All are invited to the Lord’s Banquet!

Homily for the 20^th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A 2014

Isa 56:1, 6-7 • Rom 11:13-15, 29-32 • Matthew 15:21-28

Introduction

A story is told of Protestant man who was the only non-Catholic in a certain town.  When he died, of course he could not be buried in a Catholic cemetery; that is how things were done in those days.  Out of consideration, however, the Catholic pastor allowed him to be buried right outside the fence of the Catholic cemetery.

A few years later, the daughter of this man returned home and of course she went to put some flowers to her dad’s grave, whose location outside the fence she remembered very well.  To her great dismay, she could not find the grave.

Very angry, she stormed into the rectory office and gave the pastor a her piece of mind.  “Not only did you refuse to bury my father in the cemetery,” she told him, “but even in death you dishonour him by destroying his grave?”  She went on and on, for quite a while, about all that is wrong with the Catholic Church.

Finally when she was done, the priest told her: “We did not move the grave of your father; we moved the fence of the cemetery, to include your father’s grave.”

Scripture and Theology

The question of inclusion and exclusion has always been a thorny one for Christians and even before that of our Jewish ancestors. 

Today’s first reading from Isaiah wrestles with this problem.  This passage is set after the exile of the Jewish people, when the inter-mingling of the Jews and the foreigners was increasing.  And so the Jews were asking themselves: does God really accept the sacrifices and prayers of these foreigners?

Isaiah answers these questions, first by laying down the minimum conditions which foreigners who wish to serve in the temple must fulfil. 

·        They must observe the Sabbath

·        They must obey the commandments of the Covenant that applied to them.

If they kept these conditions, they would be proving that they have faith in God.  And having faith in God is the basic criterion for inclusion among the people God calls his own, whether one is Jewish or not.  And that is why at the end of the reading God says: “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”

In the gospel Jesus deals with the same problem.  Here is Jesus, a Jewish Rabbi, who is trying to reform his society so that they could be more faithful to God.  Should he give this message and work his miracles among non Jews as well?  For the woman in the gospel was a Canaanite, one of the many pagan neighbours of the Jews.  Should he help her and cure her daughter?

The dialogue in the gospel story, at first sight, might suggest that Jesus does not want to share the Good News with non-Jews.  “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” he says.  But clearly from reading the whole of the gospels and even from this passage itself, we know that the issue is more complicated.  For Jesus say these things to give the woman a chance to argue her case.  And indeed the woman is up to the challenge.

The Canaanite woman makes the perfect argument for sharing God’s blessings with the non-Jewish people as well.  She tells Jesus that the left-overs are good enough for the dogs, meaning that Jesus must have something left over in his work even for the non-Jews.  But most important of all, she fulfils the essential condition that Isaiah had indicated earlier: the foreigners must be people of faith.  This recognizes Jesus as Lord and sees in him the power of God.  That is why Jesus says to her: “O woman, great is your faith.  Let it be done for you as you wish.”  And the woman’s daughter was healed from that hour.

Christian Life

We today also wrestle with this question of whether those outside the Church can receive God’s blessings.  People often ask questions like:

·        Can non-Catholics receive communion and other sacraments?

·        Should the Catholic Church be involved in ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue and activities with other Christians and even non-Christians?

·        Will the Jews, Muslims and those we call heathens go to heaven?

Now if I tried to reflect on all these issues in my homily, we would be here until the cows come home.  Perhaps our Parish’s Adult Religious Education Program can arrange to cover this subject in a series of classes.

What I want us to reflect on today is the attitude in our hearts and minds, perhaps even in our prayers and conversations regarding this issue.  Among us Catholics we have generally three answers to this question of inclusion in God’s favour?

The Catholics of the so-called liberal persuasion think that it doesn’t matter whether you are Catholic or not.  We are all the same; no matter what we do, God loves us.  Don’t worry, be happy, anything goes.  This group forgets the basic conditions that Isaiah set for both the Jews and Gentiles: faithfulness to the Lord’s commandments.  God’s favour is not a free-for-all.  The invitation to his banquet is given to all; but it is up to us to respond to that invitation by doing the needful.  Unfortunately, some wilfully reject the invitation.

