Oct 1, 2017

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time A Ezekiel 18: 25-28; Philippians 2: 1-11; Matthew 21: 28-32 Am I a person of faith? I would like to answer this in the affirmative, but am I a person of faith? Am I the same person I was five years ago? Am I the same faith person I was five years ago? Am I the same person in my religious practices that I was five years ago? During this time have I allowed God to change me? Am I still the ‘same old’…’same old’ or have I realized growth within me that has brought me closer to the Lord? Have I noticed myself spending more time with the Lord: thinking, imagining, thanking, being still? Am I comfortable just sitting and being with the Lord? I heard this story from a former teacher. He had a student who was constantly getting in trouble. It seemed that this student just couldn’t avoid doing the wrong thing at the wrong time. People wondered how long it would be before he ended up in jail. Many years later at a wedding this man came up and asked the teacher ‘Do you remember me?’ ‘How could I ever forget you?’ The man said that he was on the police force. ‘How did this happen?’ His former student replied that he was about to be arrested a third time and when the officer said, ‘You have such great skill for getting into trouble, how about learning how to use it to help people stay out of trouble and out of jail?’ The rest is history. Do we recognize the abilities we have? We have to make this personal: Do I realize the gifts that the Holy Spirit has given me? Remember the gifts of the Holy Spirit? Here are the seven gifts: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord. How do I know if I have these? In the last part of the Sermon on the Mount, (Matthew 7) Jesus talked of ‘False Prophets’ saying, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them…A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. So by their fruits you will know them.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church states “The fruits of the Spirit are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory. The tradition of the Church lists twelve of them: ‘charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity.’” So I question myself: Am I more charitable than I was five years ago? More joyous? More peace filled? More patient? More kind? More filled with goodness? More generous? More gentle? More faithful? More modest? More self-controlled? More chaste? If I am, this is totally the work of the Holy Spirit? Have I expressed my gratitude? Have I noticed that I have been selective in choosing how to be closer to the Lord? Is there still a part of me that I don’t want to give to the Lord? Am I like St. Augustine who prayed early in his life, “Grant me chastity and continence, but not yet.” The readings today helps us to zero in on the continual task of our daily conversions and turning ourselves to God. Ezekiel was given the task by God to tend to the spiritual welfare of the people. He continually warned them when they were being unfaithful. He warned them to think as God thinks and not as humans do. The people wanted to believe that God operates as humans do by holding grudges. God does not. He explains that God holds each person responsible for his or her own choices. And past sins do not block a person from gaining forgiveness from God. What matters is what they are doing at the present moment to live as people of God. Paul constantly holds up Jesus as the perfect example for people of faith. Jesus emptied Himself for others and then died for all people of all times. Paul tells us, “Have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus.” He goes into detail explaining, “Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also for those of others.” In the Gospel, Jesus tells a parable using the symbol of a vineyard which is frequently used to represent Israel. We each can apply this symbol by looking at our own vineyard. God sends us out each moment of each day to work in our vineyard using the gifts given us by the Spirit. How are the fruits in my vineyard growing? What is my vineyard like? Where do I go to plant the Good News of the Gospel that God loves each person everywhere all the time? How do I model the compassion, forgiveness and love of all people that Jesus taught and exemplified in His life? Jesus today uses the example of tax collectors and sinners. They were the ones that realized through the teaching of John the Baptist that they had to turn over a new leaf. Was their life at rock bottom? Were their lives meaningless and empty? Maybe all of the above, but they reached out for help and God helps all who ask for help. Jesus compares them to the chief priests and elders of the people. These refused to listen to John the Baptist’s message on righteousness. WikipediA has an interesting definition of righteousness which fits perfectly today’s reading: “Righteousness is a theological concept in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. It is an attribute that implied that a person’s actions are justified, and can have the connotation that the person has been ‘judged’ or ‘reckoned’ as leading a life that is pleasing to God.” So the high priests and elders feel they are good people, teachers of the Law of Moses and not sinners. They have done nothing wrong. They are in the right. Jesus doesn’t judge them this way. ‘The chief priests and elders should have accepted the message of John the Baptist but refused. The tax collectors and prostitutes had no reason to believe John but they did and reformed. Unlike that first son who initially refused to go work in the vineyard but later did so, the chief priest and elders did not change their minds and did not accept the message of John the Baptist or of Jesus. They are an example of failed leadership and considered themselves to be above others. So I reflect on: • How am I doing in listening to Jesus’ message and applying it in my life? • I look at the times when I have said no to God’s ways, but then relented and did what was right. What did I learn from Jesus? • Jesus’ has showered His mercy on me time and time again. Has this led me to be merciful? Or just conditionally merciful? • Compassion and gratitude are only words until I live them in acts of generosity and kindness. Is this true in my life? Sacred Space 2017 states: “Jesus says to me, ‘What do you think?’ Do I take time out to think about where I stand in relation to God? Do I give my soul an opportunity to catch up? I ask the Lord to help me give time to thinking about the things that really matter. Jesus speaks this parable to me. I avoid applying it to others right now and simply accept Jesus’ warmth as He sees how I have served. I listen for His invitation as He shows me where I hold back.”