Weekly Reflections

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32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, November 8, 2020

Gospel: Matthew 25:1–13

Theme: Be prepared; live now as if the kingdom were already here

Gospel: Matthew 25:1–13

Theme: Be prepared; live now as if the kingdom were already here

Matthew 25:1–13

Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’ While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked.

Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

Music Meditations

Opening Prayer

From Thomas Merton:

Teach me to go to this country beyond words and beyond names.
Teach me to pray on this side of the frontier, here where these woods are.
I need to be led by you.
I need my heart to be moved by you.
I need my soul to be made clean by your prayer. I need my will to be made strong by you.
I need the world to be saved and changed by you.
I need you for all those who suffer, who are in prison, in danger, in sorrow.
I need you for all the crazy people.
I need your healing hand to work always in my life.
I need you to make me, as you made your Son, a healer, a comforter, a savior.
I need you to name the dead.
I need you to help the dying cross their particular rivers.
I need you for myself whether I live or die.
It is necessary.
Amen.

Companions for the Journey

From “First Impressions” 2011, a service of the Southern Dominican Province:

We shouldn’t be distracted by the “unreal” details of the parable in today’s gospel. Why didn’t the maidens, who had oil, share with those who didn’t? Where could those in need ever find a market to buy oil at midnight? Why did they cry out with the special title “Lord, Lord” to the bridegroom? Why didn’t he recognize them, after all, they were in the wedding party? We have to allow Jesus, the storyteller, the creative license to include details that will help him paint a picture to give us insight into, what he describes as, “the kingdom of heaven.”

We know that in Jesus’ time marriages were arranged by the families of the couple. Fathers arranged the marriage, while mothers set the terms. First, there was the betrothal period of a year or so after the terms of the marriage were set. Then the bride was transferred to the husband’s home. These marriage practices may help explain the delay in the groom’s coming.

Today’s parable is the second in the sequence of three that emphasize preparedness while we await the Lord’s Second Coming. Like the others, the parable of the ten maidens, emphasizes the need to be vigilant and ready NOW for the Lord’s return.

There are choices we must make NOW in the light of our hope and as we wait. We do what we can to nourish our spirits, form our minds and fortify our wills—NOW. We can’t put off for tomorrow decisions that show our fidelity to God and commitment to Jesus and his ways. If we delay doing that, isn’t that a sign of our lack: of faith in Christ’s presence NOW, as well as our hope in his final coming?

We can’t prepare for the in-breaking of Christ into our lives at the moment he comes. The parable urges a more constant vigilance and state of preparation. Nor can we rely on the vigilance and preparedness of others. No one can take responsibility for us, we must do that for ourselves—ready to greet Jesus each day of our lives and then when he comes at the end.

What is clear in this parable is that when the critical moment of Jesus’s entry into our lives arrives, it will be decisive. Preparation time is over. If we have lived vigilant lives we will enter the wedding feast with Christ our bridegroom. The foolish maidens arrived after the door was locked and when they knocked the door was not opened. It was too late. Poor choices were made, the time for preparation was over. The parable has allegorical features. For example, the wise maidens trimmed their lamps when the bridegroom’s arrival was announced. Psalm 119 refers to God’s Word as “a lamp unto my feet.” Hearing the Word of God will illumine us and help us recognize the Lord when he arrives. The light of the Word will also sustain us until he does.

For some this is a welcome parable; for others it is an ominous one. For those whose lives have been lived actively seeking and doing God’s will, their light will shine bright and the door will be opened for them. Those who have lived by false lights and indifference to their future fate will find the door barred.

”What’s taking so long?”. We live in an impatient world. Someone got angry the other day at the supermarket. We were on the “Express lane—10 items or less,” the sign said. But the man in front of me had 12 purchases. The woman behind me challenged his “lack of consideration.” “Can’t you read the sign,” she told him sternly, “10 items not 12!” In light of today’s parable we too might express some impatience and ask, “What’s taking the Lord so long?” But we know we don’t have to wait till our deaths or the Second Coming for the Lord’s arrival. The kingdom Jesus brought about in word and deed comes into our lives every day in a variety of ways. The parable reminds us to be alert and prepared for it. Meanwhile, during our waiting time, the Lord has taught us that we can welcome the kingdom’s arrival by feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, giving drink to the thirsty, sheltering the homeless and setting free the oppressed. So, while we wait for the final arrival of Christ we have plenty to do, because he comes daily in disguised and surprising ways. Wisdom is a key virtue for our gospel today. It helps us stay vigilant and guides us in the practical choices of daily life. And so we pray, “Come Spirit of Wisdom.” “Come Spirit of Vigilance.” “Come Spirit of Preparedness.”

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

Therefore, stay awake

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

  • If this parable is read as a Wisdom teaching, then what is the wise thing for me to be doing today?
    Am I doing it, or do I live in denial?
    Why is it that we tend to think we need more “stuff” (as in more oil) in order to be prepared for the worst in our lives?
  • What does it mean to live in the moment?
    What does it mean to live now as if Jesus was already here?
  • Are there times in my life when I have been wise?
    Are there times in my life when I have been foolish?
    Which times define me?
  • Are there people that we know of, say someone diagnosed with a terminal illness, who might make different choices about what they do and how they live based on this diagnosis? Why do we not do so as well?
  • Why does every age seem to have people who predict the end of the world as we know it?
  • Until the second coming arrives, what are we to do meanwhile?
  • Did you know that there are still people who profess that if you are not Catholic you cannot get into heaven?
    Is being in the right religious group important for our salvation?
  • Why do we keep referring to the kingdom of heaven as if it were heaven itself?
  • “He will come again to judge the living and the dead”. What does this mean for you?
  • Matthew uses the phrase “weeping and gnashing of teeth” six times, Luke once, and Mark not at all… How do you react to Matthew’s emphasis on the final judgment?
  • How does our emphasis on reward and punishment (Heaven or Hell) as motivators for good behavior fly in the face of real love for God?
    Can you love what you fear?
  • How does focus on the “selfish” maidens miss the point of the story?
    How or why do we lose focus on what is really important in our lives?
  • Do I believe that Jesus is present in our world right now, or only at end times?
    How does the pandemic fit in?
  • What are some real-life attention-getters that we sometimes do not recognize as a visitation of the Holy Spirit?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Dominican style/Asking Questions:

