26TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A)

A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’

Mt 21:28-32

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The parable is about a father and his two sons. He went to the first and told him to go and work in the vineyard. He refused to, but then changed his mind and went. The father, therefore, went to his other son who said he would go and work, but did not.

Take note that Jesus addressed the parable to chief priests and elders of the people. The parable, therefore, is about them. What was Jesus telling them through the parable?

They are like the second son who accepted the Law of Moses but rejected Jesus and his message. The first son is the sinners who disobeyed God’s Law, but on hearing the preaching of Jesus, repented.

What lesson can we learn from this parable, we who are living about two thousand years later?

The first son disobeyed but repented. We may disobey God’s Law. We may commit sin. But repentance is always possible. Remember St. Peter. He denied Jesus not only once but three times. But after the Resurrection, Jesus gave him the opportunity to repent by asking him three times: “Do you love me?” The thief, Hestas, was sinner. But at the end of his life, he repented. And Jesus accepted his repentance. It was only to him that Jesus ever said: “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”

The second son was about to obey but disobeyed in the end. Even if we have been trying to be good and perhaps, have been successful, we should not be too sure about ourselves. We might find ourselves giving in to temptation later.

Let us go deeper and examine the issue of “sin” which is to say “no” to God, like the first son who said “no” to his father. Sin is also committed when we disobey God’s commandments, like the second son who after saying “yes” to his father’s command, disobeyed by not working in the vineyard.

Question 1: Do we commit sin because we disobey a commandment?

Answer: No. We commit sin when we do something bad.

Consider this. A doctor was commanded by the hospital director to perform an abortion. He refuses. Did he commit sin by disobeying the command of the director? Of course, not.

But take note. God commands us to avoid certain things precisely because those things are bad. For example, to steal is sinful because taking what belongs to someone else is bad. That is why he commands us: do not steal.

Question 2: Someone says: “I will lead a sinful life. But before I die, I will repent so that I will go to heaven.” Will he be forgiven?

Answer: Probably not. Why? Because someone who says that is not sincerely sorry. Now how can you be forgiven if you are not really sorry?

Question 3: There are some bad people who seem to escape punishment. Isn’t that unfair?

Answer: God rewards the good and punishes the wicked. If someone does not get punished here on earth, then he will surely receive punishment in the next life. Remember that God sees everything. There is no secret that can be kept from God. And no one can bribe God.

Question 4: Suppose you know someone who seems to be far from God. Is there hope that he will be converted?

Answer: Yes. St. Monica prayed for the conversion of her son. He did not change. But St. Monica persevered in prayer. Not only did her son become good, but he also become a Christian, then a priest, then a bishop and then a Saint, St. Augustine.

One Salesian shared this story. His father was far from God. When he entered the seminary, he prayed to God for the conversion of his father. He continued to pray for him until he became a priest. One day his father was hospitalized. In the ICU he asked his wife to call for a priest. He died at peace with God.

So, is there hope for someone who has been living far from God to be converted? Yes, there is. But we might have to pray for years to obtain his conversion.

To summarize:

1. We commit sin when we do something bad. 

2. If someone says that he will live a life of sin and then repent before he dies, he will probably be not forgiven because he is not sincere.

3.   Someone who escapes punishment in this life for his sins will not escape it in the next life.

4.    There is always hope that bad person will change and be converted. Our prayers will help. But sometimes we may have to pray very long for that conversion to happen.

25TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A)

Am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?

Mt 20:1-16

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24TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A)

So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.

Mt 18:21-35

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I DON'T EXACTLY REMEMBER WHERE I GOT THIS TOUCHING STORY. IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN FROM READER'S DIGEST.

The incessant drizzle outside the Ming Yang Correctional High School makes the reception room even more cold and empty. Lin Meiyun sits and waits at one end of a long table. 

The silence in the room of the juvenile detention centre in Taiwan is amplified by the sound of her heartbeat. Lin tells herself, “Calm down. No matter what happens, don’t get angry.” At last, the door opens. A teenage boy, escorted by a counsellor, appears. His name is Yang. The scrawny little boy she saw years ago has grown into a tall, young man. The honest and bashful look on his face reminds her of her only son, Teng De.

Looking at the boy in front of her, tears well up in Lin’s eyes. This is the person who had killed her son three years ago, stabbing him in the chest with a knife. No words are exchanged as they stare at each other in silence, their emotions frozen in the frigid air.

Breaking the silence, Yang stammers, “Mrs You,” referring to Lin’s married name. With tears streaming down his face, he continues, “Can I hug you?”

Lin nods. Yang hugs her tightly as pent up emotions give way to uncontrollable sobbing. “I’m sorry. I was wrong. I am sorry,” Yang says over and over again. His words unlock the chains of hatred and misery that have bound Lin’s heart for so long. At that very moment, her shackled soul is set free.

