Wedding Feast

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

11 October 2020
First reading Isaiah 25:6-10

On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.

It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation. For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain.

Second reading                                                          Philippians  4:12-14, 19-20

I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. In any case, it was kind of you to share my distress. And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Gospel                                                                          Matthew 21:33-43

Jesus said to the chief priests and elders: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’ But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them.

The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests. “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Reflection

By Theresa Ballo

Being the hopeless romantic that I am, weddings always give me a joyous feeling. I remember in college, I would love to witness weddings of couples I do not know in UST. It was a habit going to Santissimo Rosario Parish after class and in most cases I am down, witnessing couples so in love with each other gives me hope and encouragement. 

This is the parable that Jesus offers us today. A king sends out invitation twice to everyone on the occasion to his son’s wedding. A royal and grand wedding it is. But when he sends out his servants a second time to invite the guests, they all give lame excuses why they are unable to attend the wedding. The king got furious. He then sends his servants to invite every and anyone to the feast. So, the wedding hall was filled with guests. However, all is not as it seems. The king sees a guest who is not wearing proper attire  and has this man removed from the celebration. The king had the final word of warning; “for many are called, but few are chosen.”

Imagine the king inviting Filipinos in his son’s wedding. Definitely, most guests will be asked to get out of the feast for not wearing proper wedding garments. We, Filipinos have our unique traditions for wedding feasts. The king also in the Gospel seems to be bipolar. Just in his son’s wedding, he gets to experience a wide range of emotions and reactions. And in the end, in rage he has a guest thrown out from the wedding! If the wedding is a symbol of the Kingdom of God and the King is God, are we going to be treated similarly? 

All of us receives an invitations to God’s great feast. All meaning regardless of color, gender and status in life, we are all called to be part of His glory. How are you going to respond to the invitation? What will be your lame excuse? Probably, mine would have to be my laziness. Attending a wedding would require me to dress up, put some make up and wear heels. That would require so much effort. But then, if the host of the occasion is a friend, all the effort seems to be okay. Because I have established a relationship to the host, the effort becomes worth it. Same thing with God being the host of the occasion, if we have a strong connection and relationship with Him, saying “yes” again and again comes natural and easy. 

There is a cost to God’s invitation. Accepting the invitation comes with great responsibility. We are given the choice to attend or not. If we do turn up, accepts the invitation. We are expected to arrive at the celebration ready and prepared to join the party.  We are supposed to arrive dressed for the occasion. Do we take this literally? What do we have to wear exactly? I think since wedding feasts are celebration of love, we should carry love, compassion and forgiveness in God’s banquet. It is through how we live our daily lives and treat others that we make our attendance worthy as God’s guests. Each day may we do our best to be genuine, kinder, patient and more loving. Simply because our presence is the pleasure of Jesus in the meal given for His glory. 

Prayer

Thank You for the invitation to be part of Your kingdom. Show us Your mercy as we make ourselves worthy of Your grace. Clothe us with the righteousness of Jesus. Help us as we strive to be faithful servants that go and invite others as well to the great wedding feast. Amen.

Where is Love?

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time 16 February 2020
First reading Sirach 15:15-20

If you choose, you can keep the commandments and to act faithfully is a matter of your own choice. He has placed before you fire and water — stretch out your hand for whichever you choose. Before each person are life and death and whichever one chooses will be given.

For great is the wisdom of the Lord; he is mighty in power and sees everything; his eyes are on those who fear him and he knows every human action. He has not commanded anyone to be wicked and he has not given anyone permission to sin.

Second reading                                                          1 Corinthians 2:6-10

Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glorification. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him,” God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.

Gospel                                                                          Matthew 5:17-37

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfil. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge and the judge to the guard and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell. “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

“Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.

Reflection

By Benj Santiago

“For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

After the Taal volcano eruption which affected Batangas and nearby places, a more serious problem happened. It is a pandemic emanating from Wuhan China that has spread so quickly and so deadly in so many countries in the world. 

We were aboard a cruise ship at that time and there were many Chinese on board too. Some of them were wearing their face masks and some were not but I definitely can feel the discrimination and and the suspicious look of the people around them, including myself. 

Instead of love and concern for them and feeling sorry for their country and people, I myself am guilty of looking down and ostracizing them. Righteousness is gone in most of us. We know that we need to love them more, but our actions lay contrary to that which makes us even less compliant than the scribes and Pharisees to the Law of Love. 

Love must reign in our hearts. Love that we need to extend to those who are lovable, but most especially to those who are afflicted and unlovable. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father forgive us our sins to those whom we show indifference instead of love. In Jesus' mighty name we pray. Amen.

