A reading from the Book of the Prophet Malachi(1:14; 2:2, 8-10)

Malachi is a pseudonym meaning “My Messenger.”  The author probably wished to conceal his (or her) identity because his attacks on the priests and ruling classes were very sharp.  Malachi arrived on the scene after the excitement of the return from exile had worn off.  Morals were suffering.  People were reneging on their tithes, intermarrying (and losing their cultural and religious identity), and oppressing the widow, the orphans and the foreigner  (US Catholic, K Guentert, p. 22).

Prophets know all about passion!  Malachi feels so strongly about his faith and about impartiality for all people that his language is piercing.  How do you show your passion in your faith? 

St. Benedict said to, “Listen and attend with the ear of your heart.”  And Malachi says something similar when he compares listening to laying it to heart.  It hints to the idea that listening to someone should involve our whole self in attention.  Some questions to test your ability to listen:  Do you try to ignore the distractions about you?  Do you smile, nod your head, and otherwise encourage the other to speak?  Do you listen even though you anticipate what s/he is going to say?  Do you withhold judgment of the person?  (Think about how listening is part of being a good leader when we move on to the Gospel.)

A reading from the first Letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians (2:7-9, 13)

Paul spent a relatively short time with the people of Thessalonica yet established a close and loving bond.  So strong was this love he had for them that when he reaches Athens soon afterward, he sent Timothy back to Thessalonica to see how things were going and got a good report.  He responds again, “You always have good memories of us, and…are longing to see us, just as we are to see you (1 Thess 3:6).  These short references, an intimate exchange very soon after Paul’s initial visit, tell us a great deal about Paul’s way of life, his style of teaching and pastoral engagement – and also perhaps about his own personal needs.  He had split with Barnabas, made a trip to Anatolia without purpose, received public beatings and imprisonment…all this would have left him vulnerable at a deep level.  So to sense the genuine, unaffected love and support of people he had only just met, to discover through the work of the Gospel a deep bond (calling them family)-all this must have given him comfort and strength (NT Wright’s Paul, p. 187).

Paul is talking about being transformed by the Good News of God:  hearing it, believing it and then living it.  In Pope Francis’ “Evangelii Gaudium”, he said, “Proclaiming Christ means showing that to believe in and to follow him is not only something right and true, but also something beautiful, capable of filling life with new splendor and profound joy, even in the midst  of difficulties.  Every expression of true beauty can thus be acknowledged as a path leading to an encounter with the Lord Jesus…we should appear as joyful messengers of challenging proposals, guardians of the goodness and beauty which shine forth in a life of fidelity to the Gospel,” (#167).  How profound if we truly lived that way!    

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (23:1-12)

Jesus speaks of good leadership.  To lead like Jesus, one must be servant, steward and shepherd.  “Jesus leaders” build community and fellowship.  They foster contentment and generosity in themselves and in others.  They build trust and increase the flow of trust all around them.  They are inspired to increase their capacity and to make greater contributions to the common good.  And they inspire others to do the same.  Service, contribution, and purpose become the hallmarks of both their individual and collective lives.  It is a new way to live.  It is always a struggle.  And the struggle is lifelong, (O. Phelps, Leading Like Jesus, p. 63). 

What does it mean to you to be humble? The word was used in the spiritual sense to mean lowly like a servant. It was not a quality thought highly of by most Greeks. They saw it as ‘self-belittling,’ and thus it was abhorrent.  But the Jewish tradition of which Jesus certainly approved took a different look at it. To be humble was to put oneself in a ‘right relationship’ with God who is the one who deserves our ‘bowing’ and our service. God would and could often use the ‘lowly’ to accomplish good. What became important – and we see this especially portrayed in Jesus – is that the one who is humble lives and acts obediently under God’s purpose. (The word, obedient, means to listen with one’s whole heart and mind.) God humbles us to put us in a right relationship with God and others – but then when we ‘repent’ or live this way of humble service, God raises us up. God exalts the humble.  (Theo. Dictionary of the New Testament, 1152-1154). 

