(Ezek 26,25-28; Philippians 2,1-11; Matt 21,28-32: 26th Sunday of Year A)

(Ezek 26,25-28; Philippians 2,1-11; Matt 21,28-32: 26th Sunday of Year A)

The parable which Jesus proposes for our meditation this Sunday is simple and clear. It is about two sons whom the father sends to work in the farm, he says to each: my son, go and work today in the farm. Their responses are not only diverse but also contrasting. The first says, yes! I will go but did not go, while the second responded, I have no wish, but eventually went. The primary addressees of this parable were the chief priests and elders of the people, that is to say, the people who held the moral and religious authority of the people of Israel during Jesus’ time. They represent the first son who said yes I will go to God at the beginning, but now at the decision time, the coming of Christ and John the Baptist who preceded and prepared his coming, refused to believe. The publicans, who were regarded as sinners and prostitutes who were reckoned as already lost, represent the second son in the parable who at first refused to go to work but repented and believed and followed John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. Ending, the parable, Jesus warned the leaders of the people of Israel: I tell you solemnly, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you.

 

This parable is also addressed to us. God is our Father and we are his sons and daughters: indeed all human creatures, no matter who we are and where we come from. It is God who calls all to his vineyard, that is, to salvation which is being offered in Christ Jesus and which is obtained through faith in him. Gaining salvation is not by mere words of the mouth but through deeds, adhering to the teaching of Christ and putting his gospel messages into practice. On the one hand, there are some who answer yes to this offer of salvation but do nothing to realise their yes and continue to live as if they have not made any commitment. Worse still, they even live contradicting lives to the yes, they answered.  On the other hand, there are some who first say no to the offer of salvation, but then repent and begin to give positive response and take on the consequences of their yes. Here this common adage can be helpful: Action speaks louder than words.Perhaps we resemble the son who says yes more, (I believe, I want to save myself, yes I accept the Gospel) but do practically nothing to live out our faith. The word of God today invites us: 

(a) to respond yes to God’s call for salvation not by words only but also with deeds of faith 

(b) to repent and get converted and begin to follow the dictates of faith we profess. 

The parable alludes to two different types of persons: the first type that says yes, but then behaves as if they have said no and the other that says no and later acts as if they have said yes. There is a third group. They say yes, and mean and live out all the consequences of their yes. The model of this third group that are consistent and coherent with their yes is Jesus Christ, the only Son of God the Father, who incarnated and became man for our salvation. The second reading has the following about him: He (Jesus) was humbler yet, even to accepting death in obedience, death on a cross. The life of Jesus is a total yes to God the Father, from the beginning to the end. As Jesus entered into the world he said:  Behold me, I have come to do your will (Heb 10,7). John the Evangelist records the same idea in one of Jesus’ sayings: My food is to do the will of he, who sent me (John 4,34). There are so many generous souls who respond yes to God and live out this yes in deeds of faith all through their life. Why would this not be possible to us? 

In the second reading, St. Paul presents Jesus not only as a model of obedience to the Father, but also indicated to us the ways he has followed in this obedience to the Father. The first is the life of humility  and emptying of himself: He emptied himself... humbled himself, became obedient unto death, even death on the cross. The second is the way of love in service. Jesus assumed the condition of a slave/servant, as Paul holds today in the second reading. Jesus was obedient servant of God the Father, for the love he has for God the Father and his brothers: This is well captured in the words of Jesus himself:  I did not come to be served but to serve and give me life (Mark 10,45). If we are Christians, that is to say, disciples and followers of Christ we have to put on the sentiments of Jesus himself as Paul exhorts us in today’s 2nd Reading: Have the same sentiments that were in Christ Jesus. In practical terms it means removing from our lives all forms of rivalries, vain glory which comes from pride, and selfishness. This will enable us nurture: 

(a) sentiments of humility where each one of us will consider the other superior 

(b) sentiments of generous donation of oneself: one should not be looking for his own interest, but rather the interest of the others 

(c) sentiments of harmony and reciprocal compassion. 

Let us, therefore, in today’s liturgy pray for the grace to be coherent with our yes to God which we gave or was given on our behalf at our Baptism by following our model Jesus Christ who was humble and obedient and came to serve and not to be served. Happy Sunday! 

