is the lesson she teaches us. Suffering can be wasted or it can be beneficial. Wallowing in our suffering , complaining, "why me?" is useless. Suffering united to Jesus', allows that suffering to be part of the Paschal mystery of salvation. 

 "Had there been no cross, Christ could not have been crucified. Had there been no cross, life itself could not have been nailed to the tree. And if life had not been nailed to it, there would be no streams of immortality pouring from Christ’s side, blood and water for the world’s cleansing. The legal bond of our sin would not be canceled, we should not have attained our freedom, we should not have enjoyed the fruit of the tree of life and the gates of paradise would not stand open. Had there been no cross, death would not have been trodden underfoot, nor hell despoiled." (St. Andrew of Crete)

As we celebrate the Feast of the Exultation of the Cross, we have these words from St. Andrew to reflect on. The cross was not something Jesus looked forward to with excitement, otherwise his prayer to the Father would not have been necessary. "Father, take away this cup." But Jesus embraced the cross because he loved the Father and he loved us. The price Jesus paid for our eternal salvation was his own life. He suffered the excruciating torture and death of crucifixion, so that we may not have to suffer alienation from God in eternal fires. With St. Paul we can proclaim that we rejoice in the cross of Jesus. So we make the sign of the cross as a remembrance. We wear a cross to profess our faith. We adore Jesus crucified in gratitude. 

 

Homily: Twenty-fourth Sunday Year A

 

Reading 1: Listen to the first statement: “Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight.” Many times we have an eye for an eye mentality. We are commanded by God to forgive the sins of others, so that our own sins may be forgiven. We pray in the Our Father, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

 

Anger is a spiritual cancer more deadly than any physical cancer. Hate and vengeance poison our whole system and leads to eternal death.

 

However, how often do we nourish anger against others, while expecting God to forgive us our sins. What is missing? Remember your last days. Remember we will face God in judgment. Remember we will die and our eternity will be determined by our actions. Refusal to forgive another tells God not to forgive us. Sometimes, we make vows that need to be broken and undone through true repentance and forgiveness.

 

Gospel: Unmerited mercy is a free gift, which needs to be responded to with mercy in turn. The ungrateful servant forgot this. He demanded justice, when he himself was given mercy. He refused mercy to an equal after having been graced with mercy by a higher person. In this he sealed his fate.

 

There is a story about a woman in hell, who complained that she should not be there, because she had done many good deeds in her life. God was merciful. He lowered a rope for her to grab on to. As she did and began to be pulled up, others in hell grabbed on to the same rope, slowing her accent. In her desperation she began to kick and push each one off the rope. It was hers. And all of a sudden the rope broke and she fell back into hell. God said: “The reason you are in hell is because when mercy was shown you, you refused mercy to others in your lifetime.”

 

God has been merciful to each of us. We have sinned gravely against God many times. We can never pay back our debt to God for turning away from him and embracing our sins. Yet God in his infinite mercy has chosen to forgive us. Having received and continuing to receive his mercy and forgiveness, how can we refuse to forgive another, whose sin against us cannot be compared to our sins against God?

 

Let the words of Jesus burn in our hearts and minds. “My Father will do to you the same, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.” It is not that you forget what the other has done, but you remember more what God has done for you. You choose not to nurture anger and un-forgiveness in your heart. Instead, you focus more on gratitude to God for his mercy.

 

Reading 2: Would we act any different if the reality of the Lordship of God over us was central in our thinking? Adam and Eve failed to remember that God was the source of their lives. They made themselves the beginning and the end. They were more focus on what would pleased them. They were falsely told that they would be equal to God and no longer under God.

 

Paul reminds us of the truth. None of lives for ourselves. If we live for the Lord and if we die, we die for the Lord. We belong to the Lord. We came from the Lord. We are destined to return to the Lord. From the time of our birth to the time of our death, we sin. Yet Jesus in his great mercy has saved us through his death and resurrection. He has reconciled us to the Father. We belong to God. We are eternally indebted to God.

 

Does our present life reflect this truth? To what extent is Jesus the Lord of our conscious life? He is our Lord by virtue of our creation.  We belong to him. He is our Lord by virtue of our redemption from the eternal effects of sin. We belong to him. He is our Lord because in Baptism he adopted us as his sons and daughters, sharing his own divine life with us. We belong to him. Have we embraced fully this reality? Or are we still falling for the lie of Satan, seeking to be independent of God, to be our own master?

 

 

 “Laughter has been implanted in our soul, that the soul may sometime be refreshed.” (St. John Chrysostom)

How often do we laugh at ourselves and at the things we do in life? We are too serious and uptight about things that do not matter in the long run. Laughter helps to put things in right perspective. It helps us to keep our eyes on the Lord and not on ourselves. I think this is the intent of St. Paul's admonition, "Rejoice in the Lord always." Direct our anger at sin, which can destroy us, not at our imperfections, which reminds us of our dependency upon the Lord. 

 Twenty-fourth Sunday Gospel A

Then Peter approaching asked him, "Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?" 

· Peter thinks he is generous by saying “seven times,” since the religious standard of those days was three. 

Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. 

· What is demanded of a disciple of Christ is limitless forgiveness. The obvious reason is that is how God treats us. If God treated us the way we would want to treat others, what will our life be like?

· Which is harder: to receive forgiveness or to give forgiveness?

· Does forgiveness depend on who the person is or what was done?

That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’ Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan.

· Compare this to God’s generous mercy to you.  Look at what you have done in your life and look at what God has done in response. Is there any comparison?

When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt. 