This parable, at first glance, would seem to suggest that the virgins were foolish because they did not come prepared with enough oil. Another possibility is that their mistake was assuming that having oil was preferable to staying around to greet the bridegroom. So what if they did not have enough oil? It would not have been great, but at least they would have been there to welcome the bridegroom and to join in the festivities. They took the focus off the bridegroom and put it on lighted lamps and the oil for those lamps, assuming that having perfectly lit lamps was absolutely necessary to be part of the celebration. This parable really speaks to the worriers and the perfectionists among us, those who think we need to be sinless to be loved by God and to be welcomed into God’s kingdom. The kingdom of God is not about our imperfections, our mistakes and our sins, but about our right relationship with Jesus the bridegroom. I take some time to reflect on my relationship with Jesus, looking especially on what habits of the heart I can cultivate to make that relationship stronger—mercy, forgiveness, generosity, concern for the poor that results in actually trying to do something to mitigate their pain. For example.. I pray for the wisdom to discern what is important in my life and what needs to change for me to participate joyfully in the wedding feast that is God’s presence in my life.

A Meditation in the Franciscan Style/Action:

JUSTICE BULLETIN BOARD

“Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.” (Matthew 25:12)

It would be pretty scary that when we meet our God, who has counted every hair on our head, that we might be unknown. Since today’s Gospel is about a wedding, I thought about how our lives could be fashioned as a memorable cake in God’s eyes. Feel free to add your own special ingredients.

The Compassionate Life Cake

Ingredients:
4 lb. of compassionate love
1 lb. of mercy
1lb of tenderness
1 lb. of humbleness
½ lb. of justice
½ lb. of grace
¼ lb. of forgiveness
¼ lb. of good humor
1 pint of laughter
1 cup of common sense
2 tsp. of adversity
1 oz. of spirit
… and a sprinkle of beauty

Put your compassionate love, mercy and tenderness into action together. Combine humbleness, justice and grace and mix well with forgiveness and good humor. Don’t forget the laughter! Be sure to include common sense and season with a touch of adversity and a dose of spirit. Combine all the ingredients and sprinkle with the beauty of wisdom. Take a lifetime to perfect your creation. May you live your life compassionately and with passion.

—Barbara Molinari Quinby, MPS
Coordinator of Social Justice Ministries
Sacred Heart Cathedral, Raleigh, NC

Poetic Reflection:

Read the following poem by Mary Oliver… How does it capture the sense of what we should be focusing on as we prepare to meet Jesus?

“Making the House Ready for the Lord”

Dear Lord, I have swept and I have washed but
still nothing is as shining as it should be
for you. Under the sink, for example, is an
uproar of mice—it is the season of their
many children. What shall I do? And under the eaves
and through the walls the squirrels
have gnawed their ragged entrances—but it is the season
when they need shelter, so what shall I do? And
the raccoon limps into the kitchen and opens the cupboard
while the dog snores, the cat hugs the pillow;
what shall I do? Beautiful is the new snow falling
in the yard and the fox who is staring boldly
up the path, to the door. And still I believe you will
come, Lord: you will, when I speak to the fox,
the sparrow, the lost dog, the shivering sea-goose, know
that really I am speaking to you whenever I say,
as I do all morning and afternoon: Come in, Come in.

Closing Prayer

From this week’s letter from Paul to the Thessalonians:

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be unaware about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.
For the Lord himself, with a word of command, and with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

For whom among those who have gone before us should we pray?

Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air…

For whom among us, who might need lifting up should we now pray?

Thus we shall always be with the Lord… therefore, console one another with these words.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

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Solemnity of All Saints, November 1, 2020

Gospel: Matthew 5:1–12a

Theme: What does it mean to be blessed?

Gospel: Matthew 5:1–12a

Theme: What does it mean to be blessed?

Matthew 5:1–12a

[The Sermon on the Mount]

When he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peace makers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”

Music Meditations

Opening Prayer

Adapted from Unfolding Light, by Steve Garnaas-Holmes, courtesy of Lourdes Alonso

Rejoice in the Lord always… I shall say it again: rejoice!
Your kindness should be known to all… The Lord is near.
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.

For the empty seat, we hold silence.
Love, have mercy.
For the two hundred thousand, we weep.
Love, have mercy.
For the homes incinerated, we mourn
Love, have mercy.
For the rule of law, we lament
Love, have mercy.
For kindness and nonviolence, we pray:
Love, have mercy.
For those who stand and speak on behalf of those who cannot, we pray
Love, have mercy.
For those who act out of a pure heart and soul, we pray
Love, have mercy.
For faith in one another, we pray
Love, have mercy.
For justice that dismantles oppression, hope that overcomes despair, for faith that overpowers dread, for love that defeats fear, for joy that will not be taken from us, we pray
Love, have mercy.

Add your personal prayers here

For all these prayers we trust in God’s loving mercy and receive the peace that passes all understanding to guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Companions for the Journey

By Jean Shively, Lecturer in New Testament Studies, St Andrews, Scotland:

Context

The beatitudes introduce the Sermon on the Mount, a collection of Jesus’ teachings. Matthew places the Sermon at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, emphasizing that Jesus is the authoritative teacher of God’s people. Jesus breaks into the public arena proclaiming, “repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 4:17). He calls his first disciples from the task of fishing for fish to the task of fishing for people (verses 18-22). Then, he shows the disciples just what this new kind of fishing looks like by preaching the good news of the kingdom of heaven to people and manifesting its power by healing every kind of disease and affliction (verses 23-25). The presence of this kingdom of heaven liberates. Then, Jesus climbs a mountain with the crowd he has so excited and sits down in the posture of a teacher encircled by his newly-called disciples. They are the primary targets of his instruction in the principles of life in the kingdom of heaven.

