The Rambler

THIRTIETH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME  In our Gospel passage, the theme is unmistakable: it’s all about love of God and love of neighbor (Matt. 22:36-40). It brings to mind a popular anthem from 1967: All You Need Is Love —an expression derived from a popular hit single by the Beatles. As far as songs go, it provides a message, but we would have to regard it as an incomplete message. This is why we typically rely upon something more than just musical lyrics; we more traditionally rely upon the words contained in sacred scripture. We turn for example to what’s presented in the Book of Exodus, 22:20-26. Here we develop a sense of what love “looks like.”  We have the opportunity to examine love’s characteristics. According to Exodus 22 it starts with being compassionate. We’re called not just to be compassionate; it’s a compassion that needs to be put into action. Notice the high praise being directed at the people of Thessalonica (1st Thess. 1:5-10). They not only receive the sac...

  TWENTY NINTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME  This weekend it’s all about giving to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and furthermore giving to God what belongs to God (Matt. 22:21). How do we categorize what all belongs to God? How do you even begin, given that the heavens belong to the Lord, the earth belongs to the Lord, and everything occupying the earth belongs to the Lord (see Deut. 10:14 & Ps. 89:12)? Perhaps we can begin by acknowledging the Lord’s pursuit of the Jews. He makes an explicit effort to form a covenant with them (see Ex. 34). They will become known as God’s “chosen people” (see 1st Chron. 16:13) as the Old Testament continues to present itself.  Proceeding into the New Testament, we hear something about a new covenant, a covenant that takes shape “in the fullness of time” (Gal. 4:4). This new covenant will be an unrestricted covenant. In other words, it outlines the love of God being extended beyond the Jewish population, to now include the Gentile popula...

  28TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME  If we were to assign a flavor to the readings this weekend, we would start off with the category of sweet , and then we would transition into the category of sour . Isaiah and Paul team up to provide the sweet element: we’re treated to a prophecy about the mountain-top in Isaiah (25:6-10); and we learn something about the subject of inner strength as we listen to this message from St. Paul (Phil. 4:13). The Gospel meanwhile, builds on the banquet imagery laid out in that first reading. However, the banquet in Matt. 22 is being identified as a particular kind of banquet: namely, a wedding banquet . This needs to be understood as a parable, pointing ahead, foretelling the final chapter to be chronicled in the story of salvation. A wedding banquet would seem to qualify as something sweet. Yet, in this instance, the sweet taste gives way to a sour taste.  First of all, the invited guests have chosen not to appear. Then, when we finally have peo...

  27TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME If you like vineyard imagery, then you’re in luck: we get a double-dose this weekend (see Isaiah 5:1-7 & Matt. 21:33-46). Each case involves the establishment of a vineyard, for the purpose of gathering up a yield of grapes at harvest time. But what ends up being produced? It can only be described as a double-portion of disappointment. In fact, if you examine the language closely, it goes beyond mere disappointment; we’re talking about BITTER disappointment.  What does this signify? If you’re a vineyard worker, you have good reason to feel anxious. How about if you’re not a vineyard worker? What if you’re simply in the process of reading about a crew of shiftless vineyard workers? Do you have any reason to feel anxious? After all, it’s not as if you are in the habit of disappointing the Lord. Then again, maybe it occurs to you that your record actually does include instances of failure. Once it becomes clear that you’ve fallen short, that’s...

  26TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME You perhaps have heard about the customer who orders a bowl of soup. Soon after the bowl of soup is served, the customer demands that the manager be summoned. As the manager arrives, he is confronted with the following question: What is that fly doing in my soup?? The manager takes a quick look and then responds: It appears to be doing the backstroke .  So we have a cry of protest, and we also have a response. Our first reading features a cry of protest (see Ezekiel 18:25). In this case, the protest is not being directed at a manager, or a superintendent, or even a bishop; rather, this cry of protest is being sent all the way to the top. It’s a cry of protest being leveled at the Lord himself. And strikingly, it draws an immediate response.  It leaves you with the impression that, when a cry of protest is issued, an immediate response will be forthcoming. However, experience tells you that the more typical response will be an unspecified pe...

  25TH SUNDAY, ORDINARY TIME  Our readings open with the delivery of an exhortation: SEEK THE LORD (Isaiah 55:6). For somebody like Paul, this would rank as more of a privilege than a burden. As far as he is concerned, life means Christ (Phil. 1:21). Paul would respond to Isaiah’s message by rolling up his sleeves and getting right to it. You can almost imagine Paul whistling as he goes about the task of pursuing the Lord—after the fashion of Snow White, who recommends the practice of whistling while you work. If indeed he is whistling, it’s because the spiritual path brings a new measure of life to St. Paul. It makes him more alive; more alive rather than less alive.  Snow White sings about whistling while you work. Meanwhile, Tennessee Ernie Ford sings about the burdensome aspect of work. His 1955 song “Sixteen Tons” depicts the toll that is taken when you commit to working in a coal mine. In this case, you are becoming less alive; not more alive. You agree to this li...

  24TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME I’ve referenced the 1983 film Christmas Story in previous sermons. For the purposes of this sermon, I’ll be focusing upon a scene that features the father and his beloved lamp: he’s very carefully gluing the lamp back together. How did it become broken in the first place? It depends on who you ask. The father accuses his wife of intentionally knocking the lamp from its position on the table. She for her part claims that it was not done intentionally. Either way, the lamp appears to be broken beyond any hope of repair. Nevertheless, the father issues a call for the glue. Ultimately, however, it’s too tall of an order. The glue holds, but only for a brief period. In the end, it turns out to be a lost cause.  Now let’s shift our attention to a far more critical bond: your relationship with the Lord. It seriously needs to be understood as a bond. This bond forms when you undergo the Sacrament of Baptism. From his perspective, the Lord looks forward ...