+John I. Okoye

Workers in the vineyard:(Is 55:6-9;Ps 145:2-3.8-9.17-18;Phi 11:20-24.27:Mtt 20:1-16

DOCTRINE AND FAITH

(Is 55:6-9;Ps 145:2-3.8-9.17-18;Phi 11:20-24.27:Mtt 20:1-16 25th Sunday of Year A)

The actual meaning of the parable of the workers in the vineyard is to be deduced from Jesus’ concluding phrase: Thus, the last will be the first and the first, the last. The parable, however lends itself to other nuances of interpretations. With this parable,Jesus was chiding the Pharisees, the scribes, and those Jewish people who prided themselves as the first to be called to salvation .They were pretty certain to enter into God’s kingdom and considered those they regard as sinners and the publicans to be far from the kingdom of heaven, if at all they were to be admitted. Jesus was in effect saying: 

• (i) All the people who are called to work in the vineyard of the Lord, that is, called to salvation, have all the same reward. 
• (ii) And what is more, among those who are called, the last shall be the first in the kingdom of God. Indeed, while sinners like Zaccheus, the thief who was crucified with Jesus, the Roman Centurion who was at Calvary during the crucifixion of Jesus, and then later on, the pagan nations welcomed the gift of salvation brought by Jesus Christ, with enthusiasm and ardent faith,while the Jews (who considered themselves as the first to be called) especially their leaders were giving stiff opposition to Jesus. They even handed him over to be put to death by crucifixion, persecuted his disciples, thereby incurring the risk of being excluded in the kingdom of heaven, as Jesus enunciated through another parable in the Gospel.
  
   

This parable of the workers in the vineyard, however, can be applied profitably at any give time; it has perennial  and universal application/value. It can be applied to the context of today’s Christianity.

•  (a) The kingdom of God, whose nature is being illustrated in the parable, is salvation being offered to people through our Lord, Jesus Christ. It is in and through the Church that God realises his own plan of salvation, kingdom and rulership to the world. This salvation is, finally, the eternal life in which God shall be all in all. 
• (b) The call to salvation and membership in the Church through faith and baptism is a gratuitous gift of God and unmerited grace. In the parable, it is the owner of the field who took the initiative to engage the workers in the field. 
• (c) The call is also a call to work, to discharge one’s duties. The workers have to work in the vineyard of the master and not lazy about. Work and duty mean living up to the expectations and responsibilities of the call, realising one’s personal sanctification, co-operating for the growth and development of the Christian community to which one belongs, spreading the salvific message of Christ and expanding his kingdom in the world. 
• (d) The owner of the vineyard engages the workers at different times of the day: early morning, at nine, noon, three and five and even in the evening. The call to salvation and membership of the Church comes at different phases of life. Some are called early in life, in their childhood, some in their youthful days, others as matured people and even some at the sunset of their lives. It is not important at what phase one is called, what is rather important is to answer the call effectively and also react well to the grace of God who calls. Indeed, it means working with alacrity and cheerfully in the vineyard of the Lord, who calls. 
• (e) The payment will be the same for all who answer the call and work in the vineyard from whenever they were called. In the parable, those who were called first protested the seeming injustice. God was not unjust to any of the workers, nor did He injure anyone. He wanted not only to be just to some people, but went beyond justice to show mercy, generosity and magnanimity. There was no need to be envious, rather it behoves the workers in the vineyard and us to appreciate God’s generous comportment. Even when one reflects on the situation very well, there is no atom of reason to be angry and envious because the payments were equal for all. And, what is more,   the ultimate wage is God himself, the perfect communion of life with him and when one has God there is the fullness and perfection of happiness, there should be no room for envy and jealousy.

The second reading offers us perfect model of a worker who is completely dedicated to his duty in the Lord’s vineyard. Paul, the apostle for him, to live is Christ, for Christ was his only reason of life. Equally, for him, to die would be gain because he would then be beside the Lord for ever. But if he had the option to choose between uniting with Christ in death and continuing working and suffering for the Church of Christ, he would willingly take the second option. This is Paul! What of us? Do we work seriously in the vineyard of the Lord, which is our souls that has been sanctified and redeemed by the blood of Christ? Do we really make progress, or are we passive and slothful? Do we work for the good of the Church, the Christian community in which we live or do we live there inactive and passive? We, who were called at the early phase of our lives should realise that we have been particularly favoured by the divine providence, because we have been enjoying God’s nearness in our lives; we have gone into several dangers and we have always been saved from so  many shameful and sad adventures.  All these should fill our our hearts with sentiments of gratitude to the Lord and stimulate us to respond to God’s call with more seriousness in  carrying out our Christian duties and persevering in doing good.  May we therefore ask the almighty God, during the Sunday Eucharistic celebration, to grant us the grace to be hard working in the vineyard He has called us to, by  cooperating with His graces towards realising in our lives the  effects of the salvation, which Jesus Christ has wrought with his life, death and resurrection.Happy Sunday!

