28^th Sunday-Year A

Is. 25:6-10

Ps. 23: 1-6

Phil. 4:12-14, 19-20

Mt. 22:1-14

God created us without our help, but God will not save us without our cooperation

My Dear People of God, the gospel today reminded me of something that happened three Sundays ago when we baptized four children at the 4:45pm Mass. If you recall, that Sunday was the 25^th Sunday in ordinary time and the liturgical color for that Mass was green. Before the procession, Todd who is our parish liturgist, walked towards me and, very typical of him, approached me respectfully and asked: “You know today is green right? Just checking!” So I smiled and said: Yes, but I am doing white because of the baptism. After the Mass, as I was greeting people, one of our parishioners came to give me a hug and whispered into my ears: “today is green” so I smiled again and explained that I did white because of the baptism. But I thought to myself: “Wow! these people are really watching us, I better tell Fr. Jon not to take things for grantedJ”. 

            Beloved, at the time of Jesus, it was common for a King who gave a royal banquet to also provide special dress for all who were invited. There was usually a room in the palace where all the invited guests would be helped by servants to put on the prescribed garment. It was something like our vestry/sacristy today where the priest goes to put on the right cloths before he comes to celebrate the Holy Eucharist. Jesus, in our gospel, uses the imagery of a man who was invited to a royal banquet but failed to fulfill his responsibility of putting on the right garment. He used this imagery to reminds us that God invites each of us to his banquet and he expects us not only to respond to the invitation, but also to carry out the responsibility that this great honor brings and have the right attitude that will enhance the joy of the party. Jesus is reminding us of the role we need to play in order for God’s vision for our lives to be realized. St. Augustine once said that God created us without our help but God will not save us without our cooperation. That is very true. God created me without my help, but God cannot save me without my cooperation. God created you without your help, but God cannot save you without your cooperation. This means we need to understand God’s vision for our world, for our lives so that we can cooperate with him and make choices that will allow that vision come true.

The first reading from Isaiah describes God’s vision for our world and our individual lives. The prophet summarizes God’s plan for our world in four ways: to fill our lives with joy, wipe away every tear from our eyes, take away the shame caused by our sin, and give us a reason to praise God. But, Beloved, where will this take place? Isaiah tells us it will take place on the mountain of God, which is a symbol for the church here on earth and in heaven. In New Testament theology, the mountain is a symbol for both the church as community and the individual Christian. When people encounter the church, when they encounter me, when they encounter you, their lives should be filled with joy, their tears should be wiped away, their shame should be taken away; their lives should be touched in such a way that will make them praise God. This is what St. Paul, in our second reading, says the Christians at Philippi did for him during his suffering in prison. They wiped away his tears through their charity and gave him the reason to praise God.

Beloved in Christ, we Christians are NOT called to escape from this world so that we can enjoy life in heaven. No! God wants us to participate and engage in the world, right now, in a way that will help wipe away the tear from every eye and give people a reason to praise God. This is what we, as a Church here at STA, have done over the years and God is calling on us to continue to do more of that. In our parish bulletin today, we are thanking you for all the help and support you have given to our sister parish in Honduras. We are also thanking you for your generous gift for the missions’ appeal we made for the Dominican Sisters. We thank you for your participation in the various ministries here at the parish. We thank the choir, the ushers, the lectors, the Eucharistic ministers and, indeed, all of you for your participation in the Eucharist and all we do here at STA. It is through all these that we help realize the vision of God in our lives. We help God to wipe away the tears in every eye.

Beloved, continue the good work. The world is hurting and God needs you and me to make a difference, to wipe away the tear from people’s eyes. So come live in the light. Shine with the joy and the love of the Lord. We are called to be light for the kingdom, to live in the freedom, of city of God. We are called to act with justice. We are called to love tenderly. We are called to serve one another and to walk humbly with God. May God give you the grace to wipe away every tear from my eyes, may he give me the grace to wipe away the tear from your eyes.