Content

A key principle of embracing this life is “blessedness.” This is a refrain that runs throughout verses 5-10: those are blessed who are poor in spirit, who mourn, who are meek, who hunger and thirst for righteousness, who are persecuted. The word “blessed” does not mean “holy,” and neither does it mean “happy” in the sense of being in a good mood. Rather, the word, “blessed” refers to a fortunate state of life. Jesus is saying that those who are poor in spirit are fortunate! It may surprise us that he speaks these words about those whose present circumstances seem so unfortunate.

Jesus can speak such words because he is revealing a kingdom perspective. The first and the last of the nine beatitudes extend his proclamation of the good news by applying the presence of the kingdom of heaven to the poor and persecuted (verses 3, 10). These beatitudes act like bookends for the rest of them, indicating that the kingdom of heaven is the controlling concept of the section. It is so because those who possess the kingdom are “blessed.” “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (verse 3). “Blessed are those who are persecuted... for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (verse 10).

The verbs in these two verses are in the present tense: “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The kingdom that Jesus proclaims infiltrates the present condition of the unfortunate and transforms it. Jesus had begun his public ministry announcing that the kingdom of heaven has come near. Later, when Jesus sends his disciples out to preach and heal, he tells them to make the same announcement as they go (10:1, 5-8). The kingdom of heaven breaks into the world with the words and work of Jesus.

The present conditions of the unfortunate are variations on the same theme. The language of each beatitude reflects Old Testament language: Those who are poor in spirit, who mourn, who are meek, and who hunger and thirst for righteousness suffer because of their faithfulness to God, and they trust in God to vindicate them (Isaiah 61:1-2; Psalm 24:3-4; Psalm 37, especially verse 11; 42:1-2). While those who oppress God’s people may be fortunate for a moment, they who trust the Lord will be fortunate forever. Jesus calls those who would be his followers to the same radical commitment and hope.

After listing the beatitudes, Jesus says, “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account” (verse 12). The kingdom of heaven belongs to those who suffer because of their faithfulness to Jesus. But Jesus is also calling them to follow his own way, since he himself will suffer for his faithfulness to God, trusting that God will vindicate him. While Jesus affirms the present experience of the kingdom of heaven in verses 3 and 10, he promises future vindication for the unfortunate in verses 4-9. While the verbs in the second half of the beatitudes in verses 3 and 10 are in the present tense, the verbs in the second half of the beatitudes verses 4-9 are in the future tense.

The promise of future vindication does not mean, however, that the focus is entirely future. Jesus insists that God has the final word, bringing assurance into the present. This is why he can say, “Blessed are those who mourn...blessed are the meek...blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness...blessed are the merciful...blessed are the pure in heart...blessed are the peacemakers.” Jesus gives his followers eyes to see that the future is certain and this transforms the present.

Claim

Jesus calls us to join a radical kingdom. He gives us a radical vision to match, that the kingdom of heaven infiltrates our present. We can continue fishing for people, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom at great cost to ourselves, fighting oppressive powers in Jesus’ name. We can suffer for the sake of Jesus and the gospel, with the assurance that God has the last word. When we see people receiving the word of God, and finding healing and freedom in Jesus’ name we can announce, “the kingdom of heaven has drawn near.”

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

  • What do you think the word “blessed” means?
    Are you “blessed”?
  • What does it mean to be poor in spirit? What is its opposite?
    If I am poor in spirit, what will my focus be on?
    If I am poor in spirit, what will be my attitude toward God?
  • What is the kingdom of heaven, if it is not heaven itself?
  • The Greek word for mourning can mean both sadness cause by conditions of one’s life, but it can also mean an inner agony—an attitude—that can lead to repentance… Which do you think Matthew is referring to here?
    What are some things that hinder us from mourning?
    What/who comforts us? In what way?
  • How does the world define meekness?
    How does Matthew seem to define meekness?
    What qualities?
    How was Moses meek?
    How was Jesus meek?
  • What am I hungering for?
    What are some biblical examples of hungering and thirsting for righteousness?
    How will it characterize my life if I hunger and thirst for righteousness?
    How do I get there?
  • What is mercy? What does a merciful person look/act like?
    What are some biblical examples of mercy?
  • If we realize that “heart” in scripture really refers to our thinking, what does it mean to be pure of heart?
    Where do ostentatious practices of religiosity/piety fit into this beatitude?
  • What groups or individuals were persecuted in Matthew’s time?
    What groups, religious or otherwise, are persecuted today?
    If I am persecuted, what might be my usual response? What would be a proper response?
  • What people are insulted today?
    Have I ever, wittingly or unwittingly, insulted a person?
    Is it sometimes easier to insult and denigrate groups of people who do not share the same political or religious values as I do—especially if this is done from afar?
  • Which beatitude irritates you? Comforts you? Challenges you?
  • Do you know of anyone who embodies one of these beatitudes?
  • There is an argument from some quarters that the beatitudes enable a victim mentality… Do you agree?
  • The Irish Jesuits, in” Sacred Space” wrote that the beatitudes are not a set of regulations, but a blueprint for personal or spiritual happiness… Do you agree or disagree?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Dominican style/Asking Questions:

The first thing Jesus does here is issue a series of statements, that are very short and repetitive, like a litany or a poem; they each start with the Greek word makarioi, which means blessed or happy or fortunate. For us, because “blessed” has become church language, it might help to substitute the more familiar word “fortunate” and see how it makes us feel. That might help us get closer to the counter-intuitive feel of these statements. Recite the beatitudes, using the word “fortunate” instead of “blessed”. How difficult do you find these statements?