 +John I. Okoye

(Images and graphics by blogger)

(Num 21,4b-9; Philippians 2,6-11; John 3, 13-17; Exaltation of the Holy Cross: Year A)

(Num 21,4b-9; Philippians 2,6-11; John 3, 13-17; Exaltation of the Holy Cross: Year A)

It is difficult not to notice that there are evil and suffering in the world. Look around you, evil stares you in the face. There are the evils of disease, war, hunger etc. Seeing some of these, people often in desperation ask; why does God permit this or that evil; why does He not want to eradicate them? It seems unbelievable. Indeed it is agonising for someone to see evil spread and it seemingly looks like God does not intervene to stop suffering, pain and sorrows of the innocent ones. This leaves a deep wound in the soul. How do we understand this mystery? The key to understanding this mystery is the cross of Christ. This seems to be complicating the issue for the mystery of the cross itself disconcerts us. We expect a clear and evident divine victory, a triumphal intervention of God, but God rather shows a very humble victory. He teaches victory over death by means of death, victory over pain by undergoing pain; this is rather complicating. How do we resolve the quagmire? What further key to this mystery do we have?  Answer! 

The love God has for humanity!!! God loved the world so much that he gave his Son, so that every one who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life. And God sent his Son into the world... In this small passage we see the generosity of God in giving his son to the benefit and well-being of humankind. His generosity is also seen in sending his Son into the world so that through him the world might be saved. To achieve this salvation Jesus was lifted up. The evangelist, John used this expression in some passages that speak about the passion and cross of Jesus. By the use of the expression, the Evangelist indicates the exaltation of the Holy Cross, that is to say, he glorifies the Cross, showing that the cross was not really a humiliation but an exaltation. In the ancient world, hanging on a cross was regarded as a defeat and punishment meted out to criminals. In Christ’s case, it was not so, but an extraordinary gift of love and a special victory of love. Christ accepted the cross as filial docility to God the Father, whose wish it was to save the world  and whose plan for salvation was accepted by Jesus out of his own love for humankind. Jesus’ death, the giving up of his life, which he did hanging on a cross, is a symbol of the greatest type of love that is ever possible.  Jesus affirmed this in the Gospel: There is no greater love than this: giving ones life for the friends (John 15,13). We exalt the Cross because Jesus has transformed the infamous use of the cross for capital punishment to a symbol of victory of love. This is truly the meaning of the exaltation of the Holy Cross. There is power in this exaltation. For Jesus in John 12,32 told the perplexed crowd: When I will be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men. This affirmation shows that the cross exhibits powerful attraction to men. When faith in the victorious passion of Christ is communicated to someone, he/she gets attracted to the cross because he/she sees in the cross the immense love of Jesus which conquers evil and death.

The second reading presents another form of exaltation that is the product of the cross. On itself, the cross is an extreme humiliation. St. Paul affirms that Christ who is of divine nature renounced being regarded as God, emptied himself (the first humiliation) and took on the condition of a slave, making himself similar to men. Then he was further and radically humiliated as he became obedient event unto death on the cross. Death on the cross was the most humiliating level Jesus descended to. As was seen above, the cross was the infamous capital  punishment, especially, for rebellious slaves. Paul, however, went further to affirm: On account of this, God raised him high and gave him the name which is above the other names... The cross of Christ produces its own exaltation. Often Jesus says in the Gospel, he who humbles himself shall be exalted (Luke 14,11; 18,14; Matt 23,12). Jesus humiliated himself in an extreme manner and for this reason, he was exalted by God in an extraordinary way. It is to be noted, once more, that this humiliation of Jesus was also salvific for mankind because it was motivated by love of God the Father and humanity. Jesus was like the serpent that was raised up in the desert and became, as it were, the image of evil and suffering and, at the same time, the remedy of evil and suffering by virtue of the love God has for us. Jesus manifests to us the love of God and has thus transformed things not superficially but in their depths. He has given us the possibility to win with him the same type of humble victory and, through profound love, to discover in evil and suffering the opportunity and occasion for a pure and sincere love, for a love that sustains to the end, thereby following his example who went to the extreme of love. This is the divine answer we have to accept when we experience in ourselves the scandal of evil. We have to always return to this essential point.  The mystery of Jesus could appear to us as a dark one, which is to be understood only by love. This love comes from God, is accepted by the heart of Jesus and was marvellously manifested by his generous sacrifice on the cross. God so loved the world to give (donate) his only Son. Jesus so loved us as to give himself for our salvation through the cross. His humiliation on the cross gave rise to the exultation of the same cross. Let us in this Eucharistic celebration ask the good Lord for the grace to requite God the Father for his love for us by showing love to our needy neighbours even to the point of sacrificing ourselves, just as Jesus did and with the intense love of God as our only motive. May he also enlighten us to see grace, salvation, and victory hidden in the apparent shame and degradation of the cross, suffering and sorrow. HappySunday!

