Twenty-third Sunday of the Year - 2025

If ever there was someone who wanted to put you to the test about your Christian faith, today's gospel text would make a perfect weapon. “Whoever comes to me and does not hate their father and mother, spouse and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even their life itself, cannot be my disciple.” So your Jesus wants you to hate your family – it says so right here. Now if you reply by saying that Jesus didn’t really say that or mean that, you create a whole lot of trouble for yourself. Would that not be true of anything the gospels quote Jesus as saying? Perhaps a little parable might help us here. Suppose you belonged to a family of a non-Christian religion. Your father is a strong, devote believer and he strictly demands that you follow this same religion and all its beliefs and practices. One day you come and announce that you are going to become a Catholic; you believe that Jesus is the son of God and that the Catholic Church is the true way to follow Christ. Your father tells you that if you do this, he will disown you, strip you of your inheritance and nothing more to do with you. And so you leave. In other words it all or nothing. In today's society, the worst thing you can do is promote hate. Hate crimes are of the worst kind of evil. Here Jesus is using hyperbole; which is an exaggerated statement or claim not meant to be taken literally. Like when Jesus said “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell.” Mk. 9:43 Jesus is not teaching hate, but he is teaching unconditional love. To be his disciple Jesus wants our whole heart, our whole soul, our whole mind with all our strength. The problem we face in the Church today is mediocrity – I like some of the things the Church teaches but certainly not everything. In Matthew’s account of this issue Jesus is warning that to follow Him unconditionally will have its challenges.  “A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household. Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Mtt. 10:36 Jesus wants our whole heart first and above all. Half-hearted faith will never last in today's world. It slowly drains away until it is all gone. The choice is now in our hands.

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Commentary on the Sunday Gospel for  the Twenty-third Sunday. Dr. Brant Pitre, a Research Professor of Theology  at the Augustine Institute. View on Catholic Productions - LINK

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Twenty-first Sunday of the Year - 2025

Will Only a Few Be Saved?

Today’s gospel explores a question that can be traced back to the Old Testament times, a question quite prominent in Jesus’ time, a question very much with us today – who and how many will be saved? The Pharisees taught that God was planning new creation but who will be included – some believed all Jewish people but only Jewish people will be saved; but some believe that even some Jewish people, those who lived in rebellious times i.e at the time of the flood, or the people in the wilderness who did not enter promised land, and others would not be included. It was therefore of great interest to know what Jesus thought. They ask, “Lord will only a few be saved?” Jesus gives his answer with a parable, those standing outside of the locked door. (Perhaps those trying to get into a wedding banquet, symbol of the great banquet of the Kingdom Heaven.) Imagine for a moment there is a big banquet downtown Hamilton honoring the outstanding citizens of Hamilton of past 20 years. Obviously, those who have lived outstanding lives are invited. At door everyone is asked to show their invitation; not having an invitation the Doorman says who are you, there is no record of your good work – “I don’t know who you are”. Sorry, no admittance. Or think of it this way, people at the gate of heaven saying, “I have my baptismal certificate”, or others, “I stood up in church and professed Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior. Again, the Door Keeper replies that’s not enough, this is banquet for those who have lived holy lives in God’s service you’re not on the list, what have you done? “Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank with you, (in church once in a while) and you taught in our streets (we listen to sermons about you.)’ But the Lord will say, ‘I do not know where you come from; go away from me, all you evildoers!’ Jesus had much to say on this question. "Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?' Then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.' Matt 7:21 But when the king came in to meet the guests, he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. He said to him, 'My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?' But he was reduced to silence. Then the king said to his attendants, 'Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.' (Wedding garments were often given as gifts to guests so all invited would not decline because their cloths were shabby.) Here  the wedding garment symbolizes Sanctifying Grace – unmerited gift given to all invited.) Mtt 22:11 The question, who will be saved, has been a long-pondered question in the Church and still is pondered today. Origen of Alexandria, a third-century Christian scholar, proposed a universal-ism answer – everyone is saved, even the Fallen Angels. This proposal was rejected by Church. St. Augustine and even St. Thomas Aquinas had a much more severe answer, saying the number will be much fewer. Church has not given definitive answer. In recent times the highly respected theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar argued that God’s will to save souls is universal but because we have been given freedom to choose some may refuse grace and heaven. Today we might do well to ask am I invited, which of the Spiritual and Corporal works will be listed to my credit. “Then people will come from east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God.” Will I be one?