A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Imagination:

From Songs of Life: Psalm Meditations from the Catholic Community at Stanford, by Anne Marchand Greenfield:

In considering the first beatitude (blessed are the poor in spirit—Isaiah 61:1-3), I need to understand that poverty of spirit means that I am utterly dependent upon God’s grace… this leads to humility and repentance. I read the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9-14). I place myself in the events of this little story. What does the temple look like? Where is each man standing? What is the posture and manner of the Pharisee? How about that of the tax collector? With whom do I identify more: the man who did what he was supposed to, prayed regularly, gave to the poor, and was an honest, good person; or the tax collector, who preyed on the weak and the helpless, extorting monies from them they could little afford and raking off a profit for himself? When we try to be good people, is it hard not to be a little smug at times? I try to put myself in each man’s shoes. First I look at the part of me that loves and honors God and tries to be a good person. Do I unconsciously measure my goodness against that of others around me? Isn’t that a natural thing to do? Now I look at the part of me, like the tax collector, that has done some things for my own advancement that I am not too proud of—a sleazy little lie here, a little shameless flattery there, perhaps a little character assassination to top it off. Which side do I emphasize when I pray? I speak to Jesus about both sides of my nature, and pray for the understanding to know when I have been wrong, for humility which does not allow for personal pride in my own goodness and for the wisdom to know that both the understanding and the humility are gifts of God.

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

What would be the beatitudes for the real world people live in everyday?

  • Blessed are the rich and famous, for they shall have what they want.
  • Blessed are the powerful, for their wills will be done.
  • Blessed are the strong and young for they shall draw a lot of attention to themselves.
  • Blessed are the white and well educated for they shall own the earth.
  • Blessed are Americans for they shall have the earth’s riches at their beck and call.

These beatitudes, or something like them, seem to reflect the way our world is run. They are what a lot of people in world value and would call “blessings.” They may make us wince, but haven’t we been encouraged to live by them, in one way or another, since we were young? Their values were passed on to us by our parents, in school, through advertising—all the sights and sounds we see on TV ads present these worldly beatitudes by showing us the successful, young and powerful who seem to lack for nothing.

Which of the world’s beatitudes is a particular temptation for you? How do you deal with it?
Which of Jesus’ beatitudes do you find the most comforting? Why? Which do you find the most annoying? Why? Which beatitude do you have the most difficulty living out? Why?
Imagine Jesus saying these beatitudes to you directly and looking straight into your heart.
Pray for the openness to hear what He says to you.

A Meditation in the Franciscan Style/Action:

It must be noted that included in Jesus’ blessings are those who have been victimized by society. Make no mistake here: He is not telling his disciples to become victims. Some may interpret the passage in that way. As we shall see, those who are victimized—struck on the cheek, have a shirt taken, forced to go a mile (5:39-41)—are not to be victims. Instead, they are to take the initiative and choose to turn the cheek; give not only the shirt but the cloak as well; go the extra mile. You may be victims to brute force, Jesus seems to be saying, but you don’t have to think like victims. Those who hear the blessings at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount know with certainty of the ultimate victory of God’s reign and so receive the blessings and assurance they convey. Beatitude people do not have to serve power, scheme or join the many ways the world has of taking care of itself.

That having been said, stop and reflect on any situations in which you have been complicit in the ways the anawim (the poor, the lost, the forsaken) are ignored or taken advantage of in this society of ours or in the world in general. For Jesus is not telling people to seek to be poor, grieving, mocked and persecuted, and he is not giving us license to ignore social injustice because, after all Jesus calls those anawim “blessed”… So, what is one small thing you can do to alleviate the situation of somewho is hated, bullied, imprisoned because of poverty, mourning the loss of a loved one or the loss of justice for a loved one, in pain, mentally ill, discriminated against because of religion, skin color or sexual orientation?

Poetic Reflection:

Read the following poem by Robert Browning Hamilton… what does it tell us about our own growth and development as a human being and as a follower of Christ?

I walked a mile with Pleasure;
She chattered all the way,
But left me none the wiser
For all she had to say.

I walked a mile with Sorrow
And ne’er a word said she;
But oh, the things I learned from her
When Sorrow walked with me!

Closing Prayer

From Thomas Merton:

Teach me to go to this country beyond words and beyond names.
Teach me to pray on this side of the frontier, here where these woods are.
I need to be led by you.
I need my heart to be moved by you.
I need my soul to be made clean by your prayer. I need my will to be made strong by you.
I need the world to be saved and changed by you.
I need you for all those who suffer, who are in prison, in danger, in sorrow.
I need you for all the crazy people.
I need your healing hand to work always in my life.
I need you to make me, as you made your Son, a healer, a comforter, a savior.
I need you to name the dead.
I need you to help the dying cross their particular rivers.
I need you for myself whether I live or die.
It is necessary.
Amen.

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30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 25, 2020

Gospel: Matthew 22:34–40

Theme: How well do I love God and neighbor?

Gospel: Matthew 22:34–40

Theme: How well do I love God and neighbor?

Matthew 22:34–40

When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them [a scholar of the law] tested him by asking, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”

He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and the first commandment.

The second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

Music Meditations

Opening Prayer

From Thomas Merton:

Teach me to go to this country beyond words and beyond names.
Teach me to pray on this side of the frontier, here where these woods are.
I need to be led by you.
I need my heart to be moved by you.
I need my soul to be made clean by your prayer. I need my will to be made strong by you.
I need the world to be saved and changed by you.
I need you for all those who suffer, who are in prison, in danger, in sorrow.
I need you for all the crazy people.
I need your healing hand to work always in my life.
I need you to make me, as you made your Son, a healer, a comforter, a savior.
I need you to name the dead.
I need you to help the dying cross their particular rivers.
I need you for myself whether I live or die.
It is necessary.
Amen.