+John I. Okoye.

DOCTRINE AND FAITH (Ezek 33,7-9; Romans 13,8-10; Matt18,15-20: 23rd Sunday of Year A)

DOCTRINE AND FAITH

(Ezek 33,7-9; Romans 13,8-10; Matt18,15-20: 23rd Sunday of Year A)

 Today’s gospel reading reflects various aspects of the Church, or the community of believers and its internal life. 

• Firstly, a Church comes into being when some people are unite in the name of Christ. Being united in the name of Christ would indicate united in faith and love with the strong desire to follow Christ and to put his gospel teachings into practice. Those who are united in Christ are beneficiaries of his redemption, participants in his divine life and embodiments of the vivifying and sanctifying Holy Spirit of God. 
• Secondly, the church is a community where Christ is invisibly but really present. Christ himself enunciated: Where two or three are united in my name, I am in the midst of them. Christ is present in the Sacraments and particularly in the Eucharist, in the sacrifice, which is re-enacted perennially in the Holy Mass. Christ is also present in his Word, which is proclaimed and preached. He is present in the Pope and the Bishops: Jesus said: he who listens to you listens to me. Christ is as well present in the church, through, the assistance of the Holy Spirit which he promised and actually sends continually. He is also present in his intimate union with the Christians through the grace by which  every member of the mystical body is united to him as their head, in the same way as the branches of a vine are untied to the trunk. Every soul that is united to Christ through grace is a temple of God and the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. 
  
• Thirdly, the church that is, the community of believers, no matter how small the number could be, is a community that prays in unity and when they pray they have the consciousness and certainty that their prayer would be answered by God the Father.The community prayer, especially the liturgical  prayer, is an essential component of the Christian community. The certainty of being answered is guaranteed by Christ: ... if two of you on earth agree to ask anything at all, it will be granted to you by my Father in heaven. This certainty is not based on the merit of any single believer, or that of the community but on the merits of Christ and his presence in the Church, where he intercedes for the believers. We normally conclude the Eucharistic prayer at Mass thus:Through Christ with him and in him... 
• Fourthly, the Christian community is one to which Jesus gave the power to bind and unbind: I tell you solemnly, whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven. This means that when a Christian community is in communion with her very pastors (the Pope and Bishops) she has the power and authority to judge the following: what is in harmony or disharmony with the faith; what conforms and does not conform with the will of God. It is also the prerogative of the Christian community to determine those who are effectively part of the community and those who are outside it, on account of their comportment or by their teaching. It also behoves the Christian community to declare anyone who does not listen to the community excommunicated, which means that the person is not in communion with the Church. 
  
• Fifthly, the Christian community is a community in which all work towards the good of the community. All are co-responsible for the well being and correct functioning of the community. All members of the Christian community need to feel that they are sentinels, for the good of the community, as we can learn from the first reading. The feeling of being co-responsible for the community is to be concretely expressed in fraternal correction that is to be done with love. This does not admit poisonous criticisms, or divisive murmurings or rash judgement but the correction of a brother by a brother. When the brother accepts the advice he is saved. In that manner, one would be contributing to the salvation of the brother or sister. The first reading makes it imperative to correct our erring brothers and sisters. Correcting one another with love should be second nature to every Christian everywhere and every time. Fraternal correction becomes easier when there is mutual love within the Christian community. 

The Christian community is actually one in reality when it is a community of brothers and sisters in faith and love. St. Paul tells us in the second reading: Do not owe anyone anything, except mutual love. This is to say that mutual  and reciprocal love, is debt we cannot finish paying for, and a duty we cannot stop attending to. On the other hand, if there is love, there is everything. Paul enunciates this principle when he said: All the commandments... are summed up in one single command: you must love your neighbour as yourself. 

On this Sunday, it is very pertinent to ask ourselves if we are really conscious of the profound reality of the Church, the great privilege it is to be a member of the Church. We have to examine, particularly, if we have really succeeded, or at least are making effort, to realise the different traits of the authentic Christian community (as outlined above) in our lives in our families, zones, stations and parishes. May we, in thisSunday’s Eucharistic celebration, aided by the Holy Spirit, ask God the Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ for all the graces we need in order to fully belong, with our hearts and mind to the Christian community and to actively live out the traits of a good Christian Community. Happy Sunday! 

+John I. Okoye