28th Sunday of Year A

Isaiah 25:6-10
Philippians 4:12-14,19-20
Matthew 22:1-14

Is my life fulfilled – really fulfilled?

All of us quest for something in life. My brothers and sisters, this week, we ask ourselves: What are the quests of my life? For some of us, it is something material – wealth, honour, power and pleasure. For some of us, it is something more internal – peace, contentment and freedom from sorrow. Often, what we quest for depends on what we lack in our life. So we ask ourselves: What am I lacking in life right now? Am I lacking in material comfort? Am I lacking in respect from my peers and family? Or am I lacking in inner peace?

In the First Reading this week, the prophet paints an imagery of bliss, addressing both the material and inner yearnings of our hearts. Addressing our material need, he said, “On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.” (verse 6) Then, addressing our inner yearnings, he said, “the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.” (verse 9)

We need an honest reflection of our inner yearnings to give us a better understanding of our life, our priorities and even our very self. We should then follow up with the next reflective question: How is my quest going? Am I quenching these yearnings; or are they getting ever further out of reach? Jesus promised us, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (Jn 10:10) But why are so many of us still so unfulfilled in life? To answer this question, we turn to the Gospel parable this week.

Firstly, many of us remained unfulfilled because we do not give faith a chance. Some of us decide that Christianity is not for us. Some of us think that Christian message is for people of a certain culture, heritage, family upbringing, or people who are good and wholesome – a “chosen people”, so to speak. In the Parable of Wedding Feast, a king generously laid out a lavish wedding banquet for his son. But alas, his guests all had other priorities instead of attending the banquet: “they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business” (verse 5). Showing his sincerity, the king sent out his servants to personally invite his guests, but to no avail. In fact, some guests showed their utter rejection and disrespect – they “seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them.” (verse 6) In our rejection of faith, have I made the same mistake as these guests? Have we not just rejected the message but have in fact turned hostile to the messengers? In response, the king extended his invitation to everyone. He said to his servants: “Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.” (verse 9) Significantly, the newly invited guests included “both good and bad” (verse 10) This refutes the notion for those of us who think that the Christian message is not for us because of our culture, heritage, family upbringing, state of wholesomeness. Indeed, the Christian message is for all of us, the message is for me.

Secondly, some of us think that just because we come to church and profess Jesus as our Lord on our lips, all our yearnings will be satisfied. Where we have remained unfulfilled, some of us even took the extreme response of walking away altogether! In the parable, there is a curious epilogue where the king noticed a guest without a wedding robe (verse 11). Furious, he ordered, “Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (verse 13) At first glance, it would seem the king was being most unreasonable. Afterall, the guest has just been invited at very short notice from the main street. How could the king expect him to have time to acquire and put on a wedding robe? However, to understand the king’s reaction, we need to appreciate that this epilogue is a separate parable embedded within the original parable. In the way, we are invited to consider the guest lacking a wedding robe in isolation. The message of this parable is that faith is not a box ticking exercise. The acts of coming to church, observing age-old rituals – these acts, while meritorious, are not magical. In other words, we are not passive receptacle of divine favours. We need to put on our wedding robe. We need to adopt the teachings of Jesus and make changes to our lives. My brothers and sisters, let’s ask ourselves: In areas of my life where I remained unfulfilled, am I waiting for a change to happen without any action on my part? For example, where I have a relationship issue, am I waiting for the other person to change? Am I prepared to change my perception and make the first move? Where I am finding no joy from self-indulgence, have I been too inward looking? Am I prepared to change my perception by bringing joy to others instead? Indeed, as St Francis of Assisi taught us, it is in giving that we receive. My dear friends, let us reflect: What is Jesus asking me to do this week? Indeed, not only is faith not a box-ticking exercise, it is more like a participative sport. Using a football metaphor, we don’t kick a goal by standing in the field and not doing anything!

Finally, let us ponder over these concluding words of Jesus in the Gospel: “For many are called, but few are chosen.” (verse 14) My dear friends, if we are unfulfilled, it is not because God has not chosen us. God has chosen us! But by our decision, like the guests who have other priorities or the guest who did not put on a robe, we have unchosen ourselves. Hence, many are called, but many have unchosen themselves.

Let’s wrap up our reflection this week with these words of St Paul in the Second Reading. St Paul urged us to see beyond the yearnings and fulfilment of this transient life. He wrote, “I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (verse 12-13) This is a man who, having worked tirelessly for the kingdom of God, having given to others all his life has to offer, has found inner joy and peace. Amen.

27th Sunday of Year A

Isaiah 5:1-7
Philippians 4:6-9
Matthew 21:33-43

Staying faithful in this modern world.