Companions for the Journey

By Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., from “America”, the national Jesuit Weekly magazine:

If you look up the word “love” in a dictionary, you will find something like this: Love means having an interest in and a warm regard for another, and wishing good for the other. That definition is satisfactory, though a bit flat and dull. This Sunday’s Scripture readings can help us fill out the dictionary definition and deepen our understanding of the biblical concept of love.

In today’s reading from Matthew 22, Jesus is challenged to choose the greatest among the 613 commandments in the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament). He names two: love of God (Dt 6:4-5) and love of neighbor (Lv 19:18). These commandments cover two dimensions of the biblical concept of love. The third dimension—God’s love for us—is even more basic.

God’s love for us is the fundamental presupposition of the entire Bible. God has loved us first, and so we can and should love God in return. God’s love has been made manifest in God’s gift of creation, in the choice of Israel as God’s people, in sending Jesus to us and in giving us life and the promise of eternal life. The theological virtue of love has its origin in God. Those who have experienced God’s love can love God and others in return.

The excerpts from Psalm 18, today’s responsorial psalm, express dramatically the experience of someone who has encountered God’s love and loves God in return. The psalmist proclaims, “I love you, O Lord” and describes the experience of God as the ultimate source of security and hope with a long list of images: strength, rock, fortress, deliverer, rock of refuge, shield, horn of salvation and stronghold. The key to keeping the two commandments to love God and to love one’s neighbor is the recognition that God has loved us first.

The commandment to love God, which is known as the Shema (“Hear, O Israel”) and is a quotation of Dt 6:4-5, was (and is) part of Jewish daily prayer. The text suggests that our love for God must be total, involving all aspects (heart, soul and mind) of our person. The theological virtue of love has God as its object.

The commandment to love one’s neighbor (Lv 19:18) is part of what is known as the biblical Holiness Code. It challenges us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. While lack of self-esteem is a serious problem for some today, most of us are pretty good at taking care of ourselves (or at least we think we are). The challenge of the second love commandment is for us to take something of the care and concern that we instinctively show for ourselves, and to apply it to others.

Whom should we love? Who is our neighbor? Today’s reading from Exodus 22 provides us with some examples. The neighbor includes not only family members and friends but also aliens or strangers, widows, orphans, the poor and the very neediest in society. In the New Testament parable of the Good Samaritan and other texts, Jesus pushes the definition of neighbor to include even enemies. In this framework the neighbor is not necessarily someone who can offer us repayment or provide some advantage for us. Love of neighbor is not simply enlightened self-interest. Rather, we should love our neighbor because God has loved us first, and in loving our neighbor we respond to God’s love for us and repay that love.

Jesus ends the conversation with the Pharisees by claiming that the whole Law and the prophets depend on these two commandments. The idea is that if we truly observe the two love commandments, to love God and love the neighbor, all the other commandments will be carried out naturally, as it were. Observing the biblical love commandments is in the final analysis an expression of faith. The biblical concept of love is far richer and deeper than any dictionary definition can supply.

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

  • Do I realize that my love of God is preceded by God’s all-encompassing love of me?
  • Which of the three: God, self, neighbor, is the hardest for you to love?
  • Has there been anyone it was tough to love this week?
  • Is it sometimes easier to love those who are not in our faces every day, or those who pose no threat to our comfort and well-being?
  • Have you ever, in spite of your emotional inclinations, treated someone as you wanted to be treated, not as (s)he deserved? How did it make you feel?
  • Is there only one way to love one another as God has loved us?
  • “Love one another as I have loved you”—why is this a particularly high, or as some might say, impossible, standard?
    Why is God’s love, which is spontaneous, unforced and always there, so different from human love?
  • In this world’s history, we have refused to recognize whole groups of people who are our neighbors, equally loved by God (Jews, African Americans, immigrants and refugees, the mentally or physically disabled, drug addicts, people on the other side of the political divide, for example). Have we made any progress, and if so, is this possible progress the result of our understanding of God’s love for us, or something else?
  • We are only about 6% of the world’s population, but we consume more than 33% of the world’s goods. How is this loving others as ourselves?
  • Do we love those in our lives just as they are, or do we try to change them?
  • By Jude Siciliano, O.P.:
    What can you do to show friendship to foreigners and strangers where you live?
    How can you love the poor as God does?
    What do you need to do in order to love God with all your heart, soul and mind?
    What can you do to love yourself without being selfish?
  • By Daniel Harrington, S.J.:
    How do you define love?
    How do you explain love to others?
    In what moments in your life have you experienced God’s love for you?
    Why should you love your neighbor?
    Where does faith come in?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Augustinian Style/Relationship:

Read Psalm 15:

Lord, who shall be admitted to your tent and dwell on your holy mountain?
Those who walk without fault, those who act with justice,
and speak the truth from their hearts, those who do not slander with their tongue,
those who do no wrong to their kindred, who cast no slur on their neighbors,
who hold the godless in distain, but honor those who fear the Lord;
those who keep their word, come what may,
and take no interest on a loan and accept no bribes against the innocent.
Such people will stand firm forever.

Now consider the following:

Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my father in heaven. (Matthew 7:22)

Both this quote and Psalm 15 have plenty to say about what one must do to enter the kingdom of God. They insist that we must treat people with justice, tell the truth, refuse to harm anyone, be generous, be forgiving, and keep our word. We meet God not on a mountaintop but in our personal relationships. Unfortunately, these relationships often suffer when we are preoccupied or stressed. We ought to treat our family members with the courtesy we treat our friends, and treat our friends with the respect we afford our professors or bosses. Whoever said: “Love means never having to say you’re sorry” got it all wrong. Which of your personal relationships would not stand up to the scrutiny of Psalm 15? What can you do to correct it? Speak to God about this. Be honest and open.

