A Jesuit Adventure

  When was the last time you had a lavish meal? At a wedding most probably. Don’t worry if you do not remember it exactly as the readings on this Twenty-Eight Sunday in Ordinary Time will surely refresh your memory. The 1st reading taken from the prophet Isaiah is a writing of praise to Yahweh for doing wonderful things and introduces an entirely new vision—that of a great banquet hosted by Yahweh, the Lord of hosts which means God of the armies of heaven. He will invite not only Israel but “all peoples.” The reading speaks of a feast of rich food and wine which given the situation of the people would be very rare and luxurious something that one could think of only during a wedding banquet. Isaiah’s vision imagines the meal in eschatological terms. In Isaiah’s vision, on this mountain, the Lord of hosts will bring an end to death on earth, wipe away tears and remove the disgrace of his people and all the people of the world will partake in the ritual feast. The meal on Mt. Zio...

  My dear brothers and sisters today we celebrate the Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A. In today’s readings, we will notice the imagery of the vineyard being used extensively. In the first reading taken from the prophet Isaiah, Isaiah speaks about God having a vineyard. The text begins on a very positive note. The land is fertile, and the relationship between the owner and the vineyard is in good order. The building of a watchtower, hedge, and wall shows that the owner takes special precautions for the safety of the vineyard. As with all farmers, as the new vineyard would take close to two to three years to bear fruit, God waits expectantly and patiently for their development. However, we have a dramatic turn of events- the vines yield wild grapes or spoiled fruit, unfit for making good wine. Despite the best divine efforts, things go wrong! This vineyard is none other than the nation of Judah. Prophet Isaiah portrays God as lamenting over this failure and asking the ...

    What is the cause of suffering in our life? Is it a punishment for the deeds of our forefathers or is it a punishment for our own deeds? My dear friends on this Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time the 1st reading taken from the prophet Ezekiel presents before us this very question. The reading revolves around a proverb that was commonly used among the Jewish people during the time of the prophet Ezekiel. The proverb was ‘The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’. This proverb means that the parents have eaten unripe grapes, and have passed the resulting sour taste to their children, implying that the present generation was being unjustly punished for what their fathers did. So why were the people of Judah complaining like this? The events of this reading take place between the first and second deportation of the people of Judah to Babylon between the years 597-587 B.C. The people of Judah, enduring exile in Babylonia,...

    My dear friends today we celebrate the Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The first reading taken from the prophet Isaiah is from chapters 40-55 which are called Deutero-Isaiah. In this section, the prophet is preparing the people for the end of their exile and their return to Jerusalem. The first line of the 1st reading is quite interesting, it says - Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near. The question is can’t God always be found? Isn’t God always near? The people of Israel were coming to the end of a long exile. An exile during which they felt that the Lord had abandoned them. Now the prophet Isaiah is bringing them this joyful news that their exile is drawing to a close and that the Lord has drawn near once more. It is a golden opportunity that they just cannot afford to miss. We then read these beautiful words ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways’. For the Israelites in exile, the immediate cause for co...

  While taking class for confirmation students one student asked me if Mother Mary had a choice in replying to the angel Gabriel. What would have happened if Mary had said no? A very interesting question indeed isn’t it - Could Mary have said No to the angel Gabriel? My dear brothers and sisters on the feast day of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary we focus on the role of Mary in the coming of Jesus into this world. Being a pious young Jewish girl, she knew the consequences of being an unmarried mother. The Law required the stoning of such women. Her Fiat, her Yes made all the difference. Mary’s fiat was not a passive surrender but rather a free and willing cooperation in the work of man’s salvation through faith and obedience. When we talk about Mary’s role in the life of Jesus, generally the nativity or the birth of Jesus is highlighted and rightly so. To bring Jesus into the world, Mary had to go through many difficulties. First, she had to face society’s scrutiny over...

  Here’s a question for you – Imagine you have hired a watchman for the security of your building. One night robbers attempt to break into your building. The watchman yells and screams and does his best to alert you but you are in your house watching a movie on Netflix with your headphones on and you do not hear the warning. The robbers then manage to break into your home and manage to steal your valuables. Who is to be blamed for the robbery? The watchman or yourself?   My dear friends on this 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, the readings deal with the theme of fraternal correction i.e. correcting someone who is going the wrong way. The 1st reading taken from the prophet Ezekiel gives us a very interesting oracle of a sentinel or watchman. A sentinel is a soldier or guard whose job is to stand and keep watch. The sentinel would have been stationed in a lookout position and sounded a trumpet upon sight of a threat. He is, however, not responsible for the people’s response ...