The Greater Sense

First Reading: SIR 15:15-20

If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you; if you trust in God, you too shall live; he has set before you fire and water to whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand. Before man are life and death, good and evil, whichever he chooses shall be given him. Immense is the wisdom of the Lord; he is mighty in power, and all-seeing. The eyes of God are on those who fear him; he understands man's every deed. No one does he command to act unjustly, to none does he give license to sin.

Responsorial Psalm: PS 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34

Second Reading: 1 COR 2:6-10

Brothers and sisters:

We speak a wisdom to those who are mature, not a wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age who are passing away. Rather, we speak God's wisdom, mysterious, hidden, which God predetermined before the ages for our glory, and which none of the rulers of this age knew; for, if they had known it,

they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written: What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him,  this God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God.

Gospel: MT 5:17-37

Jesus said to his disciples:

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

"You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; and whoever says to his brother, 'Raqa,' will be answerable to the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.

"You have heard that it was said,  You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members

than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.

"It was also said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce. But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife -  unless the marriage is unlawful -  causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

"Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors, Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow. But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the evil one."

Reflection 
By Bernard M Borja

I remember how our childhood teachers taught us to follow simple rules and instructions. Just like classroom rules which may include: 

● Listen to the teacher. 
● Put your hand up if you want to speak / answer. 
● Respect each other. 
● Respect other people's property. 
● Use kind words. 
● Be polite. 
● Keep the classroom tidy. 
● Line up quietly and smartly. 
● Always work hard. 
● Smile! 

As we grow, we realize that these simple rules are not just applicable to classrooms but also in life. But as we go on, oftentimes, we also follow these in our own terms, giving our own definition of it. When we were young, we listen to whatever the teacher tells us. As we grow up, we only listen to whatever we want to hear from the teacher. Remember the time when you want to say something and you patiently wait for the teacher to call you as you raise your hand? But now you give yourself the liberty to say anything you want, from comments on social media to conversations with friends, and then you raise your hand as a sign of rejection if someone disagrees. And then we demand for respect - for our own opinions and views, but others’ perspective does not matter. We even get a hand into their private life thinking it’s also our property. “What a kind world we could have if others would only see our own perspective” - a very dangerous mindset. We carefully keep our self-image nice and decent but our behavior oftentimes oppose our outside looks. We were able to bring the cleanliness from our classroom to our house but not in the streets and public vehicles. Maybe we have forgotten that outside our house is our bigger home. People line up while waiting in the train stations only to bump and push everyone in front once the train arrives (and some people will say it’s the smartest thing to do). Then some people will only work only up to their desired condition - which could mean “Tinatamad na ako. Bukas na lang ulit. 3pm na. I deserve a rest.” 

Even that simple rule to “Smile!” does not really mean smile for others. Our smiles sometimes say, at the back of our mind, “Weh?!” 

Based on these observations, maybe we have given these simple rules a negative definition. Something that we can follow because it’s more convenient to us. Jesus is telling us to follow God’s commandments and also teaches us to do it righteously. As we dig deeper into The Commandments through The Gospel, we may say Jesus wants us to apply our “Greater Sense” rather than “Common Sense”. If you’re angry with someone and you want the person to be harmed but you did not really do anything to him, common sense would say you still followed The 7th Commandment. But you still kept your thoughts of him being harmed and anger grows in your heart. The greater sense would say, you must get rid of this anger and make peace with that someone you were angry at. If we find ourselves near a person we really don’t like (maybe someone who’s the reason of our past anger), we can choose to be truthful and talk to the person politely, or we can choose to turn our backs and tell others negative things about the person. 

The Commandments were given to us for our own good and we need to follow each with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. But oftentimes, whenever we say “Yes”, do we really mean “Yes” or “Yes with reservations”? When we give a smile to others does it still have reservations like a fake smile? Maybe we should start looking at everything as “hot” or “cold”, “black” or “white”, not as neither. Working hard means “We work hard even if it’s hard to work”. Being kind is actually for everyone, not just for someone we like. So is respect which should be given to all. Cleanliness does not reflect only from within ourselves (how decent we look outside) but also from around us. And as The Teacher is telling us, just like He came to fulfill, He continues to fulfill The Law through us. 

P.S. I came across this post from my friend which hit me and made me reflect more: “So it seems that the rule is to do only the tasks that you were told to do, do not volunteer, and do not ever, ever initiate to change how things are being done. #changeisnotcoming” 

Prayer

Dear Jesus, help us to see the good in everyone. That we may forgive and make peace with those who have ill thoughts for us. Help us understand each other as we do our best to be kind and live according to the laws that makes us better. Thank You for using us to fulfill in each other how the love of God should be. And for the coming Hearts’ Day, may we remember to share Your Love through our embrace to each member of our family, and to all those in most need of it. Amen.