3rd Sunday of Easter; Year C 2016

DOCTRINE AND FAITH 
(Acts 5, 27-32.40-41; Rev 5,11-14; John 21, 1-19: 3rd  Sunday of Easter; Year C  2016)

The gospel story narrates the third encounter of the Risen Lord with his disciples, this time, as they were fishing in the sea of Tiberias. As things stand at that moment, the reality of the resurrection was gradually dawning on them. On a certain day, they fished all night and caught nothing, but when Jesus said to them: Throw the net out to starboard and you will find something, they got so much fish that they had difficulty in hauling the net in. This is when the Apostle John intuited: It is the Lord! Peter then dived into the sea to swim to meet him at the sea shore. But earlier in the story, the narrator had remarked: It was light by now and there stood Jesus on the shore, though the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. But why was it so? Was it because of the cloudiness of the early morning or because of the distance of the sea from the shore? Probably neither of them. But, most likely what happened to Mary Magdalene on the resurrection day was also the case here. She could not recognize Jesus only by mere looking at Him. Jesus had to call her name before she was able to recognize him. The meaning of this is that, though, the features of the body of the Risen Lord was identical with the features of the body of Jesus who suffered and died, there was a great difference between them. The Risen Christ appeared new to the eyes that saw him, therefore, there was the need for new eyes to recognize him. There is need for the new eyes of faith to see and recognize him. Encounter with the Risen Lord was not a continuation of the former experience before the passion; there was need to establish new relationship in faith with him. Here at the sea of Tiberias, the disciples needed only to hear his command to cast the net to starboard which they did and had a great catch. With the apostles, doubt about the Risen Lord was waning and there, at the shore, it could not have been any other person than the Risen Lord himself. Any doubt about his identity was vanishing as they, readily, participated in the breakfast he invited them to and in which he handed some bread and fish to them. The gesture was becoming very familiar and reminiscent. The narrator added: None of the disciples was bold enough to ask, “who are you?”; they knew quite well it was the Lord.

    The direct experiences of the apostles of the reality of the resurrection of Christ explain certain things. We note, first of all, the decisive and courageous attitude of the apostles before the leaders of the people and religious authorities as we read in today’s first reading. The prohibition to teach in the name of Jesus did not stop the activities of the apostles. Rather, it gave them further opportunity to make solemn proclamation of the mystery and message of the paschal mystery as we hear Peter and John say: … it was God of our ancestors who raised up Jesus, but it was you who had him executed by hanging on a tree. They went on to explain: By his own right hand God has now raised him up to be leader and saviour, to give repentance and forgiveness of sins through him to Israel. Peter ended his speech by noting:We are witnesses to all this, we and the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him. The disciples were witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus, whom they encountered, saw, listened to and ate with after his resurrection. Another consequence of the Risen Jesus’ several encounters with the disciples after his resurrection was their unperturbed serenity during persecutions and their joy to suffer shame for the love of Christ. One can attribute the joy and serenity of the apostles as gifts of the Holy Spirit, but they are also the direct positive result of their absolute certainty of the resurrection of Christ. The apostles encountered the Risen Christ and there were change in their lives, actions and in their discipleship of Jesus. We encountered the Risen Christ through faith (blessed are those who have not seen but yet believe). Has this any positive implication in our lives as Christians, who are to be witnesses to his resurrection, in the society where we live?

    There are two lessons from today’s first reading which we need to internalize and allow them to influence our actions. The first is that we have to obey God rather than man. This was the affirmation of Peter before the leaders of the people who prohibited from preaching in the name of Jesus. Peter says in effect: God’s will is supreme. In case of conflict between the orders and directives given by men and the command of God, there should not be any hesitation on the part of the faithful. He should obey the command of God. However, this should not be used as pretence to disobey any just directive of a legitimate and constituted civil authority. The next lesson of today's first reading is the example of the apostles who took on the courage to profess our faith without inferiority complex and human respect. We are often ashamed to show that we are Catholics and do not even speak up when the church is maligned and injustice perpetuated before us. Does this show us as matured Catholics? Are we in this way, witnesses to the Risen Christ? We recommend a change in attitude, a fundamental conversion to God and the Risen Christ; and at the same time allowing the Holy Spirit to direct our Christian living. Do we shy away from witnessing to Christ as good Catholic Christians on account of suffering? If so, then it is very unfortunate. For we affirm that suffering on account of our faith, being object of derision or persecution in witnessing to the Christian faith and life are signs of authentic rapport with Christ and a guarantee of future glory as Peter assures us: If we truly participate in the suffering of Christ, we shall participate in his glory (Rom 8,17). We should, therefore, in today’s Eucharistic celebration, ask the Risen Christ to give us the courage like the apostles to witness to him without fear or favour.  Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye

DOCTRINE AND FAITH....2nd Sunday of Easter: Year B

(Acts 4,32-35; 1 John 5,1-6;  John 20, 19-31: 2nd  Sunday of Easter:  Year B)

            The proof of his resurrection, which Jesus offered to Thomas cleared the doubt of the Apostle and others like him, including us. We no longer follow Thomas in his insistent doubt but in his profession of faith: My Lord and My God. One’s argument may be that, it was very easy for Thomas to believe because he saw the physical proofs that demonstrated that it was the same Jesus crucified that rose from the dead. Therefore, there was no need to believe what one has seen. St. Augustine would respond to this by stating that it would be one thing to see and another to believe. Thomas saw and touched the risen Jesus, but believed in his divinity. The experience of the resurrection of Christ leads him to believe in Jesus as the Son of God and Lord of the universe. This should also be our belief.

 

            Jesus’ reprimand to Thomas is also applicable to us: You believe because you can see me. Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe. There is no need, now, to insist on signs and miracles to sustain our faith. One simply need to trust in the Lord and the proofs which He had already shown to us, such as the sincere and sure witness of the Apostles and the word of God contained in the Sacred Scriptures that inspires the teaching of the Church. The Church continues Jesus’ work in time and space; just as Jesus was sent by the Father, so also was the Church sent by Christ:

Just as the Father sent me, in the same way I send you. Jesus entrusted to the Church through the Apostles and their successors a great mission in these words: ... For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained. Some people argue that the above statement is more or less generic. Be it as it may be, it is a direct indication of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, an authentic power entrusted to the Church to absolve or retain sinners and also to excommunicate or reintroduce someone who had sinned into the fullness of communion with the Church. And for the Apostles and their successors to be able to fulfill this great mission, the Risen Lord granted them the gift of the Holy Spirit: ... He breathed on them and said: Receive the Holy Spirit. Christ, thus, communicated to the Apostles and the Church his life as the Risen One; with the gift of the Holy Spirit, he gave to the Apostles and their successors the power to raise men from the death of sin and make them new creatures in Christ. We should feel proud belonging to the Mother Church. Yes, the Church, made of men and women and not of Angels, can have her dark sides and wrinkles, but like every Mother, she is still beautiful, great and is precisely so because she possesses the Spirit of Jesus; guards the deposit of his divine powers; communicates her life to us and puts us in communion with the Father. 

 
          

  Jesus concluded his encounter with Thomas by affirming: Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe. Jesus calls those who believe, happy, fortunate. This is because faith is a sure way that leads to life; the last verse of today’s gospel reading goes thus: ... and believing this you may have life through his name. Faith is also light, which illuminates our mind and reveals the significance of our existence as well as God’s design or plan of salvation. Faith is also a consolation and support in moments of difficulty and suffering.  It is the power that enables us to conquer the world, that is to say, the forces of evil that is operational in the world. John affirms this in the 2nd reading of today in these words: this is the victory over the world - our faith. Faith is also to be seen as the source of love, and this is verified in the love we have for God and for neighbour. If we believe in God it is not possible, not to love him. If we love God and observe his commandments, we cannot but love His sons and daughters as today’s second reading enunciates. The type of fraternal love that comes from faith is exemplified practically and vividly in the Acts of the Apostles (First reading): The whole group of believers was united, heart and soul; no one claimed for his own use anything that he had, as everything they owned was held in common. This passage from the Acts of the Apostles should inspire us. If in our community of faith we are not of one heart and one soul and if we do not truly love our brothers and sisters in Christ, we are not a Christian community but just an aggregate of persons. If in our community, we are not worried about those who have needs or are in difficulties on account of material problems (lack of work, food, medical care, money to take care of basic human needs, lack of accommodation) or moral problems (lonely persons, crisis in the family, helpless sick persons living in penury) or even spiritual problem (loss of faith), then we are no church at all, nor a Christian community; we are rather groups of people, clubs and social associations. Let us pray in this Eucharistic celebration of today that our faith in the divinity of the Risen Lord may grow in leaps and bounds, that we may appreciate well and profit from our belonging to a Church where the Spirit of the Risen Lord is guide and guard; and that our community will be a Christian community of vivid faith, active and practical love. All the above wishes will become ours, if we make ourselves available to the Risen Lord who waits to share with us His healing word and resuscitating meal at Masses, every Sunday (every eight day of the week).  Happy Easter still! Happy Sunday! 