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

Read the first reading for this Sunday from the Book of Exodus:

Thus says the LORD:
”You shall not molest or oppress an alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt.
You shall not wrong any widow or orphan. If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me,
I will surely hear their cry. My wrath will flare up, and I will kill you with the sword;
then your own wives will be widows, and your children orphans.
If you lend money to one of your poor neighbors among my people,
you shall not act like an extortioner toward him by demanding interest from him.
If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, you shall return it to him before sunset;
for this cloak of his is the only covering he has for his body. What else has he to sleep in?
If he cries out to me, I will hear him; for I am compassionate.”

In this world of ours, where has humanity fallen short of the ideal, particularly concerning immigrants and strangers, those who are poor and need help, those who have suffered losses of friends or family and need a lot of compassion?

Read the famous tract from Corinthians 13 and Paul’s description of love. Where have you fallen short of the ideal? What people in your life are you finding it hard to love—those who are demanding, annoying, those taking more than their share of my attention, time or money, those seeming extra needy in one way or another?

How does the current pandemic make you short on patience and generosity? Take your intentions and failures to Jesus, who understands, and pick one difficult relationship and pray this week for patience, for the openness to love that God shows every day.

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

Too often, we focus on the second great commandment. However, Thomas Merton considers the commandment to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind:

We are what we love. If we love God, in whose image we were created, we discover ourselves in God and we cannot help being happy; we have already achieved something of the fullness of being for which we were destined in our creation. If we love everything else but God, we contradict the image born in our very essence, and we cannot help being unhappy, because we are living a caricature of what we were meant to be…

In what ways do I personally fall short of the complete love I am called to? Do I condition my love of God on whether I feel God has been good to me or answers my prayers? Do I sometimes get distracted by my business and worries and shove God to the background of my life? Is my heart too full of other “loves” to find room for Jesus? How much time do I spend each day in conversation with the Lord?

Poetic Reflection:

How does this poem by former Stanford Stegner Fellow Thomas Centollela relate to today’s gospel?

“In The Evening We Shall Be Examined On Love”
-St. John of the Cross

And it won’t be multiple choice,
though some of us would prefer it that way.
Neither will it be essay, which tempts us to run on
when we should be sticking to the point, if not together.
In the evening there shall be implications
our fear will turn to complications. No cheating,
we’ll be told and we’ll try to figure the cost of being true
to ourselves. In the evening when the sky has turned
that certain blue, blue of exam books, blue of no more
daily evasions, we shall climb the hill as the light empties
and park our tired bodies on a bench above the city
and try to fill in the blanks. And we won’t be tested
like defendants on trial, cross-examined
till one of us breaks down, guilty as charged. No,
in the evening, after the day has refused to testify,
we shall be examined on love like students
who don’t even recall signing up for the course
and now must take their orals, forced to speak for once
from the heart and not off the top of their heads.
And when the evening is over and it’s late,
the student body asleep, even the great teachers
retired for the night, we shall stay up
and run back over the questions, each in our own way:
what’s true, what’s false, what unknown quantity
will balance the equation, what it would mean years from now
to look back and know
we did not fail.

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29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 18, 2020

Gospel: Matthew 22:15–21

Theme: What do I owe to civil authorities? What do I owe to God?

Gospel: Matthew 22:15–21

Theme: What do I owe to civil authorities? What do I owe to God?

Matthew 22:15–21

When the chief priests and Pharisees had heard the parables, they realized that Jesus was speaking about them. Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap Jesus in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?”

But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius.

Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Music Meditations

Opening Prayer

From the Carmelites:

Create silence in us so that we may listen to Your voice in Creation and in the Scriptures, in events and in people, above all in the poor and suffering. May Your word guide us so that we too, like the two disciples on the way to Emmaus, may experience the force of Your resurrection and witness to others that You are alive in our midst as source of fraternity, justice and peace…

Companions for the Journey

Adapted from “First Impressions”, a service of the Southern Dominican Province:

Everyone knows this famous story: Pharisees and Herodians try to trap Jesus into offending either the civil authorities or the religious authorities. When handed a coin with emperor’s image on it, Jesus tells them “repay to Caesar, what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s. He might be suggesting to them that a faithful person could still recognize secular rule. But he gives no absolute guidelines, thus leaving much to the interpretation of his followers throughout the ages. That interpretation has varied, even among people in the very same Christian and secular context.

We get a pretty clear idea of what government asks of us; we are to be responsible and informed citizens; vote in elections; pay taxes; obey national and local laws; defend the country when outside forces threaten it, etc. In the light of the Gospel today, and with the upcoming national and local elections, we have a remarkable opportunity to reflect on practicing the virtue of responsible citizenship. Our American bishops have said that participation in the political process is an obligation. The bishops caution however, that they do not seek to form a voting block nor to instruct us how to vote. The preacher for this Sunday should follow this example. But the preacher can promote citizenship and encourage people to help shape a national life that has more respect for life and the dignity of each person. Political policies are to be evaluated by how they affect the poor, the vulnerable, the unborn. We will need to use the values of our faith to inform our voting. However, the bishops have advised us that reference to particular candidates should not be made.

It’s the second part of Jesus’ statement that frustrates any attempts some might attempt to keep politics and religion in separate tidy boxes. Jesus untidies our neat distinctions. Give “to God what belongs to God,” he tells us. Here I am asked to examine my personal and public life, to see if and how I am “giving to God.” It’s not financial remunerations we are talking about here. Giving to God requires my full dedication to God; it will include my private and my public self. Some very holy people have found their giving to God required them to not give to Caesar. Martin Luther King, Jr. is a good example; so is Dorothy Day, who challenged both national and church policies. During the Spanish conquest of the Americas, the Dominican Bartolomeo de las Casas argued against his government’s enslavement of indigenous peoples; Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a minister, even joined a plot against Hitler.

We can’t cordon off our lives; the “secular” from the “religious.” God’s presence and actions are not confined to our narrow categories. That’s what Isaiah stresses. Our notion of God is too small. What does belong to God? All our heart, all our soul and all our mind. God deserves total allegiance from us because, as Paul reminds us, we have been freely chosen by God to live lives of “faith and love.” The gift of faith has been given; we are expected now to live out that gift by lives of full dedication to God and God’s service.