From Mary Birmingham, Word and Worship Workbook for Cycle A:

Most scholars today believe that the harshness of this attack against the scribes and Pharisees is probably best attributed to the Matthean church.  Matthew’s lengthy indictment was most likely based on a short statement made by Jesus during his ministry.  Luke’s gospel has the same section, but only four woes (Luke 11: 37-52).  The style of this text is very common in ancient Greek philosophical and Jewish literature.  Dialogue and arguments between opposing sides of an issue were customarily caustic and insulting.  Matthew was certainly not promoting anti-Jewish sentiments.  The language is prophetic in its anger and intensity.  It is meant to challenge all of us for we, too, are capable of hypocrisy (560-561).

“Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay… small acts of kindness and love.”  Gandalf the Gray in The Hobbit

1^st Reading: Exodus 22: 20-26

This pericope is the Covenant Code between God and God’s people.  Certain classes are singled out:  strangers, widows, orphans, the poor.  God always sides with the marginalized.  God reminds them that they were once strangers too.  It’s like that saying not to know what someone is going through unless you walk a mile in their shoes.  It was not enough to be a voice for the lowly and oppressed, there was an expectation of action and response.  One’s behavior must accompany one’s words.  The hallmark of covenant living was to be compassion, mercy and God’s abiding love extended to one another, and especially to the most vulnerable among them, (M. Birmingham’s W&W Workbook, A, p. 550-551). 

From Henri Nouwen, Here and Now:

Compassion – which means, literally, “to suffer with” – is the way to the truth that we are most ourselves, not when we differ from others, but when we are the same.  It is not proving ourselves to be better than others but confessing to be just like others that is the way to healing and reconciliation (p. 135).  The compassionate life is the life of downward mobility!  In a society in which upward mobility is the norm, downward mobility is not only discouraged but even considered unwise, unhealthy, or downright stupid…It is the way toward the poor, the suffering, the marginal, the prisoners, the refugees, the lonely, the hungry, the dying, the tortured, the homeless – toward all who ask for compassion.  What do they have to offer?  Not success, popularity, or power, but the joy and peace of the children of God (pgs. 138-139).

The 2^nd Reading – 1 Thessalonians 1: 5-10

Paul seems very pleased with this early church.  They must have been living Jesus’ words sincerely in their lives.  He seems to emphasize the effect of modeling that sincerity, without the need to even say anything.  How powerful affirmation is and being reminded that there is good in us!

Paul speaks of the “joy from the Holy Spirit” in the Thessalonians for reaching out to others.  Henri Nouwen says, “Joy is the secret gift of compassion…Joy does not simply happen to us.  We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day…,” (p. 142, 31).

In verses 9 and 10 two words are used which are characteristic of the Christian life.  The Thessalonians SERVED God and WAITED on the coming of Christ.  The Christian is called upon to serve in the world and to wait for glory (Barclay’s Daily Study Bible Series, p. 187).

The Gospel: Matthew 22: 34-40

On the face of it, the question appears very honest.  The Pharisees identified 613 commandments in the Torah.  How could anyone remember all of them?  Were some more important than others?  (Pilch’s Cultural World of Jesus, p. 154)  But the Pharisees are continuing (from last week’s reading) in their quest to target Jesus.  He turns to scripture for his answer, citing Deuteronomy (6:5) and Leviticus (19:18). 

From Eduard Schweizer, The Gospel According to Matthew:

Jesus “explicitly places the commandment to love one’s neighbor on equal footing with the commandment to love God, and adds that ‘the entire Law and the prophets’ depend (literally ‘hang’) on these two commandments, perhaps the way a door hangs on its hinges.  Then righteousness as a whole depends on the fulfillment of these two commandments . . . they are (together) the ‘great’ commandment because they are the only ones needed. Jesus fuses these two and, thus, prescribes how to perform the first: only the first commandment is called ‘great,’ but the second is equal to it, for one can love God only by loving one’s neighbor (425-426).”