+John I. Okoye.

2nd Sun of Advent: Year B.......DOCTRINE AND FAITH

DOCTRINE AND FAITH

(Isaiah 40,1-5.9-11; 2 Peter 3,8-14; Mark 1,1-8: 2nd Sun of Advent: Year B)

Today’s liturgy presents two great figures of the period when Jesus was being expected to come into the world: the prophet Isaiah and John the Baptist. The prophet Isaiah announced to the exiled people of Israel in Babylon that the time of their liberation and freedom, the return to their home and the forgiveness of their sins by God was imminent. Likewise, John the Baptist announced to the people of his time that the time of expectation was over, for the Savior was already at the corner: Someone is following me, someone who is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to kneel down and undo the strap of his sandals. John the Baptist prepared the souls of the people for the baptism of repentance, that is to say, a baptism that symbolized a radical interior change, and transformation of life. It is in the light of these two great figures that today   we reflect on how we can spend the rest of Advent as we wait and prepare for the coming of Christ. 

Christ has come but we still await the One who is to come, as a lot of people, in one way or the other exhibit signs of ignorance of him. Some do not recognize/know him; others who happened to know him have distanced themselves from him; still some people have only very vague and superficial knowledge/idea of him; the rest reject him with hostility or are completely indifferent towards him. Therefore, there is still need to announce and preach Christ; there is still need for precursors like Isaiah and John the Baptist, people who will prepare the way, in today’s world, for his coming. This behooves us as believers. We need to bring words of consolation to dissatisfied and oppressed men and women of our days, anguished brothers and sisters that are in different forms of slavery. There is need, like Isaiah in the first reading, to shout out saying that the time of slavery is over and that our sins have been pardoned. This is because the Messiah has come and has paid the price of redemption for all. God himself works through his Son and it is God himself who comes to meet his people with great power, but also with infinite loving kindness as he is among the people like a shepherd feeding his flock, gathering lambs in his arms, holding them against his breast, and leading to their rest the mother ewes. For us to find rest of mind, tranquility of heart and interior happiness, we need to open our hearts to Christ as Saint Pope John Paul exhorted at the beginning of his apostolate. This is because; it is God who really knows the heart of the people. Jesus did not come into the world to humiliate us, but to enrich and elevate us. He came not to condemn but to redeem and save and give us back our greatness and original dignity.  

It is clear that if we are to be effective announcers and precursors of Christ, we should be credible witnesses of Him; we should actually be liberated first, by Christ, from all sorts of selfishness, pride and evil passions. We need to demonstrate that Jesus is in us, with his grace, love and our lives are changed and transformed through his coming. In this perspective, Advent poses to all of us these soul searching questions: Did Christ come for me? Have I thrown open my heart for him? Have I given him chance and space for his liberating and sanctifying actions? Have I indeed done away with slavery to sin. Also for us Christians, there is Someone who is still to come, that is, Someone who will still have to take full control of our lives. 

It is also for us that John the Baptist preaches the baptism of repentance, that is, the necessity of our making a decisive, profound and radical conversion to Christ. Also, John the Baptist by his style of life lets us understand that, to welcome Christ it is necessary to so the following: (a) love the desert, that is, look for moments of silence, recollection and prayer, so as to be able to recognize the voice of the Lord and enter into dialogue with him (b) to live soberly and practice life of mortification, austerity and not condescending to a life of materialism, debauchery, love of pleasure that renders one obtuse (dull) and insensitive to the things of the spirit (c) to follow a life of humility, having the feeling of not being fit to kneel down and undo the strap of his sandals, as John the Baptist felt towards Jesus. Life of humility will make us appreciate the depth of our poverty and at the same time experience the joy to know that the Lord will come Himself with power to make his paths straight (our blocked spiritual life), to fill the valleys (our spiritual lacunae) and lower the hills (our pride). The only important thing required of us is that we should be ready and disposed to open our hearts for the Lord. Let us therefore pray in today’s Eucharistic celebration to have the graces to be true and effective forerunners of Christ through our witness of faith, love, hope and especially by throwing our hearts open for the Lord, Jesus Christ to enter and heal us. Happy Sunday!

