29th Sunday of the Year (A)

Edited Sunday reflections: From liturgical year 2014 (A)

October 19, 2014
Liturgical readings
Isaiah 45:1, 4-6
Psalm 96
1 Thessalonians 1:1-5b
Matthew 22:15-21

"Lord, we know you teach God's way sincerely."

Although the Pharisees and the Herodians said this statement in bad faith, "Lord, we know you teach God's way sincerely," the Lord used it as a wedge to teach the wisdom of God. And God's wisdom sometimes presents a solution that eliminates any conflict of interest, in this case between paying taxes to the Roman emperor or not.

The Hebraic Law, which the Pharisees uphold, emphasizes the following of numerous and complex legalities. And much of the ministry and apostolic works Jesus performed went against many of them. So the Pharisees always sought occasions to trap the Lord in His speech. This Sunday's gospel presents one such occasion.

We read in the gospel how the Pharisees asked Jesus: "Is it lawful to pay tax to the emperor or not"? Jesus gave a simple solution. He did not quote any law of the Roman Empire nor any law of their Jewish religion to solve the conflict of interest. This would only complicate the matter all the more. So He simply asked for a coin used to pay the taxes. This coin is a concrete object with text and an image inscribed on it that everyone can see plainly. Then Jesus questioned the Pharisees: "Whose head is this inscription"? When the group of Pharisees and Herodians answered, "Caesar's", the Lord replied:

"Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, but give to God what is God's."

Jesus teaches from a perspective and a context that is beyond the worldly understanding of the Pharisees and the Herodians of His time. He preached about God's Kingdom and its spiritual treasures. And He taught about this Kingdom and its treasures to the people in a format they were all familiar with: like the previous Sundays' parables. Those parables describe familiar situations:

• a father with a vineyard and two sons (26th Sunday of the Year),
• a father with a vineyard who sent his son to obtain the harvest where the tenants worked for pay (27th Sunday of the Year),
• and a father-king who organized a wedding feast for his son and invited both those who have and those who have not (28th Sunday of the Year).

The people naturally listened more to Jesus because He spoke about family, vineyards, tenants, kings, and servants. Plain everyday realities that His people easily understood. The Pharisees naturally became hostile to His leadership. They were not only threatened because Jesus challenges their legal experitise and authority, but because Jesus presents, in its nascense, what will be "universally" right, true, and good for all cultures and time.

But since Jesus was born, lived, and worked in a specific time and culture, He complies with what is required of taxation laws by the Roman authorities over the Jewish people. And this is what amazed the Pharisees with His reply: He juxtaposes both the requirement to pay taxes and obedience to the will of God in a manner that, as it were, resolves the issue.

The gospel this Sunday also presents the theme of a people subject to a foreign governing power: of the Jewish people under the Roman Empire. When Christ said, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's", He brought clarity to an issue concerning their Jewish religion and the laws of the Roman Empire. This is similar to present laws separating the Church and the State. With many aware of the laws separating Church and State, Catholics know that practicing a moral balance in obeying these two institutions is the right thing to do. And respecting the laws of both institutions is also cultivating respect for oneself as well as for others.

Both the laws of the Church and the laws of the State are meant to bring order, peace, and harmony to all individuals, families, communities, institutions, and nations. The order implemented by both intersect and bring about a creative tension that produces the basic services needed by all: food, clothing, housing, essential services, and security from the State, and the life of the human spirit and moral standards from the Church necessary for ethical conduct in the management of these goods and services for themselves and the common good.

God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to save both the individual and societal structures from the sinful state and situation they find themselves in since time began. Jesus became man to heal both personal sin and social sin that causes darkness, lack, and disorder in the life of any individual or society. This mission of Jesus is continued since biblical times to this day by the Church and her missionaries to heal all cultures and generations from the causes and effects of sin. And the Church works in coordination with the international order to heal families, communities, and nations from any social structure that deprives them of life, dignity, respect, and especially, justice.

The Church is brings healing to a world wounded by sin in many ways: through apostolic works, educational institutions, parish/diocesan structures, and through the Sacraments. She provides a rich treasury of spiritualities that bring order to personal lives and to all social structures. And the strength comes from Heaven. God's grace helps the Church to persevere in this mission even with the sinfulness her own members also have to contend with. It happens and succeeds one day at a time, one Sunday Mass at a time, one religious consecration at a time, one ordination at a time, one mission at a time, one parish community at a time, one school building at a time. Conscientization takes time. But they do happen. It is the work of God's Spirit in the Church. When there is healing from sin, all can see that order, justice, and peace have their ultimate source in a God who entered human history and became part of it.

Scripture quote:
"Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, but give to God what is God's." (Matthew 22)

28th Sunday of the Year (A)

Edited Sunday reflection for October 11, 2026, from the year 2014 (A)

October 12, 2014
Liturgical readings
Isaiah 25:6-10a
Psalm 23
Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20
Matthew 22:1-14

"They rounded up everyone they met, bad as well as good."

Some parables of Jesus involve the theme of God's judgment. This Sunday's parable of the wedding feast is a good example of that theme. The judgment of God is shown through an analogy made for the parable, with a king representing the image of God.