To love was to have a sense of belonging to that person or group. In other words, to love another was to treat that person as a member of one’s family.  To love God was to belong totally to God.  In biblical terms, the heart was considered the center of a person’s entire being – the life, emotion, and totality of that person.  The soul was the life force or physical life itself.  Matthew seems to use mind instead of strength in order to stress the element of understanding and decision that is required to turn one’s heart over completely to God.  Birmingham, Word and Worship Workbook, Year A, p. 553

On Saturday, September 30^th, five (5) parishioners from St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish, and one (1) parishioner from St. Anthony’s attended a tour of the Underground Railroad Education Center (UREC).  Paul Stewart, the co-founder of UREC provided us with a brief history of the Underground Railroad and slavery in Upstate New York, including Stephen and Harriet Myers whose house is the site of UREC.  Then we proceeded to tour the house and saw original artifacts, including original copies of “The Liberator” and a “Record of Fugitives”.  “The Liberator” was a Boston abolitionist newspaper that circulated from 1831 to 1865.  It was published and edited by William Lloyd Garrison, the founder of the American Anti-Slavery Society.  In its publications, it would denounce all people and acts that would prolong slavery, including the U.S. Constitution.  The “Record of Fugitives” documented information about how and why slaves escaped, who helped them escape, and where they were sent from New York. 

As Catholics, we honor the bravery of those abolitionists.  As Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square for his general audience on Sept. 20, 2023 said, “Jesus, God made man, elevated the dignity of every human being and exposed the falsehood of slavery.  As Christians, therefore, we are called to fight against every form of slavery.”

Interesting facts we learned:

• The term “Underground Railroad” was first used/published by the “Tocsin of Liberty” in an article.  It was used to describe something that was secret and fast.  It was later adopted by the Underground Railroad.
• Elizabeth Freeman abolished slavery in Massachusetts.  Elizabeth Freeman, born Mum Bett, was the first enslaved Black person to successfully file a lawsuit for her freedom in Massachusetts.  (Her suit was filed one year after the adoption of the Massachusetts State Constitution.)  The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in Ms. Freeman’s favor and held that slavery was inconsistent with the 1780 Massachusetts State Constitution.  The case began a series of “freedom suits”.  The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upheld the ruling in Ms. Freeman’s case in the appellate review of another lawsuit, and thus outlawed slavery in Massachusetts.
• Manumission is the act of owners freeing their slaves.  This process was done by giving the slave his or her free papers.
• Many Black people who fought in the American Revolution were given their freedom.
• Slaves escaped to various locations in the Americas, including the Caribbean, Canada, Mexico, the West, and the South.
• The Abolitionist movement began in 1799.
• The Fugitive Slave Laws/Acts of 1793 and 1850 allowed authorities to capture and return runaway slaves who escaped slavery by fleeing to another state.  They allowed the federal government to actively intervene to help capture their slaves.  According to the laws, fugitive slaves were neither allowed to testify on their own behalf nor were they allowed to have a trial by jury.  The government “justified” this law on the basis that African Americans could not be U.S. citizens, and thus were not afforded any protection under the law. 
• Charles Nalle was a slave born in Virginia who escaped slavery through the Underground Railroad.  He settled in Troy where he worked as a coachman and groom for the wife of a wealthy Rensselaer man, Uri Gilbert.  Two years after his escape, he was turned in to the local authorities.  He was arrested in accordance with the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and was supposed to be sent back to slavery in Virginia.  However, one day while he was being held in the Mutual Building in Troy, a large crowd, which included Harriet Tubman gathered outside and clashed with the authorities which allowed him to escape, but only temporarily.  Eventually, locals in the community raised enough funds for Nalle to purchase his freedom; his freedom was purchased for $650.  There is a plaque in Troy, NY dedicated to the beginning of his rescue.
• Napoleon Bonaparte sold Louisiana to the United States after France faced financial difficulties due to the loss of Haiti as a colony after the Haitian Revolution.

