Seeking the Lord in Unity:
The 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time
September 24, 2023
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Isaiah 55:6-9; Psalm 145; Philippians 1:20-27; Matthew 20:1-16
The Isaiah passage begins, “Seek the Lord while He may be found,” and then continues, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways.” These are helpful words to always remember, but especially this week as the Church gathers in Rome to inaugurate the Universal phase of the Synod. I’ll speak of the Gospel a little later because the reception of the Synod is quite important, and many in the U.S. are not warm to receiving it well.
In Rome, several bishops will be elevated to the rank of Cardinals and will be able to vote for the next Pope. Three of these new Cardinals are from troubled spots in the world where Christians are being persecuted: Palestine-Jerusalem, Sudan, and Mongolia. These are powerful statements to the nearby autocratic governments, and they also show that the Pope is going to the ends of the earth to represents Catholics who have not had a say at the table. These Cardinals will be able to speak of very real needs that are not present in the West – religious persecution, religions liberties, fundamental human rights, economic emergence from post-colonial empires, and the existential threat caused by climate change.
The Church is also convening a set of meetings to share responsibility in church governance, and its goals are communion, participation, and mission. Some in the West might think the meeting is to advance discussions on married priests, women deacons, and the blessings of gay couples, but, while those topics may be brought up, they are far from the major points of conversation. These meetings are essentially the church’s period of self-reflection, and it may be better understood as collegiality. The church is doing its collective examination of conscience and consciousness. It is a way to enlarge the space of one’s tent as it examines itself as a worldwide communion. Who are we as Catholics? Who are we as Christians? The Church wants to hear directly from the people of God about their suffering, concerns, and needs. It is an authentic way of understanding the problems of the world and together charting a course forward to resolve present tensions. The worldwide church is complex and is quite different from the understanding of the U.S., which comprises only 6% of the church.
This is where the Gospel comes in. The landowner invites laborers to work the vineyards and will pay a just wage. Some laborers become resentful because those who came to the labor force later are given the same wage, and they express their anger. Let’s relate it to the Synod. Some bishops and priests in the U.S. are upset that others are invited to the table. In the past, only bishops and a few priests attended these meetings. Now, women have a seat at the table; people who represent LGBTQIA people are at the table; diverse nations across the world are sending representatives, and many in the U.S. church are dealing with this passive-aggressively. They are dismissing and diminishing the meetings as attempts to change doctrine, and they do not fully understand the intentions and goals of this new style of being church. Many want to hold onto the old ways and do not want to Church to be responsive to the real, genuine needs of the people of God. They are acting like the resentful laborers who are upset that those who arrived late can get the same wage as they earned.
Let’s return to Isaiah. Seek the Lord while he may be found. That is the task of these meetings – to seek how the Lord is guiding us and to follow the Spirit’s lead. This is an exciting time for the Church. Society is changing rapidly, and the Church reflects the larger society. The Church begins an ambitious, energetic period of making itself relevant to a world that seeks God in all things. This is a time of mysticism and mystery when the Church opens up to the mind, heart, and imagination of the Holy Spirit. No one knows what will happen, yet we need our souls to remain open. The beauty in this new style of church is our willingness to come together, to express our emotions and need, and to know that very fully, very honestly, the Church cares to hear what you have to say.
Scripture for Daily Mass
Monday: (Isaiah 55) Seek the Lord while he may be found, call him while he is near. Let the scoundrel forsake his way, and the wicked his thoughts; let him turn to the Lord for mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving.
Tuesday: (Ezra 1) The Lord inspired King Cyrus of Persia to issue this proclamation throughout his kingdom, both by word of mouth and in writing: "Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia: 'All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord, the God of heaven, has given to me, and he has also charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
Wednesday: (Ezra 6) Let the governor and the elders of the Jews continue the work on that house of God; they are to rebuild it on its former site. I also issue this decree concerning your dealing with these elders of the Jews in the rebuilding of that house of God.
