Gospel Reflection – The Vineyard of the Lord
“Let me sing to my friend the song of his love for his vineyard”. These are the opening words of today’s First Reading from Isaiah. However, it turns out to be a sad song about a neglected vineyard that produced sour wine. The Responsorial Psalm identifies the vineyard as the House of Israel….
Gospel Reflection – 26 Sunday, Year A
Francis Mary: Patron Saint for a Pandemic There’s more trouble down the farm today. In last Sunday’s Gospel it was grumbling over wages in the vineyard. This Sunday (Matt 21:28-31) it’s a father’s confrontation with a son who said he would do the job but he didn’t. Conversely, the other son stamped out in blunt…
Gospel Reflection – 25th Sunday Year A – God’s Generosity
God’s Generosity “Why be envious because I am generous?” The story of the workers in the vineyard is not about paying a fair wage (Matt 20:1-16). The parable is about envy. Every worker got the agreed payment. The horrible aspect of envy is that it is a negative reaction to some goodness or success that…
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A), Gospel Reflection
The Beauty of Forgiveness In today’s Gospel (Matt 18:21-35) we continue the moral teaching of how to follow the ideals of Jesus Christ if we wish to be true followers. One of the greatest signs of genuine Christianity is the ability to forgive. Today’s First Reading tells us “resentment and anger, these are foul things.” …
23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Gospel Reflection
Loving Correction We have reached a section of Matthew’s Gospel which deals with practical moral issues that occur in our lives. Today’s reading (Matt18:15-20) is about the delicate matter of how to correct somebody who is going off the rails. Facing another person is one of the toughest parts of loving care. Genuine love includes…
Gospel Reflection 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A
In Times of Darkness In today’s Gospel (Matt 15:21-28) a troubled mother pleads with Jesus to cure her tormented daughter. We are surprised to read that he answered her not a word. It’s so unlike Jesus. But he knew what he was doing. He was drawing out deeper depths of her faith. A passage from…
Gospel Reflection – 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A
Loneliness, Hunger of the Heart Today’s Gospel (Matt 14:13-21) throws light on loneliness which is another name for the hunger of the heart. A popular film years ago was called “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter”. One form of loneliness is the grief experienced after the death of a loved one. On hearing of the…
Treasure in The Heart – Gospel Reflection for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A
Treasure in the Heart In today’s gospel (Matt. 13:44-52), Jesus continues the seven parables about the kingdom of heaven in our lives. What is this kingdom? In the gospels the kingdom of heaven has several different shades of meaning. In today’s parables it refers to the hidden treasure in the heart. “The kingdom of God…
Gospel Reflection for the 16th Sunday in OT, Year A
Taskforce of the Kingdom The mission of Jesus was to establish the rule of God, the kingdom of God, on earth. The taskforce for the continuation of his mission would be the community of believers known as the Church. Today, in Matthew 13:24-43, three parables show how this Church is a mixture of human frailty…