The Liberty Minstrel is a book by abolitionist George W. Clark, containing songs (and some poems) written by various musicians including himself.

^{1 “The Liberator, About the Project.” Smithsonian, Smithsonian Digital Volunteers: Transcription Center, 2023, https://transcription.si.edu/project/11766, Accessed 9 October 2023.}

^{2 “Sydney Howard Gay’s ‘Record of Fugitives’” Columbia University Libraries. https://exhibitions.library.columbia.edu/exhibits/show/fugitives#:~:text=The%20Record%20of%20Fugitives%20is,were%20sent%20from%20New%20York. Accessed 9 October 2023.}

^{3 Alexander, Kerri Lee. “Elizabeth Freeman”, National Women’s History Museum. https://exhibitions.library.columbia.edu/exhibits/show/fugitives#:~:text=The%20Record%20of%20Fugitives%20is,were%20sent%20from%20New%20York. Accessed 9 October 2023.}

 ^{4 “Elizabeth Freeman.” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Freeman.  Accessed on 9 October 2023.}

^{5 Paul, Catherine A., “Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.” VCU Libraries Social Welfare History Project. https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/federal/fugitive-slave-act-of-1850/. Accessed on 9 October 2023.}

 ^{6 “Charles Nalle.” Wikipedia. 25 July 2022.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Nalle. Accessed on 9 October 2023.}

 ^{7 “Abolition, Anti-Slavery Movements, and the Rise of the Sectional Controversy: Abolitionist Songsters.” https://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/exhibit/aopart3.html.  Accessed on 9 October 2023.}

1^st Reading — Isaiah 45: 1, 4-6

In the British Museum, they have what is known as the Cyrus cylinder.  It is made of fired clay, and on it is written a Babylonian account of the conquest of Babylon by Cyrus in 539 BC, of his restoration to various temples of statues removed by Nabonidus, the previous king of Babylon, and of his own work at Babylon.  On it is translated:  I sought the welfare of the city of Babylon and all its sanctuaries. As for the population of Babylon […, w]ho as if without div[ine intention] had endured a yoke not decreed for them, I soothed their weariness, I freed them from their bonds(?). Marduk, the great lord, rejoiced at [my good] deeds, and he pronounced a sweet blessing over me,…https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1880-0617-1941.  So King Cyrus was a pagan who worshipped Marduk, but Isaiah sees him as anointed by the Lord.  What does this say about how God works?

Note that there was an article in The Independent, “How Britain tried to use a Persian antiquity for political gain”. Britain has loaned the cylinder to Iran in 1971, but decided not to loan it out again (for fear they would keep it).  They finally did allow them to borrow it again 9/2010.  And so political power struggle continues…

Just like last week, we hear the words that Israel is God’s chosen one.  But God wants all people to know God.  We are God’s chosen.  Henri Nouwen says, “It certainly is not easy to hear that voice in a world filled with voices that shout:  ‘You are no good, you are ugly; you are worthless; you are despicable, you are nobody – unless you can demonstrate the opposite.’  These negative voices are so loud and so persistent that it is easy to believe them.  That’s the great trap,” (Life of the Beloved, p. 31).  What other words do you associate with CHOSEN?

2^nd Reading – 1 Thessalonians 1: 1-5

This letter was probably written about 50-51 AD.  Paul was a tentmaker who came in contact with many in the Gentile world. A riot broke out in this city among the Jewish population who resented Paul’s successful reaching out to the Gentiles there.  Paul and Silvanus had to flee.  Because of this hasty departure, Paul soon writes this letter to express his prayerful thoughts and wishes for this new ‘church’ . . .  (Birmingham, W & W, p.544-545)

In verse 4 Paul speaks of the Thessalonians as brothers beloved by God.  This is a phrase applied by the Jews only to supremely great men like Moses and Solomon, and to the nation of Israel itself.  Now the greatest privilege of the greatest men of God’s chosen people has been extended to the humblest of the Gentiles (Barclay’s Daily Study Bible Series, p. 187). How does being loved by God make a difference in your life? 