· Have I in the past refused to forgive others even though God has forgiven me much more? Why the double standard?

· Have others refused to forgive me when God has forgiven them?

Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. 

· Earlier the person experienced the mercy of God. Now he receives the justice of God. Do we want God’s mercy or his justice?

So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.” 

· How have you experienced God’s forgiveness in your life? How have you responded to his forgiveness?

· Notice Jesus specifies the source of the forgiveness: “from the heart.” This means that it is true, sincere, and total.

· How should our life be impacted in the future as a result of this teaching?

Do we find ourselves living in the success-failure syndrome, the emotional highs and lows, feeling loved and not loved roller coaster? Do we find ourselves longing for some stability in our lives? Then, we need to ask the question what will give us the evenness I desire? I propose it is Jesus. Rather than let the highs and lows of life control us, give your life to Jesus as Lord. He will not take away the highs and lows but he will give us the strength we need to ride the storms of life, knowing that he is in the boat with us. As St Paul said, if Jesus is for us, who (or what) can be against us? Instead of making the ups and downs as our focus, make Jesus the center of our life, keeping our eyes on him, seeking to do his will in all things.

 

 

It is hard sometimes for us to embrace our mortality. As human beings our existence in this life will come to an end. But our existence will continue in eternity. This is the mystery Paul reminds us of. We were not created for nothingness. We were created to be God's adopted sons and daughters and to share in his divine life eternally. Unfortunately, the sin of Adam and Eve put a block in this process, but a block that was removed by the death and resurrection of Jesus. But just as Adam and Eve put a block, so now we can put a block by again alienating ourselves from God through personal sin and dying in this alienation. Or we can cling to the mercy of God and live in relationship with God so that our mortality will change into immortality and our corruptible body will become a glorified incorruptible body through the grace of God. 

 Death was not intended for us by God. Death is now part of our journey. The Evil One tries to make us fearful of death. Jesus came to break the bondage of this fear by restoring our union with God. For those alienated from God because of their sinful choices, after Jesus' gift of re-generation, should be afraid of death. Because there death will lead to the second death, eternal alienation from God. But for those who remain in God and die in Christ should have no fear of death. For them it will an act of love from God for them. For their death will be a momentary passage from this life to eternal life with God. For the unrepentant sinner, death is an eternal darkness. For the saved, death is entrance into eternal light.

 Twenty-Third Sunday Gospel  A

Then Peter approaching asked him, "Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?" 

· Peter thinks he is generous by saying “seven times,” since the religious standard of those days was three. 

Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. 

· What is demanded of a disciple of Christ is limitless forgiveness. The obvious reason is that is how God treats us. If God treated us the way we would want to treat others, what will our life be like?

· Which is harder: to receive forgiveness or to give forgiveness?

· Does forgiveness depend on who the person is or what was done?

That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’ Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan.

· Compare this to God’s generous mercy to you.  Look at what you have done in your life and look at what God has done in response. Is there any comparison?

When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt. 

· Have I in the past refused to forgive others even though God has forgiven me much more? Why the double standard?

· Have others refused to forgive me when God has forgiven them?

Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. 

· Earlier the person experienced the mercy of God. Now he receives the justice of God. Do we want God’s mercy or his justice?

So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.” 

· How have you experienced God’s forgiveness in your life? How have you responded to his forgiveness?

· Notice Jesus specifies the source of the forgiveness: “from the heart.” This means that it is true, sincere, and total.

· How should our life be impacted in the future as a result of this teaching?

 Some people are afraid of being open to God, even to the point of not receiving his love. One reason is their understanding of God is still immature and childish. They see God more as a judge rather than as a loving Father. They know they have done wrong and are afraid of being punished by God. Like a child, they try to run away and hide, hoping he will not find them. This attitude may be due to some memory they had of being punished by a parent. Yet, there is an inner desire to be loved. What will break this bondage of Satan? A decision to trust God and to allow God to reveal his deep love for the person. Yes, God is a judge, but he is  first of all a loving, merciful Father, who wants to best for us. That is why he created us, to bring us into true happiness, the fulfillment of our purpose for existence. That happiness is in relationship with him. Pray for that grace of trust.

 "I am accustomed to visit my elect in a double fashion, that is, with test and with consolation. And I read to them two lessons each d ay: one to rebuke them for their faults; the other to exhort them to increase their virtue" (Imitation of Christ)

When God tests us, it is because he wants us to know if we truly love him. He knows, but we know by standing strong in the time of test. When we do, we, at times, experience some form of consolation. These are given to strengthen us.  We don't like to be rebuked, even when we know we have done wrong. His rebuke is a sign of his love for us. He wants us to repent and live in right relationship with him. Not only does he correct us for our faults but he exhorts and encourages us to grow in the virtues, especially the virtue of love. We should be grateful both for the test and for the consolation, for the rebuke and for the exhortation.

 St. Paul reminds us in his First Letter to the Thessalonians that it is the will of God that we are to be holy. If it is God's will, should it not be our will as well? In fact, this is everyone's first and ultimate vocation: to be holy. Why is this so? The purpose of our existence is clear again from St. Paul in his Letter to the Ephesians.  God has willed that we be his adopted sons and daughters, sharing his own Divine Life, so that we may be with him eternally, praising his glory. God created us for this purpose, to be holy, which is what sharing in his life really means. Someone has said that the saddest moment in one's life is not to be a saint when death occurs. What does this mean? It means that if we are not sharing in God's Divine Life when we die, we have failed the purpose of our existence. Holiness is not an option but a command and a just expectation, not for a few canonized persons, but for each of us. It is the will of God.