The parable presents a king who organized a big banquet for his son's wedding and sent out invitations. When the feast was ready, the king ordered his servants to summon those invited for the wedding feast, but those invited refused to come. The king then sent a second group of servants. The servants encountered these responses: one ignored the invitation and went to his farm, another did the same to manage his business, and the rest got hold of the servants and killed them. The king naturally got furious, and in his wrath, he sent his army to destroy the killers and burned their city.

Now the wedding feast for his son had already been prepared. It would be a great waste if the feast did not proceed. So the king again sent out his servants to invite anyone they could see. The servants invited everyone, filling the wedding hall with guests, both bad and good.

How do the classics interpret this parable?

According to St. Thomas of Aquinas, the banquet in the parable is like the Eucharistic banquet. In the Eucharist, all are invited to come and partake of it - both saints and sinners. All are healed and comforted. Sins are purged away. Virtues are increased. Souls are enriched with an abundance of every spiritual gift. All who celebrate the Eucharist are privileged to receive the wonderful effects which every Mass provides.

The Eucharist is not exclusive; it is inclusive - always seeking to include more. But even when the invitation is for all, some do not give the Sacrament the importance and value it has since Christ instituted it in the Last Supper. As the Christian faith grew in the history of the Church, not all were consistent with their baptismal vows. They "ignore it, go their way to their farm or to their business". And others even lay hold of its servants, "insulting them and killing them" - as the many names of martyrs in the martyrology of the Church testify.

From another perspective, the point of the parable can be explained in a modern context. Fr. Herman Hendrickx, CICM, a well known bible scholar and professor, wrote about this in his book, "The Parables of Jesus." His analysis of the text is very exegetical. But it can be understood, by simply looking at the types of persons represented in the parable: the rich and the poor. It was the rich and the well-to-do who saw excuses to ignore the invitation. They had a farm, a business, and even political clout to disrespect the king's servants and kill them.

Since the setting of the story was a "kingdom" and kings had absolute power, those who killed his servants thus received the judgment of the king - their death and the burning of their city. But there is another theme, not that obvious, that can be gleaned from this parable. There is also the message of grace - a gift, something totally gratuitous. The invitation to the wedding feast extended now to those who did not expect it; those who were well-to-do with farms and businesses, but maybe not "known to the king" or not within the king's "inner circle". And this is the great blessing: it included the poor and the outcasts who may have heard about the event but naturally did not expect to be invited. All were gathered in the wedding hall.

Returning to the story, the parable continues with the king entering the wedding hall to meet the guests. It appears that there was one without a wedding garment. The king was not happy with that guest and had his servants put him out of the wedding hall. This has been interpreted by some bible scholars as representing Christians who receive baptism but do not behave or conform in a way which is consistent with their initial baptismal response. Many are indeed invited, but few are chosen.

Applying the analogy of the wedding banquet as pointing to the Eucharist, just as the king's wedding feast for his son invited both rich and poor, the Eucharist is for all political, socio-cultural and economic classes. Christ instituted the Eucharist for everyone. The sacrament is meant to strengthen the good in all, and to prune away what is evil. The Church's mission is to make known the value and importance of God's Word and Sacrament in the Eucharist. But the Church also respects religious freedom and teaches that non-Catholics who do not convert to the Church can still receive salvation from God, but not its fullness. A Vatican II document teaches that full salvation still "subsists" in the Catholic Church.

This is one reason why the Church now integrates religious freedom as a human right, but at the same time continues to send and expand the Kingdom of God through its priestly, religious, and lay missionaries. These missionaries teach the Bible, the prayer traditions, and the value of the Sacraments to non-Catholics and non-believers. They certainly deserve the universal Church's prayers and support, because even in this present time, the experience of God's servants being "insulted and killed" for witnessing to the Christ of the gospels is a continuing reality.

We know that commitment is not cheap. Through the hard work of these missionaries, God's faithfulness and mercy become real. God in the Church continues to call, to enter people's lives, and make them aware of Christ, His Son, the great spiritual treasure of the Eucharist. And the Church brings this treasure even to the remotest mountain villages of the world.

Scripture quote:
"On this mountain the Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples...a feast of rich food and choice wines...The Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces; the reproach of his people he will remove from the whole earth." (Isaiah 25)

27th Sunday of the Year (A)

Edited for October 4, 2026, from Sunday Reflections, year 2014 (A)

October 5, 2014
Isaiah 5:1-7
Psalm 80
Philippians 4:6-9
Matthew 21:33-43

"He sent his son, but the tenants killed him."

This Sunday's gospel passage is about the parable of the wicked tenants.

There are three parables in succession for three Sundays in a row, all from the gospel of Matthew:

• the first one, 26th Sunday Year A, Matthew 21:28-32, was last Sep 27, 2026
• the second one, 27th Sunday Year A, Matthew 21:33-43, Oct 4, 2026
• the third one, 28th Sunday Year A, Matthew 22:1-14, will be on Oct 11, 2026

The first one is the parable of the two sons, Mt 21:28-32, while this Sunday's parable is the parable of the wicked tenants. Next Sunday's parable is the parable of the wedding banquet, Mt 22:1-14.