+John I. Okoye.

29th Sunday of Year A (Isaiah 45,1.4-6; 1 Thess 1,1-4; Matt 22,15-21: )

The content of the first reading may seem clear but its meaning does not lead to easy understanding.  The prophet Isaiah holds that God needed the services of king Cyrus of Persia in order to realise his design, the liberation of his people, Israel. The elected people were in exile in Babylon (around 1500 B.C) when Cyrus defeated the Babylonians and liberated the people of Israel, thereby manifesting his astuteness in political issues. He did not liberate them out of his magnanimity or humanitarian considerations, but he did this hoping to dominate them the more by sending them back to their fatherland than retaining them in their place of exile. However, the point this passage wants to show is that, though king Cyrus was a pagan king God, nevertheless, used him as an instrument in realising his project of liberating his people from slavery. One concludes thus: 

• (a) God can use every body, not only the believers, but also non believers to realise his plans. He will even use us more if we are docile and disposed to the insinuations of his graces; 
• (b) We should not read history or events of life from the human point of view only. In all events there is always God’s hand works and also divine Providence that guides and governs. 

In the gospel reading we have the famous statement from Jesus: Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s. Jesus made use of this terse sentence that all the Synoptics recorded to respond to those who wanted to trap him with the question: Is it allowed to pay tax to Caesar or not? This looked like a genuine question but in reality was a snare. For if Jesus had answered that it was legitimate to pay tax to Caesar, he would have been reckoned among the friends of the Romans and he would have incurred the anger of the Jews. On the other hand, if he had responded that it was not proper he would have appeared subversive to the ruling foreigners from Rome and would have fallen into the hands of the Roman soldiers. Jesus’ answer was a clever ruse to escape the pitfalls. His answer, give to Caesar what is Caesar’s means: if you accept the services of Caesar then pay the tax. Thus, every Christian should know that he/she has some precise rights and duties towards the state. He should also be aware that he/she has the rights to ask for certain services for his accommodation, work, health, justice etc. He has also the duty to make his/her contribution to the state by his/her honesty, dedication to duty, even contributing money by paying his/her taxes. However, Jesus also added: give to God what is God’s. Besides and above the duties to the state, we have also the duties towards God, the unique Absolute. The state cannot function in an absolute manner. If the state passes a law that is contrary to the law of God, or does something that is unjust, the Christian should courageously like the apostle declare: it is better to obey God, than to obey people (5,29).

In the second reading, the apostle Paul warmly appreciates the Christians of Thessalonica and praises them for their effort in living the faith, charitable work and for the hope they steadily reposed in God. The active exercise of these three theological virtues shows that the Holy Spirit is actively working in their midst. This eulogy of Paul of the Christians of Thessalonica should be addressed to every Christian community, indeed to every Christian that is every one of us. The question is: Do we merit it? Paul writing to the Philippians exhorts them: Shine like stars in the world, hold high the world of life. May we therefore, also shine like stars in the world, irradiating the light of the gospel in the measure we are truly committed to the life of faith, works of charity and constant in faith of Jesus Christ our Lord.    Happy Sunday!

+John I. Okoye

DOCTRINE AND FAITH Isaiah 25, 6-10; Philippians 4, 12-14.19-20: Matt 22, 1-14: 28th Sunday of Year

DOCTRINE AND FAITH

(Isaiah 25, 6-10; Philippians 4, 12-14.19-20: Matt 22, 1-14: 28th Sunday of Year A)

The parable which Jesus narrates in today’s Gospel stresses the promptness with which to actively respond to God’s call for our salvation. Through reading the parable, even casually, one notices the theme; catholicity or universality of the Kingdom of heaven, of God’s reign, which Christ inaugurates and concretely and historically identified with the Church. This theme of universality is anticipated in the first reading, which is taken from the book of prophet Isaiah, the prophet, where it is said the Lord will prepare a banquet for all the people. 

