A Jesuit Adventure

  My dear brothers and sisters today we celebrate the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time year A. And for all of you who are not priests or religious you can sit back and relax a bit today as the readings are addressed more to the religious leaders and the priests. The first reading is taken from the post-exilic prophet Malachi. Malachi preaches after the second Temple was built in 515 BC by those who returned from exile. When they first returned to Judea from their captivity in Babylon, the Jews rigorously guarded against pagan idol worship in their land. But over time, they gradually gave in to this sin. In the process, they also began to lose sight of God’s purposes for them. It was during this period that Malachi was sent to instruct and guide God’s people toward a purer life. God, through Malachi, strongly rebuked the priests of his day for not showing respect and honour to Him in their sacrifices even though they called God Father and Master. The altar was the place of sacrific...

  My dear friends today we celebrate the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A. The first reading taken from the Book of Exodus continues giving more specific social and religious laws after the Ten Commandments are proclaimed. The first law refers to the offering of sacrifices to pagan gods. Whoever offered sacrifice to any gods instead of to Yahweh alone, was liable to death. While this law was often broken this penalty was rarely applied although we do see this happening when Elijah executed the prophets of Baal in the book of 1 Kings. The second law refers to our treatment of aliens or migrants or strangers. A good measure of our moral character is found in how we treat a stranger. People often find it easy to treat their own flesh and blood well, but God commands us to have a concern for others – including the stranger. The third law refers to the treatment of widows and orphans. The widows and orphans were the weakest and most vulnerable members of society. Because of their spe...

  My dear friends today we celebrate the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A. In the first reading taken from the prophet Isaiah, we are introduced to a very important figure in Biblical history – Cyrus of Persia. The context for the reading is the Babylonian exile, which began in 587 B.C. when Babylonia destroyed Jerusalem and forced the Jewish people into exile in Babylon. Many years later, in 539 B.C., Babylon fell to Cyrus of Persia, whose policies would prove to be quite different from those of the Babylonians. He encouraged the captured people to retain their culture and traditions, including their religions. Cyrus issued an edict allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple. He even returned the temple vessels to the exiles for use in the new temple and provided financial backing for their return. Yahweh addresses Cyrus, revealing that he has chosen to anoint him. To be anointed means to be set apart for the role or task to which Yahweh has ca...

  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...