Liturgical Table Talk: 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Weekly Reflections

The Hors d'oeuvre

What do you think it would be like if America was taken over by a different country?

Dig in!

Over the past two weeks, Matthew has talked about way that Jesus was generous to the point of being completely confusing. Two weeks ago, he used the standard of vengeance from the Old Testament to be the standard of forgiveness when he said we should forgive people seven times seven times. Then in last week’s Gospel, Jesus again was frustrating because, according to our modern standards, he was not being fair at all. The people who started working at 5:30 pm got the same wage as those who started working at 6:30 am. In today’s Gospel reading, you can see that in Jesus’s reaction to the crowd that he perceived that they were getting confused and frustrated with him.

Through this series of reflections, it has been said many times that the Gospel contains five discourses through which Jesus is bringing a new interpretation to the Jewish Scriptures and is fulfilling the heart of the Jewish Scriptures. It is as though Jesus is saying, “I don’t want you to get lost in all of the laws that have been given. Instead, I want to show you the heart of the Law and it is this heart that I tell you to follow and obey.”

In Matthew’s Gospel, the heart of the Law is to simply do the will of God as Jesus has revealed it. This is the way to please God. God desires for people to do his will to the point that he will forgive a lifetime of disobedience for a moment of obedience. God desires us to follow him, but he readily forgives the moment that we sincerely turn toward him. Mercy. Forgiveness. Doing the will of God. This is what this section of Matthew’s Gospel is focused on.

Whenever we read the Bible, we want to take on the ears of the first hearers. To do that and to take on the Jewish mind of the day, there should be an understanding of how offensive it was to the Jewish people to have the Promised Land occupied by pagan Romans. Imagine what it would be like to have our country taken over and ruled by a foreign enemy. Then imagine how we look on those who collaborated and profited by working with the enemy. Jesus makes examples of two such groups of people who would have disgusted the Jewish people of the day. Tax collectors collaborated with the Romans and got very rich doing so. When they collected taxes, they gave what was required to the Romans, but if they collected any more than that then they could keep it. They were getting rich by collecting more than was needed and taking the extra. Prostitutes were women who entertained the Roman soldiers. Again, this is something that disgusted the Jewish people.

Jesus is saying that these people, the ones who disgusted the Jewish people most, were entering the Kingdom of Heaven before they were. It is not because they sinned. Instead, they were the ones who were ready to received forgiveness from God. They asked for mercy, and they received it. Many of the religious leaders were doing all of the actions required, but their hearts were far from doing God’s will. They thought they were holy and that they were not in need of God’s mercy. Jesus is saying that those who perform all the right actions without repenting are missing what Jesus’s message is. Instead, the ones who have lived sinful lives and have repented are the ones that are entering into the Kingdom of God.

Please read Matthew 21:28-32 together.

 

Table Talk

  • Have you ever felt yourself thinking, “I hope that other person finds God because they need him?”
  • Do you think people who are committed to going to Church can become self-righteous and miss the message of Jesus?
  • When have you felt the need to have God in your life?
  • Do you ever find it hard to go to the sacrament of Penance and make a confession of sin?
  • Can you think of ways that today’s Gospel is challenging you live differently in a specific way?

And for Dessert

Lord Jesus, you are merciful with those who have done the worst sins. We ask you to be merciful with us. Help us to never think that we do not need your forgiveness and mercy. Instead help us to be humble and merciful with the people with interact with. We ask you to help us to follow you will for our lives, as we pray:

Our Father, who art in heaven …

We ask this through Jesus who is Lord forever and ever. Amen.

Song Suggestions to prepare your heart for Sunday's Liturgy

Here's My Heart by Lauren Daigle

Touch of Heaven by Hillsong Worship

Be Thou My Vision by Shane & Shane