26th Sunday of Year A

Ezekiel 18:25-28
Philippians 2:1-11
Matthew 21:28-32

Faith comes alive when we live our telos.

This week, we reflect on the topic of perfection. Jesus said, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt 5:48) This is puzzling as it is daunting. For how can we, as mere human, be as perfect as God? The truth is, God does not call us to be flawless. He knows we are fallen beings. We will fail from time to time. We all need forgiveness from time to time – not only forgiveness from God, but also forgiveness from each other. Indeed, we all need God’s mercy. But, what does this leave “perfection”?

In the original Greek text, the term used for “perfect” is telos. Telos does not mean flawless. It means something achieving its intended purpose. It means that if I live my life to the purpose God created me for, I will attain God-like joy and contentment. This is entering into perfection in a fallen world. It is our telos. As an illustration, think of a pen that is created to write. When it writes words of love and encouragement, it is fulfilling the purpose it is created for. This is its telos. On the other hand, if we try to use the pen to knock a nail into a piece of wood, not only is the pen not able to do that, but we will damage the pen in the process. In the same way, if we seek joy in ways that God does not intend us, not only do we not fulfill our real purpose and attain true joy, but we will also damage ourselves and others in the process. Examples of this when people seek joyn through vices such as drugs, alcoholism, compulsive gambling, extra-marital affairs, etc.

In the Gospel this week, we read the Parable of the Two Sons. In the parable, a man asked his two sons to go work in the vineyard. The first son said he won’t do it, but after thinking about it, went anyway. The second said he will go but didn’t do it. Jesus then asked the disciples, “‘Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They said, ‘The first.'” (verse 31) Before we condemn the second son, let us remember that many of us are like the second son. We have the intention to live life the way God intends us, to be perfect as God is. In other words, to love like Jesus, serve like Jesus, sacrifice like Jesus, and forgive like Jesus. But we do not do it. Why? There can be many reasons. we may be too busy, too lazy, too greedy, too selfish, too proud, and so on. In rejected God’s calling of us, we are rejecting our telos. We are rejecting God’s calling for us to enter perfection. My brothers and sisters, what vocations and services are God calling me to – as a parent, as a member of my community, in my profession? What am I to do with what He has blessed me with – my wealth, my health, my upbringing, my education and the country I live in? Have I said “Yes” to Him like the second son in the parable. Have I followed up with actions like the first son? This week, the Scripture invites us to reflect: What is stopping me from living out my telos?

For many believers, we are like the Pharisees of Jesus’ time. Our walk of faith consists of no more than a list of “obligations”- coming to church every Sunday; performing rituals without understanding the significance of the gestures; saying standard prayers like Our Father and Hail Mary without thinking through the meanings of the words; and so on. This week, Jesus invites us to examine our telos and take it to heart. And what is in our heart, we act it out. In the words of the prophet Ezekiel in the First Reading: “When the righteous turn away from their righteousness and commit iniquity, they shall die for it; for the iniquity that they have committed they shall die. Again, when the wicked turn away from the wickedness they have committed and do what is lawful and right, they shall save their life.” (verse 26-27)

My brothers and sisters, whatever the vocations or services God calls us to, there is the underlying calling of love and service. We are created to serve other in self-sacrificial love. St Paul wrote in the Second Reading, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.” (verse 3-4) Running counter to what the world tells us, it is only through self-sacrificial love that we achieve true joy. This is the paradox of Jesus’ teachings. And Jesus does not teach with empty words. He walked the talk and talked the walk. As St Paul wrote in the Second Reading, “though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross.” (verse 6-8)

My dear friends, Jesus has set us an example to follow. Do not settle for rituals without significance or prayers without understanding. Live out our telos, walk in Jesus’ footsteps, then the rituals and prayers will come alive in us. Otherwise, as Jesus warn us in the Gospel, “the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.” (verse 31) May the Holy Spirit walk with us as we contemplate. Amen.

25th Sunday of Year A

Isaiah 55:6-9
Philippians 1:20-24,27
Matthew 20:1-16

The way of Work-and-Wages versus the way of Grace-and-Growth.