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

  • Has there been a time when I was pressured into making a decision that went against my principles? How did it turn out?
  • What in my life belongs “to Caesar”? What belongs only “to God”? When do these duties overlap?
  • Have I ever felt that my worldly obligations have taken time away from God?
  • When has my duty to God impelled me to speak out against the inequitable or cruel treatment of others by our own government, for example?
  • Is there a contradiction between being a good citizen and serving God? Do I see Church and state on a collision course?
  • If we were to live in a theocracy (no daylight between the laws of God as expressed by religious and civil laws) which religion should be the defining standard?
  • Should my church tell me whom or what to vote for? Should it tell me what or whom to vote against?
  • Does legitimate civil power have a right to ask anything from us (voting in elections, obedience to laws, the payment of taxes, conscription in the military, for example)? What does it not have a right to ask of me?
  • Where does the notion of civil disobedience fit into the meaning of this gospel?
  • What do I think I should render to God on earth, specifically to the people of God, to all God’s creation, including the natural world?
    Can the term “rendering unto God” be interpreted as working for just laws, support for the poor and marginalized, respect for all life? Can it be interpreted as working to wipe out racism, sexism, elitism of any kind?
  • From Jude Siciliano, O.P,:
    What gifts has God given me to serve the Gospel of Jesus?
    Where and how can I use those gifts?
    Shall I invite the Holy Spirit to make me open to ways God is calling me to serve?
  • From Daniel Harrington, S.J.:
    How do you react to the biblical concept of the origin and purpose of political power which is for the good of the people?
    In the upcoming U.S. election, will your religious convictions influence your votes? How and why?
  • For this week, keep track of where you spend your money and what you spend it on. What does your checkbook and your datebook tell you about your priorities?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Dominican Style:

Psalm 72

1O God, give your judgment to the king, to a king’s son your justice,
2that he may judge your people in justice, and your poor in right judgment.
3May the mountains bring forth peace for the people, and the hills justice.
4May he defend the poor of the people, and save the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor.
5He shall endure like the sun and the moon through all generations.
6He shall descend like rain on the meadow, like showers that water the earth.
7In his days shall justice flourish, and great peace till the moon is no more.

12For he shall save the needy when they cry, the poor, and those who are helpless.
13He will have pity on the weak and the needy, and save the lives of the needy.
14From oppression and violence he redeems their souls; to him their blood is dear.
15Long may he live!

I read sections from Psalm 72, then I reflect on the way power is revered in our society, and, in the main, how that power is used. What are the dangers of power? This psalm is frequently used as a description of the way an ideal ruler must use power. I think of our history and all of the ways in which power has been abused. Has this been the story in our own church? In our country? Reflect on these verses as you make your voting decisions for November.

A Meditation in the Franciscan Style/Action:

Adapted from “First Impressions” 2002:

It is clear from church teaching that we Christians are called to engage the world and bring our beliefs with us into Caesar’s domain. Vatican II reminded us to take our faith into the market place and interpret our times in the light of the gospel. If we have any doubts all we have to do is to read papal and episcopal documents that address: poverty, globalization, war, abortion, the death penalty, health care, environment, the economy. These teachings remind us that the church of Jesus’ followers doesn’t exist apart from the world and that we are called to be agents of change for peace and justice. It is God’s will that all people be treated justly, the poor cared for and everyone must be given respect and treated with dignity as a child of God.

What is my job as a citizen to call out the failures and omissions, the cruelties and injustices that our system perpetuates? What is my job as a citizen to address poverty, to care for the sick and lonely, to bring justice to the captives, to welcome the stranger? Is this only the job of government, or do I have a part to play? What am I doing in this regard right now? If not right now, when will be the right time to get started?

Poetic Reflection:

When we say we want to give to God what is God's, what, exactly, do we mean? Wendell Berry reflects on the ways we pay lip service to God, but are really in the service of another reality altogether…

“We Who Prayed and Wept”

We who prayed and wept
for liberty from Kings
and the yoke of liberty
accept the tyranny of things
we do not need.
In plenitude too free,
we have become adept
beneath the yoke of greed.

Those who will not learn
in plenty to keep their place
must learn it by their need
when they have had their way
and the fields spurn their seed.
We have failed Thy grace.
Lord, I flinch and pray,
send Thy necessity.

from Collected Poems

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28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 11, 2020

Gospel: Matthew 22:1–14

Theme: How have I responded to God’s invitation to the Kingdom?

Gospel: Matthew 22:1–14

Theme: How have I responded to God’s invitation to the Kingdom?

Matthew 22:1–14

[The Parable of the Wedding Feast]

Jesus again in reply spoke to them in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come. A second time he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast.”’ Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.

“Then he said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.’ The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests.

“But when the king came in to meet the guests he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. He said to him, ‘My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?’ But he was reduced to silence. Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’ Many are invited, but few are chosen.”

Music Meditations

Companions for the Journey

By Daniel Harrington, S.J, from “America”, the national Jesuit magazine:

In biblical times when ancient Israelites tried to imagine what the fullness of God’s kingdom would be like, one of their favorite images was a banquet. Today’s passage from Isaiah 25 provides a good example. The prophet pictures God’s kingdom as a grand banquet with “a feast of rich food and choice wines.” In a society in which such food and drink were in short supply, the image was powerful. The one who supplies this extraordinary meal is “the Lord of hosts,” and it is open to “all peoples.” It takes place on “this mountain,” most likely the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, which itself was an image of God’s dwelling place. At this banquet God will destroy death, end all suffering and bring about salvation. At this banquet the hopes of God’s people will be fulfilled.