27^th Sunday-Year A

Is 5:1-7

Ps. 80:9-10

Phil 4:6-9

Mt. 21:33-43

Is my life bearing fruit? Can People follow what I do and reach their destiny in God?

Two weeks ago, I was taking communion to people at the hospital. Usually, I have 8 or 9 people to see so I went to the Tabernacle to pick up 10 consecrated hosts. As I was counting, I heard a voice telling me “take three”. Usually, when I hear things like that I know it’s God speaking to me so I said: “No God there are at least 8 people so I am going to take 10.” Then I heard the voice the second time: “take three”. I thought to myself “Oh God, you really need my help here. There are always more than three, I know that! I have been going to the hospital for a while now. I know this; I am going to take 6”; so I did. As I walked out of the church towards the parking lot for my car, I began to feel very restless and stressed. I met somebody at the door and passed that person by without even saying hello, which by the way is very unlike me. I saw I was losing my peace and joy. Before going to the Tabernacle I was all peaceful and joyful so I paused for a moment and asked why I was losing my peace. Then I heard the voice the third time: “I told you to take three” so I turned, walked back to the Tabernacle, returned the rest of the consecrated hosts and took only three. The moment I did that I started feeling peaceful and joyful again. When I got to the hospital, there were only three Catholics who needed communion that day. I laughed at myself and asked why did I even resist God? That was so stupid on my part because I know anytime I have obeyed him, God has been right. Here I was; blessed with the gift of the priesthood, the gift God gave me to serve his people, but for that moment I was trying to live my priesthood without God.

Beloved in Christ, our scriptural readings today call our attention to what disobedience and unfaithfulness to God’s voice brings. In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah describes what happens to a community that ignores the voice of God. He describes the people of Judah as a vineyard that has been given all that it needs to bear fruit but still bears wild grapes, fruits that are good for nothing, fruits that destroy life rather than enrich it. Jesus in the gospel describes what happens to an individual who is given all that is needed to bear fruit but still chooses to ignore the voice of God and so bears no fruit. Beloved in Christ, St. Paul made a statement in our second reading today that kept me thinking seriously about my life all week as I prepared this homily. He told the people of Philippi “Keep on doing what you have learned, received, heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you” St. Paul is telling them if you follow my example, the way I live my life, you will reach your destiny in God, you will find peace. After reading this, I have been asking myself. Can people follow my example, the things that I do and reach their destiny in God? Can people follow your example, the things that you do and reach their destiny in God? Obviously, there are some good things that we do and God is happy with that; but today he is calling our attention to that one thing in our lives that makes us go astray and lead others astray. That part of our lives that we need to change in order to make this world a better place for ourselves and others.

Dear People of God, when you look at what is happening in our world today is the world bearing the fruit that God intents it to bear? When you look at all the wars in our world today, the innocent people who are beheaded in the name of God, the social, political and economic injustice all over the world, the many reports on people who are kidnapped and killed all over the world, the many cases of domestic violence and abuse, the infidelity and betrayal of trust and love in the church, in families, among friends, the millions of children who are killed through abortion etc is our world bearing the fruit that God intents it to bear? Obviously NOT! But whose fault is it? Is it that God has failed to do his part or we have failed to listen to God and allow him to be part of the word he gave us as a gift?

Beloved, what else should God do before we change those areas of our lives where we are not bearing good fruits? He has given us grace in baptism; he gives us grace everyday in the Eucharist and the other sacraments, he has given us millions of examples in the saints to guide us. What else should God do that he has not done? Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:13-14 that God’s ways are like a narrow road that many people don’t want to travel on, but it is also the only road that leads to life. This road at times may not make sense according to our human mind, but God always knows the best and if we allow him to lead us, we shall bear fruit and help others to find life in God. My prayer today is a song: Lead me Lord, Lead me Lord by the light of truth to seek and find the narrow way. Be my way, be my truth, be my life, my God, and lead me, Lord, today!