‘I die the king’s good servant but God’s servant first.’ …these words were heard from the lips of St. Thomas More just before he was executed for defying King Henry VII. Henry demanded that Thomas sign the oath of supremacy, swearing his allegiance to the King over the Pope.  St. Thomas More remained obedient to God and the Church by refusing Henry’s request and thus was beheaded. At his execution, St. Thomas More stated, “I die the king’s good servant but God’s servant first.”

The story of St. Thomas More’s fidelity to God fits the Gospel well this weekend. The Pharisees and religious leaders tried to trick Jesus with a question. “Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?” If Jesus said yes, he would have been accused of idolatry, breaking Jewish law. If Jesus said no, he would have been accused of disobeying Roman law. They thought they had Jesus tricked until he drew their attention to the image on a coin and replied masterfully, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”  In other words, give to Caesar what has his image, but give to God what has his image.

What has God’s image on it? In the book of Genesis, “God said: ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.’ Give to God what is made in his image and likeness! Jesus reminded his audience that we are called to give God that which has been made in His image, our very lives, loving him with all our heart, mind and soul.

Certainly we are called to obey those God has put in authority over us. Thomas More was a faithful Chancellor to King Henry VIII. However, when Henry’s rules conflicted with God’s law, those rules became null and void. Perhaps this is why St. Thomas More is the patron saint of lawyers and politicians. Civil leaders are reminded, especially Christians, that God’s law must reign supreme.

My brothers and sisters, during this month of October, we remember that we are called to respect & reverence all life from conception to natural death and educate this world so that our laws may reflect the Divine and the natural law. We continue to obey civil laws but in the end, may we all be able to say, “I die God’s faithful servant above all else!”

I was talking with my nieceKatelast week and she told me that she was selected to participate in New Hampshire’s Republican Debate next month and to ask a question of the U.S. presidential hopefuls. Of course the next excitable statement out of her mouth was, “I’ve got to get a new dress, but I don’t know what color! …Mom and I have to go to Boston or NYC to go shopping…” Of course, I suggested she wear what she wore last weekend to Mass. “I’m sure that would be grand”, I said…to which she replied, “Ughh, stop it, Uncle Dave!”

Clearly Kate realized and valued the importance of the upcoming meeting. She wanted to put her best foot forward, to respectfully acknowledge the importance of the event, and to be accepted as someone who could be taken seriously.

This isn’t something foreign to any of us, is it?

• When we were teens or even young adults, we dreamed of dating that someone special…and when miraculously the first date was accepted or set, each one of us primped and preened. • When we applied for college, we were scared to death that we wouldn’t get accepted, so we did everything we could to build up that résumé and application and get the best character references possible. • When we sought after our firstor, for that matter, anyjob, we nervously and anxiously hoped & hoped that we’d be called for an interview. And if it happened, we’d be sure to present our best, so that our potential employer couldn’t refuse to make us an offer! • And when, for example, we applied for a first-time home buyers’ loan or applied to a Co-Op Board for acceptance into a new housing community, we prayed we wouldn’t be turned down… we wanted to be sure all our ducksand good letters of recommendationwere in order.

Yes, when we present ourselves to something or someone important, we are always sure to present our very best, aren’t we?

And so, when the prophet Isaiah announces (from our first reading) that “the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast”, there’s no greater high-presence that we could enter; no loftier banquet for us to engage in; no more powerful court to be accepted into. This banquet of the Lord is surely the greatest feast we could ever enjoy! And what’s even more impressive and glorious is that such a feast is not only provided for a few, but “…for all peoples”! We won’t have to be afraid of getting snubbed by a short invitation list; we don’t have to worry that only the powerful or wealthy or best-connected will be there…we’re also invited. There’s no hierarchy or order to the invited list…each one of us can sit at the head of the table as well as the foot!

Now, I know what you’re thinking: it can’t be true. And our gospel is probably coming to mind: the story of the improperly dressed attendee and how he is treated by the host king. It appears that only a certain few, well-dressed attendees will be welcome to the Lord’s banquet.

 

Not so, and the reason lies within two issues: first, that we accept His invitation is important; but second, how we accept His invitation is just as important. The Gospel parable illustrates these two necessary, intersecting points by using the image of a wedding feast and proper attire. But remember, this is a parable…a story that points to a deeper reality that must be discerned and interpreted…our own particular situations applied then to a global, universal truth, such as “the Kingdom of God” and “the heavenly banquet”.