At the other end of the spectrum, Catholics of the so-called conservative persuasion, think that everybody outside the fold is going straight to hell.  They argue that dialogue with Protestants is not only futile, but is dangerous since it corrupts the Church with those Protestant ideas.  This thinking spares its heavy ammunition for the Muslims.  How often we hear on Talk Radio, Television and conversations, Catholics and other Christians vilifying all Muslims, because of the atrocities of some of Muslims!  Yes, there are Muslims who use their religion to do bad things, especially with what is going on the Middle East today.  But have some Christians not used the Bible to justify racial segregation and murder?  For me, this is bad logic and bad reasoning.  We cannot leap from the sins of a few to the conclusion that all are guilty and all are to be excluded from God’s favour.

The third and Catholic attitude towards outsiders, is that which we have heard in today’s readings and that which is found consistently in the Church’s teaching.  It is a both . . . and attitude, not the easy “Yes or No” approach.  For the Letter to Timothy tells us that God wishes all to be saved.  And that is why he extends his invitation to everybody, first to the Jews and now to us the Gentiles.  He sent Jesus his Son, to show us the way, the sure way that leads to salvation.  Let us make no mistake about it: the sure way to salvation is Jesus Christ and his Church.  John Chapter 3: 16 is very clear about that: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”  We must thank the Lord that we have been fortunate enough to choose the way of Jesus.

As to what happens to those who are not fortunate to be inside the house like us?  We do not know.  That is not for us to answer; that is for God to answer.  And listening to God’s word, and knowing that the Lord is generous and merciful, we can have the hope that in ways known only to him, he will let in others too.  This hope is not unfounded, for as today’s readings tell us, the bottom line, the minimum condition is faith in God, a faith that can sometimes be even in those outside the fold.  We would also do well to remember Jesus’ answer to his disciples: “whoever is not against us is for us.”

Conclusion

This hope in the goodness and the salvation of those outside the fold, should not lessen our faithfulness to the Lord or minimize our missionary zeal to bring others to the Lord.  For the way of Christ and the Church is the sure, certain and ordinary way; other ways are based only on hope and are therefore unpredictable, uncertain and extraordinary.

At the same time, we should not exclude the possibility that the Lord can bring people to himself through these other ways.  What the Lord has to offer us, eternal life with him, is big enough to be shared among all. Remember the parable about the workers in the vineyard who came in to work at different times but received the same reward?  Well in the same way, we who have come to know the Lord earlier, who have been with him the longest and perhaps been the most faithful, should not be jealous because the Lord is generous.

I will leave you with Psalm 15, which begins with these questions: “LORD, who shall be admitted to your tent? Who may dwell on your holy mountain?”  You will find that the answers to this question do not exclude anyone; it is people who exclude themselves from God’s invitation by not doing his will.  If God does not exclude people, why should you and I do so?

The Almighty has done great things for Mary and her Children!

Homily for Assumption Year A 2014

1 Rv 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab; Ps 45:10, 11, 12, 16; 1 Cor 15:20-27; Lk 1:39-56

Introduction

I have had the privilege of being around several elderly priests, who have many interesting stories to share from their long experience of life.  What is interesting, however, is that when they tell stories about their parents, it is usually the mother about whom they talk often.  Seventy and eighty years later they say: “Mom did this for me, Mom taught me this, Mom was like this and so on.”

There is something special in the relationship between a child and its mother, especially between a boy and his mother, quite different from the relationship with his father. For most sons, there is nothing they cannot do for their mother.

That same relationship exists between Jesus and his mother Mary.  And surely, there is nothing Jesus could not do for his Mother.

Scripture and Theology

Mary acknowledges this, when as we heard in the gospel she cries out: “The Almighty has done great things for me.”  This line just as the great song it comes from which we call the Magnificat, is Mary’s response to Elizabeth saing to her: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”  But Mary attributes this compliment, these blessings, not to her own work, but to the Almighty, who has done great things for her.