Evangelist, Matthew, sees in this parable of the banquet prepared by a king for his son’s the marriage feast the summary or compendium of the entire history of salvation. God sends out his servants several times, that is, his prophets to assemble people, particularly the Jews, to the banquet of his kingdom (to salvation). The history of salvation reaches its summit with the coming of Christ. The kingdom of heaven (kingdom of God) was present in Christ and became a reality through him. Christ came to invite all to be members of this kingdom. There should, therefore, be no need to hesitate or delay in deciding to be a part of the kingdom. This is first and foremost the lesson of this parable. It is also to be noted that to take part in the banquet is gratuitous. It is God who offers the banquet and invites people to it, free of charge. What he demands from us is just to accept the invitation. Accepting it means also welcoming the consequences and implications that go with it. It was, however, surprising that the invitees (in the parable) turned the offer down, and disappointing too is when one considers the generosity, courtesy and eagerness of the one who invited them. What worsened the situation is that the banquet has been prepared and there was no serious excuse for rejecting the invitation. Actually, the main motive of the rejection was that the invited people preferred their personal affairs, and material interests (farms, businesses, etc) to the work of God. Consequently, the invitation was thrown open to other people, good and bad. The servants were to go to the crossroads of the town to invite anyone they could find to the wedding feast. The theme running through the parable of last Sunday surfaces again in the parable of this Sunday: the people of Israel did not listen to God and God had to turn to anyone who welcomes his Word.  For God it does not matter who the new invitees were or what they were doing or where they come from (Jews or Gentiles). What is most important is that they answer the call of God. The evangelist wishes us once more to understand that the true Israel, the true elect people of God are made up of Jews and Gentiles as Jesus has destroyed all barriers and divisions among the peoples. 

The second part of the parable seems to contrast somehow with the first. The king (God), at first, called all, good and bad to participate in the banquet. But when he found an invitee without the appropriate wedding uniform he sent him away.  What does the evangelist wish to say? The community of the disciples of Jesus and indeed every Christian community and every individual Christian will have to avoid the opinion/idea that being called to be a Christian, or becoming a member of the Church through baptism (entering into the banquet hall) suffices to guarantee ones salvation. One will also have to put on the appropriate weeding uniform. But what is this weeding uniform that is indispensable for the banquet, without which one is thrown out? This is the state of the soul in grace and that is no other than the charity, love for God and the needy neighbour, which the Holy Spirit pours into our souls. The wedding uniform may also refer to those splendid vests which according to the book of Revelation (Rev 19,8) consists of the works of justice of the saints. They can also stand for the works of justice, which Matthew mentions in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt, 20). No one should think of just swaggering into a banquet hall and remain there unchanged. Something very important will have to happen. For Paul, that person will have to clothe himself in Christ, assume the sentiments of Christ and his style of life. This discussion induces each one of us to ask himself/herself if he/she has the requisite wedding uniform, if one has been able to preserve it, or has done something for it to appreciate in value or put it into good works, or presented it fully for God’s work to the benefit of his fellow human being? We need to reflect seriously on the implication of the conclusion of the parable which holds: many are called but few (effectively) will be saved. 

However, even if we are perfectly in order with the requisite wedding uniform (but who really is?), we have not finished our duty, which is the same with those of the servants of the parable who were given the duty to invite people to the wedding feast: Go ... and invite whomever you find to the wedding feast. We are also supposed to go out to invite people to the wedding feast. How? By continuing the work of proclamation of the gospel, and evangelization everywhere and every-time, in our families, our places of work, market places, schools, etc. We do so more effectively with examples of acts of charity and love towards our needy neighbours than with only words of mouth. 

The Eucharistic banquet in which we participate in every Sunday is the sacramental sign of a greater banquet which God has prepared for all the people in the Church, it is the prefiguration of yet another greater and richer banquet, the eternal eschatological one prepared by God. Blessed are we who are invited to this Eucharistic banquet in which we participate everySunday.  May we therefore, ask the almighty God to give us the grace to be able to participate in the banquet of heaven!  Happy Sunday! 

+John I. Okoye

(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

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