It is not easy being a Christian these days! How often have we heard this sentiment? My brothers and sisters, this week, reflecting on the Scripture, let us explore the truth or otherwise of this statement. Consider the following:

• It wasn’t too long ago that Christianity and Christian values are the dominant faith and ethos of most Western cultures.
• It wasn’t too long ago that reciting the Lord’s Prayers is a standard morning routine in most schools – not just Christian schools but public schools as well.
• It wasn’t too long ago that Christian values such as the indissolubility of marriage is respected and cherished – by non-Christians and even the divorcees.

These days, Christian values are no longer the dominant ethos in society. In the 2021 census, for the first time, less than half (43.9%) of the Australian population identifies themselves as Christians. While we await the publication of the 2026 census results taken in August, it is likely that the percentage of Christian Australians has declined further. Not only that, it is now not uncommon for some Christians among us to reject certain Christian teachings, such as the sanctity of life, sexuality and marriage. For those who accepted these “controversial” Christian teachings, many are afraid to express them in public spaces such as in social circles and on social media. In this way, many Christians live a life of dichotomy – a life in church, and a separate life in the public.

In the First Reading this week, the prophet Isaiah tells the story of the unproductive vineyard. In the story, the vineyard is given every opportunity to yield good fruits: the ground was cleared, the soil was fertilised, a choice vine was planted, and appropriate facilities were installed (verse 1-2). Reasonably, the vineyard owner “expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes” (verse 2). Disappointed, the owner decided to lay the vineyard to waste. As the prophet explained, “For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting” (verse 7) In other words, we the people are the vineyard. In a parallel story, Jesus tells the Parable of the Wicked Tenants in the Gospel. In the parable, the landowner similarly lavished his vineyard with care and love: he “planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower” (verse 33). When it was time to collect the produce, the landowner sent his slaves to the tenants. But “the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way.” (verse 35-36), And it got worse when the landowner sent his son. The wicked tenants “seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.” (verse 40) What is God telling us through these stories? In both stories, the landowners have showered much love and care on the vineyards, so that they may be fruitful. So we reflect: what blessings have God bestowed upon my life: perhaps the education I had, the opportunities I have been given, the career I enjoy and the faith I have been given? Have I been bearing good or sour grapes? In Isaiah’s story, it was vineyard that failed to produce good grapes. In Jesus’ parable, our Lord left no doubt that the tenants’ heartlessness and ungratefulness is a conscious decision. What about me? Have I consciously lived my Christian faith?

But let’s be realistic. In our modern society where many are hostile to Christianity and Christians, it is difficult enough just holding true to our Christian teachings and not be swayed by the world. And it is even a taller order to express our Christian beliefs in public spaces. So, we mustn’t be too harsh on ourselves. It is as Jesus warned us in the Gospel, “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you” (Jn 15:20). While the Christian way is not to exact revenge upon others who try to harm us, Jesus also advised us to “be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Mt 10:16). But what does being “wise as serpents” look like in our modern word? This can take many forms. Firstly, Christians must unite. Among the many denominations, we have more in common than we have differences. And the things that unite us are much greater than the things that divide us. Secondly, in our secular world, there are some who are hostile to Christianity; and some who are indifferent. But there is a third group we need to pay special attention to. There are those in our society that, while they do not share our faith, they nevertheless share the many tenets of our beliefs, for example, in compassion for the poor and afflicted, cherishing of life, belief in traditional family values, respect for the seniors, love and care to strangers, etc. So, not only must all Christians, regardless of denominations, work together in partnership; but we must also work in partnership with other men and women of goodwill. As we proclaimed in the Gloria at Mass: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will”. As an illustration, in many charity projects such as those run by the Vinnies and the Red Cross, there are often Christians and non-Christians working alongside each other for the common good of society. As another illustration, while many non-believers do not hold religious beliefs themselves, they subscribe to the importance of religious freedom, and that people of faith should be able to express their beliefs without being attacked or ostracised. Indeed, such “people of goodwill” must be our partners in our faith journey and our quest for truth.

As for trials, the magnitude of our struggle in the modern world pales in comparison to that of the early Christians. After all, being trolled and attacked on social media is nothing like being fed to wild beasts in the Colosseum! Similarly, while we are called to carry our crosses (Mt 16:24), we would not be literally nailed to the cross as Jesus was. As the author of Hebrews said, “Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” (Heb 12:3-4)

So, in conclusion, being faithful today requires us to:

1. Use the resources God gifted us – e.g. our education, positions, time and money.
2. Form partnerships, not just with other Christians, but with non-believers who share our goodwill.
3. And yes, despite the above, we will still have to carry our crosses.
4. But most importantly, just as rejecting God is a conscious decision (as in the case of the wicked tenants); so is accepting God’s calling to produce good fruits.

So, my brothers and sisters, we ask: What is my conscious choice? Remember what Jesus said: “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” (Mt 12:30) Hence, doing nothing is also a conscious choice. And as we ponder upon the question, let us reflect on the words of St Paul in the Second Reading: “whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.” (verse 8-9) And finally, an assurance: “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (verse 7)

Amen.