Bulletins by St. Clare Parish (Page 8)

We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14). This Sunday’s second reading from the First Letter of Saint Paul to the Thessalo- nians is suited for our November liturgy. As you know, November is a special time for us to remember and pray for those who have died, especially members of our families and other loved ones. Paul is not advising that we not grieve for those we have lost, but that we not have the kind of grief of those “who have no hope.” By nature, Christians are called to be a people of hope, people of the Resurrection. There is an old expression that “We are Easter people and “Alleluia” is our song.” While a bit trite, these words do express the reality of Christian faith. When we pray for the dead, it cannot be with the bitterness of the hopeless; our lives are charged with the faith that Saint Paul preached, and it makes all the difference. Even the Book of Wisdom teaches that “The souls of the just are in the hands of God” (Wisdom 3:1). If we believe this, or mourning can give way to rejoicing that our beloved dead live in God’s peace forever.

In describing His own ministry, Jesus stated that “The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for the many” (Matthew 20:8). It must be the same for the Lord’s followers: “The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts oneself will be humbled, and whoever humbles oneself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:11-12). For many, this is a difficult lesson. Those who know success, achievement, and greatness usually expect their lofty status to accord them great privilege. For the Christian, the privilege is to serve others as did Jesus, the Master Who washed the disciples’ feet. We do not need to look far to find these opportunities. Whether husbands or wives, children, sisters or brothers, each of us has the choice. . .to expect others to do whatever we want them to, or to be the ones who reach out to them. What Jesus did not say, but is implied in the example He gave, was that our service needs to be done in love, not grudgingly or under coercion. That is the real test of discipleship.

There are many interpretations of Jesus’ declaration, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” (Matthew 25:21). But the heart of the matter is found in the question that Jesus asked regarding the Roman coin, “Whose image and whose inscription?” The answer was that it was definitely that of Caesar. But the question that did not need to be asked was in whose image His hearers were made. The answer to that is also as clear, for the Book of Genesis narrates that God made man and woman in the divine image.

Using another parable about the coming Reign of God, Jesus employs the image of a wedding feast, to which the invited guests do not attend. To fill the banquet hall, servants went looking for others to bring to the feast, any who could be found. The troubling part of the parable relates to the person who did not wear his “wedding garment” to the banquet. Why was he cast out “into the darkness,” with hands and feet bound? This seems problematic, since this guest was presumably one of those gathered, “good and bad alike” from the highways and byways. Jesus preached this parable against the Jewish leaders who refused to welcome Him as the Messiah, the last-called are the non-Jewish people who become believers. Some have theorized that the wedding garment is the metaphorical baptismal robe, worn by a life of faith and virtue. Jesus’ invitation is a fulfillment of the words of the prophet Isaiah: On this mountain the Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines (Isaiah 25:6).

We sometimes fall into the same trap as the people of Israel at the time of the prophets. Although God had chosen them to be His own, his “precious vineyard,” they lived in such a way as to lose their status as highly favored by the Lord: “Now, I will let you know what I mean to do with my vineyard: take away its hedge, give it to grazing, break through its wall, let it be trampled!” (Isaiah 5:5) Jesus echoes these words in telling the parable of the tenants who killed the landowner’s son so that they could have the vineyard for themselves: “What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?” . . . “He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times” (Matthew 21:41). In all things, let us remember the expression that “The earth is the vineyard of the Lord, and we are laborers there.” What does God ask of us? That we be faithful coworkers, aware of our responsibilities toward God and toward one another. All of this can be summed up in the words of our second reading from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, which can be a source of hope and joy for us: Brothers and sisters: Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you (Philippians 4:6-9).

The gospel passage this weekend tells the story of two brothers whose father sent to work in the vineyard. One refused, but eventually did go, while the other brother agreed to work, but never did. Jesus asks the question as to which son did what his father wanted, and the answer is clear that it was the one who had originally said he would not do the work. God’s grace often enters our lives, not along straight lines, but through torturous curves and turns, sometimes even reversing direction, as in the son who eventually went to the vineyard. Let us be open to that grace, whenever it comes to us and let us try to be that grace – God’s abiding presence in our world – to one another

In this Sunday’s gospel reading, Jesus teaches us about the coming Reign of God. Set in terms of the owner of a vineyard who hired workers throughout the day and paid all the same “usual daily wage” that had been agreed upon, no matter what time of the day they began work. Perhaps, we might agree with the complaint of those who worked a full day when they discovered that even those who worked only one hour were paid the same amount. But the question asked by the landowner should make us think: “Am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?” It is true that faith comes to us in the context of family and community, the gospel passage urges us to do our best and not to compare the progress of our growth in the life of Baptism with that of others. In doing the best that we can, we trust in the mercy and love of God Who, like the parable’s landowner, is generous beyond our imagining. Perhaps we can also be so generous in the ways we are with one another.

The Old Testament reading this Sunday (Sirach 27:30 -28:7) complements Jesus’ parable on forgiveness, as found in the Gospel of Matthew 18:21-35. From Sirach (also known as Ecclesiasticus), we will hear: Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight. The vengeful will suffer the Lord’s vengeance, for the Lord remembers their sins in detail. Forgive your neighbor’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. Could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the Lord? Could anyone refuse mercy to another like oneself, can he seek pardon for one’s own sins? In the end, we should not expect from God that which we refuse to extend to others: mercy, forgiveness and love. If we continue to “hug tight” our anger, then we are on a path that leads not to forgiveness for our sins, but, in the words of the parable, “to be handed over to the torturers.” Let us not be that way with us… Remembering God’s mercy toward us, we are moved to forgive those who have wronged us.