When reading these three parables, one can discover a common pattern of protagonist pairing - that of a father and a son. This father-son theme runs throughout the three parables: father and second-son (or first-son, depending on your New Testament translation) in the first parable; father-landowner and son-who-inherits in the second parable; and father-king and son-bridegroom in the third parable.

Strongly emphasized in these father-son protagonist pairs is the will of the father on the son/sons, or over those he has authority over, which includes the tenants in the second parable, and servants in the third parable.

Reading the parables in detail, one will notice that in the first parable, after the father gave a command to two sons, only one did the father's will and went into the vineyard to work. There is one instance of disobedience and obedience on the part of each of the two sons. However, in reality, we are not to judge the other son who said "Yes", but did not go to the vineyard. The parable is only meant to simplify the moral lesson that people change: sinners repent, amend their ways, and do God's will. And God selects a chosen few, like St. Augustine of Hippo, to lead a heroic life of virtue that His Kingdom may be built on strong foundations.

Returning to this Sunday's parable of the father-landowner and the son-who-inherits-the-vineyard, it is plain to see that the son fully obeyed his father's will. The disobedience in this case comes from the wicked tenants. These tenants were judged as wicked because of three instances where they abused and killed the people sent by the father: the first two instances involved the abuse and killing of a group of servants, while the third and last instance was the abuse and killing of the father-landowner's son. The goal of the tenants was to grab the inheritance that was meant for the son. And there is a hint of rebellion that may be planned by the tenants against the landowner.

What do existing writings say about this parable?

Bishop Fulton Sheen wrote something about this parable in his book "Life of Christ". He makes an analogy. He writes that God (symbolized in the parable by the father-landowner of the vineyard), was not wearied out with the cruelty and evil of the people (the tenants). By sending a second group of servants, God was giving the wicked people an opportunity to repent and not to repeat the evil they did. It is the will of God to bring those people (the tenants) to obey His will. However, when the second group of servants was ill-treated as the first group, God finally sent His Son. But the people, still steeped in their wickedness, mercilessly killed the Son.

With just this simple parable, Jesus provided His hearers a glimpse of the whole history of salvation. God sent many prophets to His people Israel to warn them of their wicked ways. But His people continued to kill these prophets. We only have to read about the many prophets who were ill-treated and killed by biblical-historical Israel. A list of examples is given below:

• Jeremiah was thrown into a cistern,
• Jonah was thrown into the sea,
• Zechariah was stoned to death
• Micaiah was slapped and imprisoned
• Uriah was hunted down and executed with a sword
• Elijah was hunted under death threats, and
• John the Baptist, the last of the OT prophets, was beheaded

This is how biblical-historical Israel continued to treat the "servants" of God.

However, when the time was right, God sent His Son, Jesus, to proclaim His Kingdom and to know His will. But still steeped in their sins, a generation of biblical-historical Israelites still did not heed the warning which the prophets had given. They nailed Jesus, God's only begotten Son, to the Cross, and killed Him. The Father, however, vindicated His Son. He raised Jesus from the dead, through the power of the Holy Spirit, and made Him the cornerstone of the Church. It is the Church that now continues the work of Jesus to bring all humanity to repent and obey God's will.

That is the point of this Sunday's gospel. God does not give up on His people, even when they had killed all those He had sent before Jesus. And it is not only biblical-historical Israel that needs repentance, but all humanity, especially at this time.

There is another perspective that can be examined in this parable of the wicked tenants. Remember that the goal of the father-landowner was to claim the harvest of "his investment" from the tenants. He was a "businessman", with a son who may have had some knowledge of their family business. Otherwise, the father would not trust him and send him for that purpose.

But what happened? The tenants' hearts continued to be filled with sin since the killing of the two groups of servants that the father-landowner sent. Their hearts were intent on gaining what they wanted without obeying the father-landowner. Their sin is grievous because they not only ill-treated the servants but killed some as well. It is a just act for the father-landowner to give the evil tenants a bad end and lease his vineyard to other tenants who would yield the grapes he wants to harvest in due time.

Given these two perspectives, one can see the mission of the Church to lead all humanity to a change of heart (metanoia) - to obey the Lord and do His will. On one level, the Church prays that all may repent, amend their ways, and return to follow the gospel values which Jesus has taught in all His parables. On another level, the Church also promotes the ideal of social justice, the just distribution of this world's goods, human and workers' rights and dignity, and solidarity among workers (unions). Both are missionary activities of the Church. And the Church is able to do so not only through active missionary work, but also, and more significantly, through the source and summit of all God's graces: the Eucharist. For it is ultimately God's Spirit, in Word and Sacrament, that can effect a change of heart (metanoia) in the hearts of all peoples. And once there is a significant number of people who find God and make Him the center of all in their work and life, then God's presence and actions become real in the world again. Zeal for the missions irrupts into the world again.

Scripture quotes for reflection:
"The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his cherished plant." (Isaiah 5)

See also: Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.