Year A

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 The justice with which he pays the laborers is superseded by his generosity.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.

Jan 15 2025

A Job Nobody Wants

We can respond in different ways when someone wrongs us: we can ignore the offense, cut off the offender, announce our anger or hurt, or be equally offensive. Perhaps you have tried each of these. Jesus sets out another way for his disciples. First, go to the person and point out the failure; if that doesn’t work, take another with you; if that doesn’t work, “refer it to the church.” And if that doesn’t work, “treat the person as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.”

This last remark could sound like even Jesus put limits on what you had to do to bring a person around, especially since tax collectors were generally held in contempt and Gentiles kept at a distance. But this wasn’t so for Jesus; these were the very ones he reached out to. So, his last remark indicates that you never stop trying to win over another.

These words are part of Jesus’ fourth speech in Matthew’s Gospel, focused on life within the community of his followers. They are to be a community of reconciliation. This call to engage in fraternal correction has got to be one of the more difficult aspects of living out the way of Jesus, by loving others enough to tell them when they are committing a wrong. It’s frequently much easier to let it slide or move away from the person altogether.

Paul’s exhortation to “owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another” finds fulfillment in this difficult area of fraternal correction. Such love fulfills the law.

Consider/Discuss

How do you react when someone wrongs you?
Do you see any value in the process Jesus sets out here?
Do you accept that being a church community means correcting those who do wrong?

Responding to the Word

We may need to ask God for the courage to face those who have wronged us and tell them of their failure. We pray to the Spirit whose work is to bring about unity, strengthening the bonds of love between all disciples so that this love may extend to all creation.

Jan 15 2025

Scripture Study for

Today’s first reading is an oracle of appointment, a personal message to the prophet himself. Ezekiel is called to be a watchman. He is entrusted with keeping watch over the entire house of Israel. He fulfills this role when he proclaims God’s words of warning, and God will hold him responsible if he does not protect the people by means of his proclamation. The wording of the oracle implies that there is still time for the people. The sinner can still be called back from sin. However, in a very real sense this all depends upon the prophet’s fidelity to his call to be watchman.

Paul tells the Christians of Rome that on the one hand they should owe nothing, while on the other hand they should owe everything, for love requires total self-giving. The debt of love is not an obligation that can be paid once for all. It is more like interest for which we are always liable. Love will take different forms, depending upon circumstances. When we truly love others, we desire only what is good for those we love. Following the teaching of Jesus, the love that Paul exhorts is to be extended to all people without exception. According to Paul, love is the fulfillment of the law.

Reconciliation within the community is such a pressing concern that its maintenance is a matter of church discipline. The Gospel reading describes the procedure to be followed in achieving it. The importance of the community in this process is apparent. First, it is the entire group of disciples, not merely its leader, that exercises disciplinary power. Second, Jesus declares that any agreement arrived at by two members of this group will be heard. He is not here talking about prayer in general, but prayer for guidance in coming to a decision that will affect the community’s well-being. Jesus promises to be present in his church if the members turn to him for guidance.