The Gospel – Matthew 22: 15-21

John Pilch points out that in Jesus’ culture such public questioning was neverneutral – it was always seen as challenging to one’s honor. Jesus, too, values honor – but his honor comes from authentically pleasing God. He shows his questioners to be hypocrites by the very fact that they can present the Roman coin, something very shameful for the Pharisee to even touch much less to have with him or one of his friends, the Herodians. These two groups were usually enemies, but they seem willing to swallow what seems right in order to get Jesus and to shame him. Jesus, nevertheless, exposes their true shame before the people. Jesus would like them to see that they should drop their game playing and do what is pleasing to God. (The Cultural World of Jesus, cycle A, 151-153)

Who are the Herodians?  It is much disputed among theologians as to whether they were a religious sect who thought Herod was the Messiah, or perhaps anti-Roman Jews.  It is most probable that they were those who favored the house of Herod, supporting Herodian rule and the Roman rule upon which it rested.  In other words, they think like Herod  (Dictionary of the Bible, p. 357).   How did Herod think?  Well, he was famously paranoid to the point that he coined the phrase, “Better to be a pig than a son in the house of Herod.”  Herod did not eat pork but he did kill three of his children when he suspected them of wanting to usurp his throne,” (Powell’s Introducing the New Testament, p. 27).  In other words, he was blinded by power.

St Thomas More (later beheaded by King Henry VIII of England) said that when a person separates their conscience from their public duty, they rush the nation toward chaos.  What do you think?

“It is not always easy to know how to apply one’s convictions to particular issues.  But we are never excused from doing so.  For conscience remains the litmus test of all our behavior.  All of us live in the human city, but we are always mindful of our primary citizenship in the city of God,” (Faley, Footprints on the Mountain, p. 671)

“If the symbols used to express the nature and actions of God do not find confirmation in and through one’s own experiences, then we should not be surprised to find that the reasons for being moral, the principles and values inferred from these symbols, and the actions required by them will have no persuasive power over one’s life,”  (Gula’s Reason Informed by Faith, p. 55).  Knowing God is a lived experience!  We aren’t motivated to do something if we don’t understand why we’re doing it.  Let’s look at the life of St. Augustine:

“For there was nothing I could reply when you called me:  Rise, thou that sleepest and arise from the dead:  and Christ shall enlighten thee; and whereas You showed me by every evidence that Your words were true, there was simply nothing I could answer save only laggard lazy words:  ‘Soon,’ ‘Quite soon,’ ‘Give me just a little while.”…”How long, how long shall I go on saying tomorrow and again tomorrow?  Why not now, why not have an end to my uncleanness this very hour?”…(and after reading scripture and experiencing conversion)…”You, Lord, alone have made me dwell in hope,”  (Confessions, p. 165, 178, 191).

This story can provoke questions in us:  Do I get distracted by things in life so as not to follow where God is leading me?  Do I (or someone I know) create drama in life rather than live in an honest way?  Where do I put my energy?  To what extent do I let my conscience help me make my decisions?

1^st Reading: Isaiah 25: 6 – 10

This passage is known as the “Isaiah Apocalypse”.  Isaiah looks ahead to the last age and the end of all time.  This piece, written after the exile, describes the reconstruction that will take place after the destruction of the earth and all its people.  This destruction is a result of the sin of the people.  But all is not lost.  God can turn the tables, change his course, and refrain from striking the mighty blow.  The feast is a sign that he will do it.  He will restore the city on the mountain (Jerusalem).  He will restore ALL people.  This passage is particularly noteworthy as it is the earliest expression in the scriptures that God intends to conquer death.  The banquet is a sign that joy (the wine) will reign triumphant over anguish (the veil over the people).  The early church believed the eucharist to be the eschatological banquet here on earth while they were awaiting the glorious banquet in heaven (Birmingham, W&W, p. 538).  Consider who is present, seen and unseen, at this banquet with you at the Lord’s Table.  This is often a reading at funerals.