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Twentieth Sunday of the Year

Sometimes Jesus says things that leave us quite puzzled, like when he said, "Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.” Lk. 14:26 – or in today’s gospel, “Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!” Lk 12:51. What are we to make of these kinds of pronouncements? Well in this instance in today’s gospel Jesus is actually quoting directly from the prophet Micah and appropriating the prophet’s words to himself. The prophet Micah is giving a scathing rebuke to the leaders of his time, for their failure to lead God’s people properly; for preferring to listen to prophets who spoke falsely, saying what the leaders wanted to hear. The prophet Micah is prophesying that God is going to send a Messiah who will shake things up and bring God’s will to order among the people. And when he does this it will cause divisions right down to individual households. Micah says, “… for the son treats the father with contempt, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; your enemies are members of your own household.” Micah 7:6 “But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.” Micah 5:2 Jesus is confirming that he is that messiah whom the prophet is foretelling God is sending. And as the prophet warned he is bring a cleaning fire upon the people. When God speaks it is not to say things people would like to hear rather it is to say what people need to hear, whether they like it or not. Because of this God’s word can and does divide between those who are willing to listen and accept God’s word and those who are rebelling. Our generation is no exception, we are witnessing much disorder in our society and rejection of God’s truth as it has been revealed through the gospel – so we are not surprised to see divisions, even in the household of the Church. Hear again these words of Jesus,  "I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed!” We must not be scandalized by the struggles we are witnessing today, rather we need wise and careful discernment. What is God’s word to us today, who is speaking the truth for us to hear? Let us not forget that the Lord promised ever to remain with his Church, leading, guiding and protecting it. Our confidence comes through this promise.  The Holy Spirit remains in the Church and will guide us through these days of confusion and uncertainty. The worst response one could make would be to leave the Church and the practice of the faith. The Holy Spirit has not abandoned the Church, he is here to guide us to hear and understand Jesus’ living word to the Church today – and by it to guide on lives through uncertain times.

Nineteenth Sunday of the Year - 2025

Therefore, stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this:
if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,

for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” Mtt 24:42

It is likely few of us have experienced being a servant – that is in strict sense of word – no rights, no say, no union, no where to go if you try to leave. More likely our experience is more about being served; we are all the masters expecting to be served. This is my life, my stuff, I paid my dues (my condo fees) – I expect to be served and if not just watch me complain. This way of thinking may well colour our view of religion. “I have church membership, I profess my belief, follow the rules, so now God must meet my needs, answer my prayers, serve me when I prayer.” In today’s gospel Jesus talks about this view of servants.  “Which of you whose servant comes in from plowing or shepherding in the field will say to him, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? Instead, won’t he tell him, ‘Prepare my meal and dress yourself to serve me while I eat and drink; and afterward you may eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what he was told?” Lk. 17 So let us get this straight, we are the servants; God is the master who is to be served. As today’s gospel continues Jesus goes on to describes three kinds of disordered servants who must be dealt with: 1.       Those who say my master is delayed in coming - and to eat and drink and get drunk – might these be the ones risking a trip to hell? 2.       Those who knew what their master wanted, but were careless about doing what was expected of them – might these be those who require a stay in purgatory? 3.       Those who did not know they were servants at all – they must face a time of testing, repentance and conversion. Today, in our hearing of this word of God the question is put to us, what kind of servant am I? Luke ends this section with Jesus telling us how God actually will serve us: Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. 39 "But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour." Lk 37-40 Am I ready for His coming?

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