It was difficult for Lin to give up her need for revenge. She wanted Yang and his family dead. She even started stalking his parents. That was when she saw Yang’s mother selling magnolias amidst the bustling traffic. His father, whose hand had been amputated in a car accident, was using his good arm to sell flowers, receive money and return change. In that moment, Lin felt empathy – Yang’s parents were as poor as she was. She remembered similar hardships when her husband had been bedridden for a long period of time. Back then, Lin held down two jobs washing dishes and cars to make a living. She also grew vegetables to sustain the family.

Yang’s parents were victims of circumstance, just like her. They were reduced to selling flowers by the road to pay the court-ordered compensation. Looking at them from across the street, Lin’s anger diminished.

“Even if I were to kill [Yang], it wouldn’t bring back my son. And my hatred would cause another family to suffer.” Lin thought to herself, “If my son were the one who committed the mistake, wouldn’t I also hope for forgiveness?”

23RD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A)

“If your brother sins [against you]...."

Mt18:15-20

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This Sunday’s Gospel may be divided into two parts: (a) Steps to be taken when you are offended by a member of the Christian community; and (b) the power of the prayer of the Christian community. The first part begins with the words: ““If your brother sins against you….” The second part begins with the words: “if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray….”

To be a Christian is something between God and me. In other words, to be a Christian believer is a private matter. Agree or disagree? Many people will agree with this statement. That it is a private matter. But the gospel today disagrees. The two teachings of this Sunday assume that to be a Christian means to belong to a community. To be Christian means to belong to a church. In fact, the Greek word for church (“ekklesia”) means an assembly or a gathering. For this reason there is the church or Christian community called a parish, then a diocese, then the church in a country and finally, the universal church.

As I have said, today’s Gospel contains two teachings about life in this community or church. The first teaching is how to deal with broken relationships. When someone offends you or you offend someone, this results in a broken relationship. When someone behaves badly, especially when it gives the community a bad name, this results in a broken relationship between the individual and the community.

So what do you do? Jesus counsels a low-key approach. Go to the erring brother or sister and tell him or her his or her fault. For example, “When you gave away the chocolate I gave you, I felt offended.” You state specifically the offending behavior and then how it has affected you. Another example. “When your father saw you low grades, he felt that you did not appreciate the sacrifices he has made by working outside the country.” These are called a “you messages”.

But sometimes, the first step that we should take is to verify whether something is true or not. For example, “This morning you did not return my greeting. Were you angry with me?” Or “I heard from an office mate that you said that I was flirting with so and so. Is it true?” More often than not, “chismis” is nothing else but a made up story.

If the offending person refuses to accept his fault, then bring along one or two others in the hope that the offending person will be convinced that the fault you are pointing out to him is not just your opinion, but that it is really a fault.

The third stage is about excommunication, and it is for very serious matters only. It is to bring the fault to the attention of the community. And if the offending member still refuses to accept his fault, the community must treat him like a Gentile or tax collector. That is, treat him like an outcast. A Catholic who is excommunicated may attend Mass but cannot receive Holy Communion, for example. He cannot be buried in a Catholic cemetery.

Sometimes the excommunication is formal. Fr. Daniel of Brazilwas excommunicated by his bishop because he refused a direct order from his bishop to apologize for or retract his statement that love was possible between people of the same sex. The priest also said a married person who chose to have an affair, heterosexual or otherwise, would not be unfaithful as long as that person's spouse allowed it.

At other times the excommunication is automatic. For example, everyone involved in an abortion is automatically excommunicated.

Excommunication is meant to make it very clear to the person who is excommunicated that his behavior or his teaching is unacceptable. It is meant to wake up the person (“matauhan”) and thus, be moved to repentance. An American Sister who allowed an abortion was excommunicated but repented and was later reconciled to the Church.

Finally, the gospel for this Sunday ends with these words: “If two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

I use Facebook not only as a social media but also as a media for evangelization and promotion of Don Bosco. There have been instances when I would be updating my posts that a message would pop up asking for prayers. A few days ago I received this message: “father pa help po pa pray mom ko na makalabas na sya hospital and good health po. Tnx.” I am sure that I was not the only one he asked to pray for his mom. This alumnus of DB Mandaluyong was taking advantage of the power of prayer of many.  At the same time, let us truly say a prayer when requested. It really doesn’t take long. And it doesn’t take many words. In this particular case, I prayed like this: “Please, Lord, do take care of his mom.”

Today’s Gospel gives us two lessons to bring home with us: (1) Regarding relationships: Let us verify whether an offense was really committed. If an offense was committed, let us use “you messages”, that is, let us state the offending behavior and then how it has affected us. Having one or two to back us up may be helpful. And (2) The prayer of many is powerful. And when we are asked for prayers, let us really say a prayer.