For example, in the sacrament of the Eucharist, God invites all people to taste His great love, yes? And as we participate in this great liturgy, God increases our desire and readiness for the heavenly banquet that is to come. How will we respond to the Lord’s invitation to the wedding banquet of His Son? Will we be too preoccupied with worldly affairs to accept it humbly? Or will we respond with hearts overflowing with love and gratitude for the Lord’s gift of refreshment and the opportunity to dwell in His house forever?

Jesus said, “Many are called, but few are chosen”. The king rejected the improperly dressed man because he did not regard his invitation as a great honor. He did not clothe himself with “the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness”. The guests who were dressed in wedding garments recognized God’s abundant mercy and love as their only source of strength and hope, so they “clothed” themselves with this mercy.

Let us embrace God’s gift of love and grace in this Eucharist, and let us hear His invitation with humble, prayerful hearts and minds and voices.

By doing so, God will enable us to accept wholeheartedly His invitation to join in the celebration of the wedding feast of the lamb.

God love you always.

The story of the wicked, wretched tenants is an allegory of salvation history, is it not?  God, the owner of the vineyard, left His people in the care and protection of religious and political leaders.  Their responsibility was to bring the people to fruitfulness in knowing, loving and obeying God so they might continue to enjoy His love and protection.  From time to time, God sent His prophets to remind the people of this purpose, but the prophets were abused, rejected, and even murdered.  Finally, God sent His Son, but He too was reviled and put to death.

Jesus’ mission on earth was to form the church, a new people of God.  United by submission and obedience to the Father’s will, they would live out the fullness of God’s life and love, and would one day enjoy the eternal inheritance promised to all the faithful.  We are often like the tenants who sought by devious means to obtain the owner’s inheritance, and thus we become our own lord and master.  There is a pride in the human that spurs us to take control of our lives and seek fulfillment apart from God and obedience to Him.

God’s earnest desire is that the members of His church listen to and commit their lives to His Son as we hear God’s Word in prayer, scripture, and celebration of the liturgy.  It is only through Jesus and in union with Him that we can recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit.  Thank God in prayer for the love He offers us in Jesus and for the intimacy to which He calls us as members of His church.  Ask Jesus to be the Lord of your life so that–living in Him and for Him–we may be faithful to God, know the peace and glory of His favor and protection, and return to Him the fruit that is His due.

God love you always.

Are You Envious Because I Am Generous?

The owner of the vineyard in today’s gospel parable reserves the right to pay his employees not on the basis of their own merits but rather on the basis of his own compassion.

Generosity condemned as injustice

In today’s parable, why should such generosity be condemned as injustice? This idea finds its roots and deepest meaning in the Old Testament understanding of God the Creator who is good and generous to all who turn to him. This is the God in whom Jesus believed and lived, but in the person of Jesus, the divine compassion, the divine mercy, the divine goodness surpassed the divine justice. Therefore all who follow Jesus as his disciples and friends much imitate this extraordinary compassion and lavish generosity and never question, deny it or begrudge it.

The eleventh-hour workers

Perhaps many of us feel strongly with the disgruntled workers at the end of the parable. How often have we known whimsical employers who have compensated lazy or problematic workers far too generously, rather than acknowledging the faithful, dedicated day-in day-out workers? We may ask ourselves: How can God be so unfair? How can God overlook his most faithful workers? Underneath this parable is the issue of bargaining with God. From the very beginnings of religion it has been assumed that we mortals can bargain with the gods to obtain from them what we want.

How many times have we experienced this in our Church belonging and service? Some may grumble and claim that their long, dedicated, tireless service qualifies them instantly for higher pay, higher rank, and greater privilege and prestige. It is precisely at moments like this that we must humbly acknowledge that we are like those eleventh-hour workers.

Not one of us deserves the blessings that God has prepared for us. Our grumbling and lateral gazing often lead to serious resentments that are hard to shake off. All our good works give us no claim upon God. How much less do we have the right to demand, even if we have done everything we ought to do, that we should be honored and rewarded by God in a special manner as if we were such meritorious indispensable persons in His service? The word “entitlement” does not exist in the vocabulary of the Kingdom of God.

