Ordinary Time

Jan 15 2025

Scripture Study for

The issue in the first reading is the matter of retribution, the manner in which God rewards righteous living and punishes wicked behavior. Two situations are described. In the first one, a righteous person sins; in the second, a sinner repents. God metes out punishment in the first situation and grants a reward in the second. Actually, having chosen another path, the once righteous person now suffers the consequences of that choice. In like manner, the sinner who turns away from wickedness and chooses the path of righteousness and justice will live united with God, the source of life. Is this injustice on God’s part?

The reading from Philippians is one of Christianity’s most exalted hymns of praise of Christ. Paul offered this magnificent vision of Christ’s self-emptying to challenge the Philippians’ own attitudes of mind and heart. Not only did Christ relinquish his Godlike state, he emptied himself of it. Without losing his Godlike being, he took on the likeness of human beings, not merely resembling a human being, but actually becoming one. As a result, his exaltation is as glorious as his humiliation was debasing. Every knee shall do him homage and every tongue shall proclaim his sovereignty. The entire created universe is brought under his lordship.

The sons in the Gospel story represent two ways of responding to a father’s command. The first son refuses to obey, a serious breach of protocol in a patriarchal kinship structure. However, the headstrong son repents and eventually does what his father charged him to do. The second son does not show such disrespect to his father by refusing to go as he was directed, but neither does he obey him. Jesus turns to his adversaries and asks them for an interpretation of the law: Which one did the father’s will? Without knowing it, they condemned themselves with their answer, for they prided themselves on their righteousness and piety, yet they refused to accept him.

Jan 15 2025

God as Giver: Generous or Unjust?

If you ever felt you have not gotten what you deserve for all that you have done, or that others have been given more than they deserve for the little that they have done, this Gospel is not going to please you. It is hard not to line up with the grumblers, complaining that those who worked all day should not be given the same as the eleventh-hour crowd. Where’s the justice in this?

Isaiah sets the stage for hearing the Gospel when he calls us to seek and call on God for what we need, especially mercy and forgiveness. But the prophet recognizes that God’s response to this request may baffle us, especially when such overabundant mercy is shown to others.

Jesus is not telling a tale about being fair, or offering a lesson on just wages. He is teaching that God’s rule is marked by generosity, especially to the last and least, the overlooked, the undervalued, the unwanted, those judged as not very capable. This master calls all to do what they can do. For some the work will last longer than for others. But all will be rewarded.

So, be generous as God is generous. We see an example of this in Paul’s willingness to stay working with the early communities. While the Philippians were easy to love, he also ministered to the cantankerous Corinthians and the “stupid” Galatians (Paul’s own words) who were turning away from the gospel he preached to them. Paul heard the call to act differently with these different groups of people.

Consider/Discuss

When are you being asked to be generous rather than “just”? • Is there another way of thinking about justice than how we usually think of it, that is, as getting what we deserve?
Have you known God’s splendid generosity, going beyond anything you have “deserved”?

Responding to the Word

We pray that we might be able to enter into God’s compassion toward those who come later and do less. We pray that we might be able to mirror the generosity of God during the coming week if an opportunity arises.

Jan 15 2025

Scripture Study for

The prophecy of salvation that is read today includes a call to worship and a call to conversion. The prophet describes the sinfulness of the people. There is a pattern of sin here, not merely isolated offenses. Still, the prophet assures them that God will be compassionate toward them. On the one hand are wicked thoughts and the way of the scoundrel; on the other hand are compassion and forgiveness. This oracle both exhorts sinners to turn away from their evil lives and assures them that having turned away they will enjoy the salvation of God.

Paul shares his own inner struggle regarding life and death. Although the decision to live or die was probably not in his hands, it is his attitude toward these options that is of importance here. Paul does not consider death a way of escaping the misfortune that he may be suffering. Rather, he weighs the religious and ministerial advantages of both living and dying. At issue is the extent to which Christ will be glorified through Paul’s continued life or his death. Though he prefers dying and being with Christ, he can see advantages for himself either way. Still he is willing to postpone the joyful union with Christ for the sake of his ministry.

The parable read today is particularly startling. It does not seem fair to pay all of the laborers the same wage regardless of the amount of time they put into the work. Still, all received exactly the amount for which they had contracted. The paradox of the narrative is seen in the payment policy of the owner of the vineyard. The justice with which he pays the laborers is superseded by his generosity. What is almost scandalous here is the fact that he is most generous toward the workers who were unwanted by others. The parable shows that the reign of God is based on generosity, not merely on human standards of fairness.

Jan 15 2025

Forever Forgiving?

Erich Segal died at the beginning of 2010. I remember reading his best seller Love Story and being moved by its then famous line “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” Over the years I have really come to disagree with this. I believe love means having to say you’re sorry and asking for forgiveness many times in life.

Today’s Gospel reminds us that love also means being willing to forgive many times in a life. We fail each other. We sin against each other. Sometimes we do this deliberately, sometimes thoughtlessly, but nonetheless it is painful for the one sinned against.

Is forgiveness ever easy—especially with a repeat offender? “Seven times?” Peter asks. “Seventy-seven times,” Jesus replies. Today’s readings give us the major reason to forgive others: God has forgiven us. There’s more. Not to forgive is to let anger and wrath poison our hearts. Being unforgiving can imprison a person, resulting in bitterness, revenge, and a slow death of the spirit. Not to forgive can be more costly for the one offended.

Paul tells us we belong to the Lord, are called to serve him, to do his will, which is the will of the Father. And God’s will is that we forgive one another. When the risen Lord first appeared to the disciples in the upper room, he wished them peace, and then gave them the power of the Spirit to forgive. This work is not limited to our going to the sacrament of reconciliation.

Consider/Discuss

Have you known the grace of being forgiven?
Have you known the freedom of forgiving another person?

Responding to the Word

We pray that we might have the gift of forgiveness, both of receiving and giving it to others in turn. We ask the Holy Spirit to empower us to be able to forgive what the world judges to be “unforgiveable.” While for us it can seem impossible, with God all things are possible.

Jan 15 2025

Scripture Study for

The tone of the passage from Sirach is set in the first verse. Wrath and anger may be instinctive responses to situations in life, but they are abhorrent if they are permanent dispositions of mind and heart. The certainty of death should prompt us to set aside anger or wrath. Life is too short to bear attitudes that can undermine our spirits. Sirach insists on the need to forgive others, for we too need to be forgiven. The basis of this teaching is not forgiveness by others, but forgiveness by God. We must be willing to extend to others the same gracious compassion that God has extended to us.

Paul maintains that Christ, by virtue of his death and resurrection, exercises power over life and death. In like manner, those who are joined to Christ are joined permanently. Nothing, neither life nor death, can separate them from the love of Christ (see Romans 8:38). He further insists that in every aspect of life and even in death, Christians are under the lordship of Christ. Having conquered death by means of his resurrection, Christ has gained lordship over all. Whether they live or they die, they belong to Christ and are accountable to Christ. This understanding is the bedrock of Christian ethics.

The rabbis taught that the duty to forgive was fulfilled if one forgave an offender three times. Peter must have thought that he was being extraordinarily generous if he forgave seven times. However, Jesus indicates that not even this is enough. He insists that we must be willing to forgive seventy-seven times. In other words, there must be no limit to our forgiveness. The radical nature of Jesus’ parable illustrates this. With one simple statement Jesus draws a connection between the generosity of the king and that of God. If God is willing to forgive the exorbitant debt we owe God, surely we can forgive the paltry debts owed us.