What is my value system? My brothers and sisters, this week, we are invited to reflect: What motivates me? What do I pursue in life? These are important questions that many of us do not often think about. They are important because they all culminate to the question: Is my life leading me to joy?

In the Gospel this week, we read the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard. In the parable, a landowner hired groups of workers at different hours – at nine o’clock, at three o’clock and at five o’clock. When the day came to an end at six o’clock, he paid each group the same amount – the full daily wage. In so doing, he was generous to the latecomers but not unjust to those who worked the full day. Despite this, those who worked longer hours grumbled, “These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.” (verse 12) We could say the workers’ grumble was a justifiable one. This is when we apply the world’s way of Work-and-Wages.

There is nothing wrong per se about the way of Work-and-Wages. It is essential for the functioning of our country and our economy. At our workplaces, if we are more productive, we expect a greater reward than those who are less productive. However, on matters of the kingdom of God, through the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, Jesus proposes another model in the Gospel this week. This is God’s way of Grace-and-Growth. The way of Work-and-Wages serves our finances and our careers well. The mistake many of us believers make is to apply the same principle on matters of faith. Consider St Paul in the Second Reading this week. He was torn between staying on earth to continue his ministry work and serve the people he loved; or succumbing to his persecutors and die so that he may be united with God. He wrote, “If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me; and I do not know which I prefer. I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you.” (verse 22-24) St Paul realises he cannot apply the way of Work-and-Wages on his faith. The reason he considered staying on earth to continue to labour is not so that he may receive a greater reward in heaven, but simply because he loves the people. As Jesus says in the Gospel this week, “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” (verse 16)

Indeed, love is the basis of the way of Grace-and-Growth. Love cannot be reasoned in worldly terms. Applying the way of Work-and-Wages, the decisions we make based on love would be illogical – whether it is for the love of God, the love of others, or indeed the love of self. For example, let us consider:

• Do we raise our children so that they may reward us financially in our old age? What if our children make career choices that does not lead them to riches, making them less likely to be able to “reward” us financially? Do we object to their choices?
• Are we more reluctant to help the poor because, chances are, they are not likely to be able to repay us? But Jesus said, “love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great” (Lk 6:35). Do we help the poor so that God may reward us?
• When our business supports charitable causes, do we do so for financial rewards? For example, do we hope that by being seen as socially responsible, we would attract more sales and more contracts?

We all seek meaning and purpose in life. Even the most materialistic among us knows it intrinsically. The truth is, the Work-and-Wages philosophy leads us to becoming more materialistic, calculative and superficial. We see amply examples of how this can lead to discontentment and jealousy. If we operate purely to the way of Work-and-Wage, it blinds us to love. It does not lead to joy. It might even lead us to despair.

Some say, there is no great clarity than when a person dies. Think of the eulogies we hear at a person funeral. Eulogies are really testimonies of the person’s life. So, what do we hear? We do not hear about how much money the person made; how many sales the person closed in their lifetime or how much wealth the person accumulated. Instead, we hear stories of sacrifices and love – how the person sacrifices their time, gave up their career for their children; how the person gives themselves in service to others. Indeed, these are what matters in the end. In fact, Jesus taught us that the highest form of service is not to people close to us, but to any stranger who is seeking love. “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return.” (Lk 6:32-35) In truth, the world knows the meaning of life. It is just that we are sometimes so consumed with the way of Work-and-Wages that we do not acknowledge the way of Grace-and-Growth until it is too late. If we want true joy and fulfilment in life, then the stories and testimonies we hear at eulogies point us to how we lead our lives.

God is love (1 Jn 4:8); and we are created in the likeness of God (Gen 1_26-27). Hence love is also our way. It is the way to finding fulfilment, contentment and ultimately, true joy in life. But through our sins, we rejected love and has often fallen away. In the First Reading, the prophet Isaiah wrote, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (verse 8-9) This week, through Isaiah’s words and Jesus’ Parable of the Workers, God is telling us, come back to God’s way. It is the better way. Peace be with you.