The only remedy to such sentiments is to look upon the merciful face of Jesus and thus recognize God’s lavish generosity in the flesh. Human logic is limited but the mercy and grace of God know no limits or boundaries. God doesn’t act by our standards. This means that we must see God and accept Him, in our brother and sister just as God has wished them to be. When God chooses a person, granting him particular graces, blessings or gifts, God does not reject the other person nor deprives him of His grace.

God’s graces and blessings are boundless, and each person receives his or her own share. God’s choice of a person or people should not be a cause of pride in those chosen, or rejection of those not chosen. It is only when the two parties live in humility and simplicity, and recognize together a God of love and mercy at work in their lives, that they will they will begin to learn the real meaning of love and justice, and finally come to reconciliation and deep, mutual understanding.

Last weekend, our scriptures invited & encouraged each one of us to consider our stewardship of God’s grace and virtue; most particularly, in the ways that we admonish and correct and build up one another.  This weekend, our Sacred Scriptures are inviting us to consider more aspects of the Stewardship of God’s grace: we possess the ability to forgiveand do so often & freelyand we possess the inclination to be a Christian people filled with hope.

Last weekend, I invited each of us to consider reflecting on gossip and derision: those self-centered inclinations toward judgment and ultimately, toward sin.  I invited you to seek forgiveness from someone whom you may have hurt or toward whom you had been unkind.  If you made such an attempt, you did so with some fear, with humility, yes…but also with a sense of hope: hope that they would see your goodness, hear your confession and offer you a new start; welcoming you back into an authentic friendship with them.  Hopefully, the words of the prophet Sirach guided the person you approached:

Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight. The vengeful will suffer the LORD’s vengeance, for he remembers their sins in detail. Forgive your neighbor’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven.

This is one of the reasons for our hope, is it not?  The Lord reminds us through the prophet that although we are inclined to grasp hold of anger and resentment, we are made for something very different: we are made for an ongoing cycle of reconciliation and forgiveness; we are made for enduring little deaths so that we might cling to new life; we are made to move through the difficulties and sufferings of this present age so that we can have our hope fulfilledthat we can live fully in the life of the Risen Christ.

Yes, Jesuswho died on the Crossshared an encounter with us who have faith: an encounter with the living God and an encounter with a hope stronger than the sufferings of fear, of terror, of horror and of death.  And it is this encounter with hope that can now transform us anew: to be a people of faith in God’s promise; to be a people of ongoing forgiveness; to be a people of ever-growing hope in the face of God who loves us, draws near to us and deeply longs for our friendship.

And we see so clearly in the story told by Christ in today’s gospel that because we are forgiven time and time again, we, too, must offer forgiveness time and time again.  We ask for forgiveness with a sure and certain hope that we will be received and forgiven; we offer forgiveness time and time again so that hope in our own forgiveness will be assured.  This ongoing cycle of loving reconciliation is a further demonstration that our hope is not foolish, but rather, our hope is a gift of God’s grace.

Today, on September 11^th, God’s gifts of grace are still flowing. Earlier today, Pope Benedict expressed his prayerful solidarity with each of us as our country marks the 10th anniversary of the attacks of 9/11.  Our Holy Father writes:

“On this day my thoughts turn to the somber events of September 11, 2001, when so many innocent lives were lost…. I join you in commending the thousands of victims to the infinite mercy of Almighty God and in asking our heavenly Father to continue to console those who mourn the loss of loved ones.”

The Holy Father continued:

“The American people are to be commended for the courage and generosity that they showed in the rescue operations and for their resilience in moving forward with hope…”

God’s grace is encouraging useven nowto be a people of faith and of hope.  So, as a people of faith, let us pray together, today during this Mass and for a few moments outside at our memorial firepray that God will receive the souls of those who died so unexpectedly and unjustly on that day ten years ago.  By doing so, we can affirm our Gospel faith that however and whenever death comes for us, life is changed, but not ended.  We can remember that wethe livingcan help others after their deaths by our continual prayers for them.  And we can strengthen our hope that our own lives, even when burdened by worry and overshadowed by death, will lead to a wonderful and glorious future with the heavenly saints, and angels…and God himself.  Pray, too, for those who continue to suffer from fear and ongoing terror: such sins against God’s love for us.  Pray, finally, that we will be a new people of forgiveness and peace, founded on the virtue of hope

On this anniversary of 9/11, and whenever the troubles of earth tempt us to lose sight of heaven, let us remember the truths of our faith and the gifts of God’s grace.  Thus the sting of death is diminished and the light of hope shines on the path ahead of us.

God love you…always