Psalm 23 (“The Lord is my shepherd”) is most famous for its pastoral imagery of God’s care for us, leading us through the dark and dangerous places in our lives. The second half of the psalm, however, shifts the imagery and portrays God as the host at a lavish banquet. In the ancient Near East the two images—shepherd and host—were often applied to kings. Psalm 23 uses them to describe God as the king of kings and lord of lords.

The third banquet image in this Sunday’s readings, the parable of the royal banquet in Matthew 22, develops the imagery further to make two important points about God’s kingdom. We have to accept the invitation to the banquet, and we have to behave in an appropriate manner when we are allowed in.

In Matthew’s version of the parable, the invitation is to a royal wedding feast for a king’s son. Most people invited to such a banquet would feel honored and make every effort to attend. What is peculiar in this case is that those initially invited (the “A list” guests) refuse to come. They do not even bother to give good excuses, and they proceed to abuse and mistreat those who were sent to deliver the invitation. We know from the start that this parable concerns the kingdom of heaven. In what is a kind of allegory, the king is God, the servants are the prophets, and the ones refusing their invitation are those who reject Jesus’ invitation to enter God’s kingdom. The point of the first part of the banquet parable is that if you hope to participate in God’s kingdom, you must first accept the invitation. In Matthew’s context, the king’s harsh treatment of the city (“the king was enraged and sent his troops”) alludes to the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple by the Romans in A.D. 70. And the rejection of the invitation by the “A list” people (like the scribes and Pharisees) opens up the banquet guests to include marginal persons (like tax collectors and sinners) and eventually even Gentiles.

The second part of the parable (which may well have once been a separate parable) insists that it is not enough merely to gain entrance to the banquet hall. Once there, you must behave in an appropriate manner. What if you had been invited to the White House for dinner and arrived in clothes that you normally use for yard work or painting? You would probably be asked to leave. The point is that having been admitted to God’s kingdom by faith and baptism, we will be expected to act in ways that befit who we have become “in Christ.”

The Eucharist we celebrate as the sacrament of ongoing Christian life stands in the biblical banquet tradition. It is the banquet of God’s Son and points toward fullness of life in God’s kingdom. But it is not enough simply to show up. Rather, we need to participate actively, let the mystery of the Eucharist shape our identity, and we must act appropriately in our everyday lives.

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

Come to the feast.

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

  • What is the difference between a parable and an allegory? In what way is this an allegory?
    Were there any details in this parable that disturbed you?
    Why do you think Jesus told this parable on his final trip to Jerusalem, just before he was arrested?
  • By Daniel Harrington, S.J:
    Why was the banquet an effective way for biblical authors to describe the kingdom of God?
    How might Jesus’ banquet parable enrich your appreciation of and participation in the Eucharist?
  • In your everyday life, how do you combine self-reliance, God-reliance and reliance on others?
  • By Jude Sciliano, O.P.:
    How are we changing our lives in response to the invitation to the wedding God has given us?
  • What is our attitude and disposition towards other “guests” in the community?
    If all are guests, none meriting the invitation, but brought in by grace, then how could we Christians continue to separate and divide ourselves according to race, gender, country of origin, language, newcomers and old timers, well dressed and the poor?
  • How can I welcome others here to celebrate as an invited “guest” to the wedding feast?
  • Did you ever attend something and feel horribly out of place? How did you react?
  • Like those from the main roads invited to the feast, our church is also a mixture of the “bad and good alike” Do you see any examples of this?
  • Are there people with whom you would rather not associate, or in Matthew’s words rather not have certain people “be at the table”? Who are they?
  • Have I ever been too busy to stop what I was doing to answer the invitation from Jesus?
    Have I ever not wanted to have my life or my plans disrupted by an invitation from Jesus?
    Has my response to Jesus been on my time or on God’s time?
  • Have there been instances since the time of Jesus which messengers of the Lord were mistreated when they went in person to extend an invitation to the kingdom of God?
  • When you hear in this story that the king sends his messengers to the crossroads to accept people of all types, what does that tell you about God?
  • Have I ever made judgements about the worthiness of certain people to be part of my religious experience (They don’t dress properly, they do not act piously enough, they seem to be having too much fun, they aren’t serious enough about the whole business of being a religious person)?
  • How do I prepare for God’s banquet?
  • What does it mean to you that someone was thrown out of the celebration for not being properly clothed?
  • What do you think the “wedding garment” stands for in this story?
  • In spiritual or moral terms, what does it mean to be “properly clothed”? Does it refer to holding back on our commitment? Does it mean paying lip service but not committing (“their hearts are far from me”)?
  • Saying yes to the invitation of God involves a commitment on our part to respond in an appropriate way. How often have people bragged about their inclusion in God’s invitation without reflecting on what might be required of them?
  • “Many are called, but few are chosen”. What does that mean for you? Do you believe this? Do you think you are “chosen” and others are not?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Imagination:

Read the gospel story again, then imagine that the wedding is taking place in modern times, with all the extravagance, pomp, money and planning that goes into today’s weddings. Who would be inviting the guests to the wedding? Imagine that you are a guest who does not wish to attend the wedding. What would possibly be your reason for feeling this way (too busy, don’t really know or like the bride and groom, fancy parties are not your thing, etc)? What excuse would you give for not attending? Think of a time when you were invited to something and made up excuses so that you wouldn’t have to go. Do you think the person issuing the invitation saw through your excuses? How did you feel?

Now imagine that it is a wedding of a very famous person, and for some reason, you are invited at the last minute to attend. What would be your reaction? What if you don’t have the proper attire for a Black Tie Wedding in Beverley Hills? Would you go anyway or would you stay at home? Who are the others at this fancy wedding? Are they “worthy” to be included in this group of the rich and famous? Have you ever been in a situation in which you felt that certain people should have been left off the guest list? Or have you ever felt out of place because of your lack of money, social skills or importance? How did you handle it?

Now imagine that the wedding feast has been put together by Jesus. Would any of your actions or reactions change? Why? Who is welcome at the Lord’s table, and what do we have to do in order to be welcomed?

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