Thursday: (Ezra 9) I said: "My God, I am too ashamed and confounded to raise my face to you, O my God, for our wicked deeds are heaped up above our heads and our guilt reaches up to heaven.
Friday (Haggar 1) This people says: "The time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord." (Then this word of the Lord came through Haggai, the prophet:)
Is it time for you to dwell in your own paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?
Saturday (Daniel 7) Thrones were set up and the Ancient One took his throne. His clothing was bright as snow, and the hair on his head as white as wool; His throne was flames of fire, with wheels of burning fire.
Gospel:
Monday: (Matthew 20) The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard.
Tuesday: (Luke 8) No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light.
Wednesday (Luke 8) The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him but were unable to join him because of the crowd. He was told, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and they wish to see you."
Thursday (Luke 9) Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there.
And as for those who do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them.
Friday (Luke 9) Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying, "John has been raised from the dead";
others were saying, "Elijah has appeared"; still others, "One of the ancient prophets has arisen."
Saturday (John 1) Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, "Here is a true child of Israel. There is no duplicity in him." Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?"
Saints of the Week
September 26: Cosmas and Damian, martyrs (d. 287), were twins who became doctors. They were noted because they never charged anyone a medical fee. They died in the Diocletian persecution. Great miracles have been attributed to them and the Emperor Justinian is claimed to be healed through their intercession.
September 27: Vincent de Paul, priest (1581-1660), was a French peasant who selected to be chaplain at the Queen's household after his ordination. He provided food and clothing to the poor, including prostitutes, the sick, disabled, and homeless. He founded the Congregation of Missions (Vincentians) to preach and train clergy and he co-founded the Daughters of Charity with Louise de Marillac.
September 28: Wenceslaus, martyr (907-929), was raised a Christian by his grandmother while his mother and brother were opposed to Christianity. His brother opposed him when he became ruler of Bohemia in 922. He introduced strict reforms that caused great dissatisfaction among nobles and political adversaries. His brother invited him to a religious ceremony where he was killed in a surprise attack.
September 28: Lawrence Ruiz and 15 companion martyrs (seventeenth century), were killed in Nagasaki, Japan during 1633 and 1637. Most of these Christians were friends of the Dominicans. Lawrence, a Filipino, was a husband and father. He and these other missionaries served the Philippines, Formosa, and Japan.
September 29: Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, archangels are long a part of Christian and Jewish scripture. Michael is the angel who fights against evil as the head of all the angels; Gabriel announces the messiah's arrival and the births of Jesus and John the Baptist; and Raphael is a guardian angel who protects Tobias on his journey. Together, they are venerated to represent all the angels during a three-day period.
September 30: Jerome, priest and doctor (342-420), studied Greek and Latin as a young man after his baptism by Pope Liberius. He learned Hebrew when he became a monk and after ordination he studied scripture with Gregory Nazianzen in Constantinople. He became secretary to the Pope when he was asked to translate the Bible into Latin.
This Week in Jesuit History
- September 24, 1566. The first Jesuits entered the continental United States at Florida. Pedro Martinez and others, while attempting to land, were driven back by the natives, and forced to make for the island of Tatacuran. He was killed there three weeks later.
- September 25, 1617. The death of Francisco Suarez. He wrote 24 volumes on philosophy and theology. As a novice he was found to be very dull, but one of his directors suggested that he ask our Lady's help. He subsequently became a person of prodigious talent.
- September 26, 1605. At Rome, Pope Paul V orally declared St Aloysius to be one of the "Blessed." The official brief appeared on October 19.
- September 27, 1540. Pope Paul III signed the Bull, Regimini Militantis Ecclesiae, which established the Society of Jesus.
- September 28, 1572. Fifteen Jesuits arrived in Mexico to establish the Mexican Province. They soon opened a college.
- September 29, 1558. In the Gesu, Rome, and elsewhere, the Jesuits began to keep Choir, in obedience to an order from Paul IV. This practice lasted less than a year, until the pope's death in August, 1559.
September 30, 1911. President William Howard Taft visited Saint Louis University and declared the football season open.
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