The Church agrees with both Elizabeth and Mary, that the Almighty has done great things for Mary.  And so we Catholics celebrate various Marian feasts to mark the great things that the Lord did for his mother Mary.  Three of these great things stand out in a special way, and are celebrated with Holy Days of Obligation, just as important as Sundays, when we are required to come to Mass.

1.    On December 8^th, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, we celebrate Mary being conceived without original sin.  We thank God for making her pure from sin from the very beginning of her life, throughout her life and at the end of her life.

2.    On January 1^st, the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God, we celebrate another great thing the Almighty did for Mary.  We thank god for making her the Mother of the second person of the Trinity, God the Son.

3.    And today, August 15^th, the Solemnity of the Assumption, we celebrate yet another great thing that the Lord did for Mary.  We thank God for taking her up to heaven, body and soul where she is glorified with her Son.

Now if you noticed in the gospel, when Mary sings the Magnificat and glorifies the Lord for his goodness to her, the focus is not just on her.  Yes, Mary is grateful and honoured that the Lord “has looked with favor on his lowly servant; [and] from this day all generations will call me blessed.”  But Mary is also grateful for the things the Lord has done for his people Israel.

·        He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation.

·        He has shown the strength of his arm, and has scattered the proud in their conceit.

·        He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly.

·        He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.

·        He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy.

And Mary is grateful that the Lord has given her the privilege of playing a part in all these things, by being the mother of the Son, Jesus, who will bring about all these things: mercy, redemption, lifting up the lowly.  And so if Mary is grateful for the many things God has done for her, she is even more grateful for the many things the Lord has done for his people, especially bringing them his mercy and saving them from death.

As Paul told the Corinthians in today’s second reading, Christ’s death has conquered death forever.  And in the words of John, God has promised all who believe in him, that as a result, we shall be with him and the angels for all eternity, being like him and seeing him as he is.  Mary, not only plays a great part in bringing about these things, in the Magnificat, she is grateful to God for bringing them about.

Christian Life

My friends, today’s feast, should help us on our Christian journey in two main ways:

First, let us be reassured that the third great thing the Almighty did for Mary, taking her into heaven body and soul, that great thing he has promised to do for us as well.  What Jesus did for his mother Mary, he also does for us his brothers and sisters.  The Lord said: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.”  The Assumption should remind us of this good and great thing the Almighty has done for us too, by redeeming us from our sins and now opening the doors of heaven, not just to our souls, but also to our bodies.  We are headed heavenward; let heaven be the address we enter into the GPS of our lives; and then we shall be guided, turn by turn, sometimes recalculating or rerouting when we have made the wrong turn by sin, sometimes taking detours when we need to avoid the traffic jams of temptation, but always directing us to our goal of being assumed like Mary into heaven.

The second message for us to take from today’s feast is one of gratitude, like Mary. Can we look back and appreciate the great things the Lord has done for us personally, like our family, friends, job etc, and the great things the Lord has done for us as the Body of Christ?  Let the Magnificat song, be the model for our personal prayer.  Before asking God for favours, let us first thank him for the ones he has already given us, like Mary does in the Magnificat!

·        Perhaps at the end of the day before we go to bed, we can take a moment to recount the small graces and blessings which the Almighty has done for us; that lovely visit with friends, the good news from the doctor, the harmony in the family.

·        Perhaps every few months and especially at the end of the year, we remember the many blessings the Lord has given us.

·        But most importantly, like Mary we thank the Lord for the really great and important things has done for all of us, like salvation, mercy, the keys to heaven.  Although these are not immediate things, they are all that really matters in the final analysis.

Conclusion

My friends, Mary is both our intercessor and mother.  What mother does not want to share her blessings with the children!  Let us look forward to the day when we too can share the Assumption with her. In the meantime, let us ask her to remember us as we continue our journey on earth and to intercede for us with her Son that we may remain faithful to our call as faithful disciples, knowing God’s will at all times.

And then when each of us shows up at the Almighty’s door, he will recognize us saying, “you look like one of Mary’s children; come on in!  Come, join the company of your Blessed mother and be with her, for all eternity.”