Skip to main content

26th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle A

By

How do we know what is right or wrong?  Even when we think we have a firm hand on morality, how then do we turn that into a consistent life ethic?  A way of living each and every day in a manner that reflects our beliefs?  These are difficult questions but as Christians do we turn to our scriptures for some answers:

The Word for the 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Ezekiel 18:25-28
Psalm 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14
Philippians 2:1-11
Matthew 21:28-32

This Sunday we open with a passage from Ezekiel.  You may recall that we heard a passage from this same prophet a couple weeks ago.  This week Ezekiel, our great priest/prophet from the Babylonian Exile, has a stern warning for us in a passage from just before the fall of Jerusalem.  Ezekiel “sees the writing on the wall” and is urging the people of Israel to reconsider what is fair in the eyes of the Lord, and to do what is right and just.  While Ezekiel’s message didn’t help the Israelites at that time it does provide us with a valuable lesson today.

Our Psalm this week not only helps us draw the message of our readings together, but it also serves as an important counterbalance to those readings.  Our reading from Ezekiel is quite clear on what behavior allows us to live or die in the sight of the Lord, but as good Catholics we must also remember that God is merciful.  With God we have the ability to repent of our sins and be forgiven.

Our Gospel from Matthew this week has Jesus teaching a parable to the chief priests and elders.  In another story that is unique to Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus’ teaching authority is being called into question by the chief priests and the elders, so in response he gives us the Parable of the Two Sons.  A father asks his two sons to go work in the vineyard.  One says, “no” but later goes out to work.  One says, “yes” then does not go out to work.  Jesus asks them (and us) “Which of the two did his father’s will?”  The answer not only teaches a valuable lesson but exposes the hypocrisy of the chief priests and elders.  In the end, it is our actions, not our intentions, that speak the truth of our hearts.

Then there is our second reading, a continuation of our study of Paul’s letter to the Philippians.  Today’s passage, though not directly related to our topic of morality, does provide us with the key to unlocking its mystery.  Paul teaches us to “do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory.”  In other words, to put other’s needs before our own.  This change of focus is what defines Christian morality and serves as the cornerstone of how we should approach life.

Final thoughts:
Many people look to the Church to tell them what is right or wrong.  If only it was that simple!  The context in which we live our lives is not as black and white as some might think.  Instead, we find ourselves having to navigate through the gray areas in which we live our daily lives.  What the Church does is teach us some baseline principles that we then must apply to the given situation – to form our own consciences based on those baseline teachings.  And don’t for a moment think that one teaching won’t contradict the other in a given situation.  Our readings this week demonstrate this very point – what seems right is actually wrong, and what seems wrong is actually right.

Our readings for this week and next week are intended to give us the tools to help us determine right from wrong – to give us the building blocks of what we call Christian morality.  These then become the tools we use to navigate through the gray areas between right and wrong.  And sometimes there is no perfect answer.  Our lives and our society provide many challenges, but the combination of God’s guidance and God’s mercy will bring us to his light.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Ascension of the Lord - Cycle C

By
Following the traditional calendar, the Solemnity of the Ascension falls on a Thursday, 40 days after the Resurrection, and 10 days before Pentecost.  But since the Ascension is such an important moment for us as Church, many dioceses, including our own, have moved this celebration to this coming Sunday (in place of the 7th Sunday of Easter). The Word for the Ascension of the Lord Acts 1:1-11 Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9 Ephesians 1:17-23 or Hebrews 9:24-28, 10:19-23 Luke 24:46-53 Our first reading is from the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles.  While it might be more appropriate that this reading should follow our Gospel reading for today (as it naturally follows after Luke’s Gospel), the book-end effect of these two readings remains intact, reminding us how this was a pivotal moment for the Church.  Like most sequels, our reading opens with a recap of where we left off at the end of Luke’s Gospel with the Ascension of Jesus.  Also like most sequels, this “recap” of t...
Post a Comment
Read more

28th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle C

By
“Thank you.”  It’s a phrase we hear and use every day.  It’s an accepted and expected courtesy for a variety of interactions.  In fact, when we don’t hear it when we expect to, we feel slighted and unappreciated.  Here’s a question:  Does God feel slighted and unappreciated when we don’t give him thanks for his great gifts?  Let’s see what this week’s readings might say on the subject… The Word for the 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time 2 Kings 5:14-17 Psalm 98:1, 2-3, 3-4 2 Timothy 2:8-13 Luke 17:11-19 Our first reading comes from 2nd book of Kings.  Naaman, a Syrian military commander, seeks to thank Elisha for curing him of his leprosy (an act that King Joram of Israel isn’t likely to appreciate).  Not only does Naaman wish to give thanks to Elisha, but also to his God.  This is nothing short of a complete conversion for Naaman, who not only sees the glory of God but recognizes the importance of the land in this covenant relationship.  In f...
Post a Comment
Read more

29th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle C

By
Persistence.  The Oxford Dictionary defines this as “firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.”  Persistence is an important part of our faith tradition, as our readings this week teach us: The Word for the 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time Exodus 17:8-13 Psalm 121:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2 Luke 18:1-8 Our first reading is a story from the book of Exodus.  Here Moses and the Israelites, not long after their flight from Egypt, are pushing forward into Southern Canaan where they are experiencing resistance from the nation of Amalek (named for the grandson of Esau, Abraham’s other son – though this may just be a literary device).  As they engage in battle, Moses holds out his hands (as he would in a prayer position) and the battle goes in favor of Israel, but as Moses grows tired and lowers his hands, the tide of battle shifts.  With the help of Aaron and Hur, Moses is able to keep his arms up so that Israel wi...
Post a Comment
Read more