Isaiah’s security lies in the covenant with God, not in covenants with Egypt or other nations.  The mysterious power of faith maintains:  God alone is true protection.  Such power will not collapse in the hour of disaster…never must a calamity shake Israel’s trust (The Prophets, A. Heschel, p. 73).  Do you hear it?  Think about the state of our country and the world today…does this give you comfort?

2^ND Reading – Philippians 4: 12-14, 19-20

The generosity of the Philippian church to Paul went back a long way (see Acts 16 & 17).  From no other church had he ever accepted any gift or help.  Their generosity made him glad, not for his sake but for theirs.  Then he uses words which turn their gift into a sacrifice to God, (Barclay’s Daily Study Bible, p. 86).  Compare this to generosity you have experienced.

We have all had times when we lived paycheck-to-paycheck and other times when we could afford the big vacation.  Throughout all of these times, where was God for you?

There is a freedom in Paul’s words.  St. Ignatius says, “We should use God’s gifts of creation however they help us in achieving the end for which we were created, and we ought to rid ourselves of whatever gets in the way of our purpose.  In order to do this we must make ourselves indifferent to all creation, to the extent that we do not desire health more than sickness, riches more than poverty, honor more than dishonor, a long life more than a short life, or anything at all in and of itself.  We should desire and choose only what helps us attain the end for which we were created,”(Retreat in the Real World, p26).

The Gospel: Matthew 22: 1-14

Isaiah’s feast is on top of the mountain; the Psalm places it in a pasture (23); the Gospel banquet is a wedding feast and celebration.  Compare to Luke 14:16-24 which scholars say may be the older version.  It leaves out the verse on burning the city.

Barclay says these verses form not one parable, but two, and they should be read separately to gain the most insight (Verses 1-10 and 11-14). He says we should be impressed in these stories with the unwillingness of the guests to come and celebrate together AND the repeated patience and invitations of the king.

Here are other ideas he says to consider:

1. God’s invitation is an invitation to joy, to love, to new life  — a wedding!
2. The things that get in our way of responding to God’s invitation are usually not bad things in themselves. The excuses that were offered were about daily life and normal business affairs. Yet this parable can be a warning:  WE CAN BE SO BUSY MAKING A LIVING THAT WE FAIL TO MAKE A LIFE!

The second part of the Gospel parable is concerned with the wedding clothes. What do you think the clothes mean? Clothes were considered a sign of the real person – the outward sign of our essential character. This parable of Matthew makes clear that God’s call requires a response: a changed life. We do not need to have the garment of God’s grace to be invited; it is freely given. But it does mean that we need to put it on if we wish to stay and participate. (W&W  Wkbk, A, p.539-541; The Cultural World of Jesus, 149)

Eduard Schweizer ( The Good News According to Matthew, 420-422) says that the last line about the called and the chosen concerns how we respond to God’s invitation: to be ‘called’ means that we take up the initial invitation – to be ‘chosen’ means to preserve in that call to the end. What is meant therefore is that we who are called by God must not look on this call as something that is ours by right; we must live it anew each day (choose) trying always to put on the Lord Jesus.

From The Word into Life, Cycle A:

These scriptures challenge us to face the fact that we often like to insulate ourselves and isolate ourselves from others.  We choose not to become involved. Yet, our God is a God of relationship. God refuses to be left alone!  The royal wedding feast is a symbol of God’s love and union with his creation, and it is open to everyone. Parties are an apt image for Christian involvement.  They force us to think of relationships.  They move us to create an atmosphere of festivity.  They remind us of the centrality of community.  But whom shall we invite to our parties?  We generally think of all those ‘nice’ people who will return the favor by inviting us to their homes.  Today’s liturgy suggests that we expand our vision and look especially to those who are hurting.  The challenge is to act upon this awareness and send out the invitations.

