Homily for 1st October

 

 

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, interpret the proverb to mean that they are suffering exile because of the sins of their parents. In other words, they believe themselves to be innocent—and their treatment at Yahweh’s hands to be unjust.

This mode of thinking had a serious fallout – People lost hope - They believed that they were doomed, regardless of anything that they might do. There was no way of escape. At the same time, they begin to look at God as their enemy. Instead of asking what they could change, they told each other that they had no choice: suffering was the only option available.

Moving away from the concept of collective responsibility which was possible when there were structures like a king, temple etc. to safeguard and control the behaviour of the people the prophets spoke about individual responsibility. The way forward is through repentance, the way out of death to life. I quite often meet people who play the blame game. So and so is happening in my life today because this person did this or that person did that. The situations of our life for example where we are born, where we grow up, the education that we receive etc. definitely affect our lives. But they don’t have to define us and limit us. Those who take responsibility for their lives can rise above the situations that they find themselves in. The challenge before us today is to stop making excuses and blaming others for what is happening in our lives. We are called to look at our lives honestly and turn to the Lord, taking responsibility for our lives and actions.

The second reading today is a continuation of last week’s letter of St. Paul to the Philippians where we find Paul’s recommendations on how followers of Jesus Christ should live. He mentions the gifts that the Philippian Christians have received namely encouragement in Christ, consolation from love, sharing in the Spirit, compassion and sympathy and then mentions the responsibility they now have. He expresses his desire for them to have a deep abiding, internal unity among themselves. The first step to achieving this kind of unity is to not be motivated by selfish ambition or conceit. The next important thing is to have the quality of humility and not to look down on anyone. As we put away our selfish ambitions, our conceit, and our tendencies to be high-minded and self-absorbed, we will naturally have a greater concern for the interests and needs of others. The reading also has the famous hymn of kenosis or self-emptying.

St. Paul emphasizes that Jesus did not cling to the privileges of his divine nature but instead emptied himself into the form of a human slave. He further humbles himself by being born in an obscure place in poverty as a child with all the weaknesses of human beings. He was humble in His total obedience to His Heavenly Father till the point of his death in the most shameful way possible for a Jew – death on a cross. Not only is Jesus exalted by the Father, but the whole world is brought into submission to the Son.  In Jewish culture, people considered a person’s name to be more than a simple label to identify that person. They believed that the name expressed something of the person’s crucial character. Paul has no doubt who is really Lord – not the Caesar whom he will stand trial before; but Jesus Christ!

The gospel passage taken from Matthew contains Jesus’ response to the question about his authority raised by the chief priests and the elders. Jesus tells them a parable which has a comparison of two sons. One who says he will do what his father asks, but doesn’t, with one who says he won’t, but does. The chief priests and the elders would surely have gotten the message in this parable that was directed towards them - There are some who claim to obey the Father and observe the requirements of the Law – but in actuality, they fail to do so. The religious leaders, would not accept their need for repentance and rejected not only John the Baptist but also Jesus himself. At the same time tax collectors and prostitutes repented and turned to God. 

As I reflected on this passage I felt there could be one question that would be asked of us after our death – Did you do the will of the Father? While we may be involved in many activities probably even many associations in church the basic question to be asked is am I doing God’s will or am I doing my own will?

The next question for our introspection is the question - Which son am I? I remember having a friend in college who used to always hang out with us but he would never answer his phone whenever we called him. We knew for sure that his was the last number we should call if there ever was an emergency. Am I like the 2nd son who is always delivering big speeches and doling out free advice to all but when someone requires help, I will not be available? Or am I like the 1st son who likes to avoid all tasks and opportunities that come my way and instead prefer sticking to only the things that I want to do? Actions are definitely more important than words.

The important difference between the two sons is the ability to change one’s mind. The first son was able to reflect on his life and what his father was asking him to do and respond accordingly. The second son’s response emanates from habit. There is no reflection. Change is a constant in all our lives. Many a time in our lives we are faced with new situations and new possibilities. We may not like what happens and then choose to operate out of habit and avoid those situations. Or we could reflect on what God is asking of us in these new situations, discern about them and choose to embrace them. Let us pray for the grace to take responsibility for our lives and be doers of the word instead of only being hearers and speakers of the word. May God bless us all.