1^ST READING – ISAIAH 5:1-7

Isaiah realized that God cares for us His people like a precious vine: He cultivates us, cares for us, prunes us, nurtures us, waters us and removes the stones from our hearts.  He expects us to grow, to bloom, to produce a good harvest. 

Those darn Israelites never seem to get it right.  Can you relate?  Do you ever feel like you try so hard and yet can’t seem to get it together?  Sometimes children work hard on an assignment and end up crumpling it up because of their frustration.  We hear the frustration in God’s voice through Isaiah.  This harsh love language can be difficult because of the strong emotion.  But in the end, God stays with the Israelites through their trials.

Some thoughts from Harold Kushner in How Good Do We Have to Be?:  “…if we cannot love imperfect people, if we cannot forgive them for their exasperating faults, we will condemn ourselves to a life of loneliness, because imperfect people are the only kind we will ever find,” (p. 111).  “Being human can never mean being perfect, but it should always mean struggling to be as good as we can and never letting our failures be a reason for giving up the struggle,” (p. 174). 

2^ND READING – PHILIPPIANS 4: 6-9

Paul says pray, and peace will be given.  Do you experience this in your prayer life?  Even if there is no answer, prayer reminds us of God’s constant presence, and there is solace in that.   Paul also says hold fast to Jesus’ teachings.  Hold on to what is true.  There is peace in that too.  Do you experience this?

Paul lays it down that every prayer must surely include thanks, even for the great privilege of prayer itself.  Paul insists that we must give thanks in everything, in sorrows, and in joys alike.  That implies 2 things:  gratitude and also perfect submission to the will of God.  It is only when we are fully convinced that God is working all things together for good that we can really feel the perfect gratitude which believing prayers demands.  The result of believing prayer is that the peace of God will stand like a sentinel on guard upon our hearts.  The word that Paul uses (phrourein) is the military word for ‘standing on guard’.  The way to peace is in prayer to entrust ourselves and all whom we hold dear to the loving hands of God, (Barclay, p. 77-78).

THE GOSPEL – MATTHEW 21: 33-43

From John Pilch’s The Cultural World of Jesus, Cycle A:  The tenant farmers are frustrated, desperate and driven to violence.  They beat and kill the first 2 delegations from the owner.  When the owner’s son shows up, they miscalculate and presume that the owner is dead.  Believing the son to be the sole surviving heir, they kill him in hope of gaining the vineyard for themselves.  The plan is ridiculous and illegal, but they are driven by their otherwise hopeless situation (Have you even done something ridiculous because of desperation?).  The owner is very much alive.  The owner must act.  Compare this vineyard story to the one in Isaiah.  There are no tenant farmers in Isaiah; God destroyed the vineyard itself.  In Matthew, the tenant farmers are destroyed and the vineyard given to others.  It is a problem of leadership.  The tenant farmers (and Jesus may have been calling out the chief priests and Pharisees) must be replaced because they have not born fruit.  So leadership will be transferred to others (us?) who will produce proper fruit (p. 145 – 147). 

This parable ends with an image of a cornerstone.  Jesus quotes Psalm 118:22:  “The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner.”  Originally the psalmist meant this as a picture of the nation of Israel.  But Jesus is the foundation stone on which everything is built, and the cornerstone which holds everything together.   It may be that people reject Christ, but they will yet find that the Christ whom they rejected is the most important person in the world, (Barclay, The Daily Study Bible Series:  Mathew Vol 2, p. 264-5).  Jesus is all about seeking relationship and bringing goodness to fruition.  At what lengths will you go to seek relationship with Jesus and bring good to fruition?

Notice how much God trusts humanity in this parable.  If God is the owner and we are the servants, God is leaving the vineyard up to us.  He doesn’t stand over us to exercise a police-like supervision; he goes away and leaves us with the work.  Every task we receive is a task given us to do by God.  Notice too the patience.  The owner sent messenger after messenger and did not come with sudden vengeance after the first were abused and ill-treated.  So does God bear with us, (p. 263).