'In five hours I will see Jesus.' Sunday Reflections, 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

 

The Grape-Picker

Bernhard Keil [Web Gallery of Art]

The kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard (Matthew 20:1; Gospel).

Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland)

Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)

Gospel Matthew 20:1:16 (English Standard Version Anglicised, India)

Jesus said to his disciples:

“The kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the labourers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market-place, and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the labourers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, ‘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.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ So the last will be first, and the first last.”

 

Léachtaí i nGaeilge

Jacques Fesch - A Murderer's Conversion

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) is one of the top soccer teams in Europe. It gets its name from the suburb of Paris where it is located, Saint-Germain-en-Laye. It gets its name from Saint Germain (Germanus), a bishop of Paris who died in 576. It is also the birthplace on 6 April 1930 of Jacques Fesch. He died on 1 October 1957 in Paris. In 1987 Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, Archbishop of Paris, opened a diocesan inquiry into the life of Jacques and in 1993 formally opened the process for his beatification. 

Police Officer Jean-Baptiste Vergne

Murdered on 25 February 1954

Widower and father of a four-year-old daughter

[Source of photo; it has been replaced by a different one]

This caused considerable controversy in France because Jacques Fesch had been executed by guillotine for the murder of Jean-Baptiste Vergne, 35, a widowed policeman and father of a daughter aged 4, on 25 February 1954. There was no doubt whatever of Jacques Fesch's guilt nor did he show any remorse at his trial or after being sentenced.

How did this man come to be proposed for beatification by a French cardinal who was born Jewish and whose mother was murdered by the Nazis in Auschwitz in 1943?

During the more than three years that he was in prison, in solitary confinement, Jacques Fesch experienced a profound religious conversion. We know this from the letters he wrote and from the diary he kept during the last months before his execution. Two persons who influenced him were the prison Catholic chaplain, Fr Devoyed OP and his lawyer, a devout Catholic, named Baudet who expressed his concern for his client's immortal soul.

Jacques Fesch's conversion - he had been baptised a Catholic as an infant - was a gradual one, beginning with reading a book about Our Lady in October 1954 and coming to fruition by the following March, Around that time he wrote: At the end of my first year in prison, a powerful wave of emotion swept over me, causing deep and brutal suffering. Within the space of a few hours, I came into possession of faith, with absolute certainty. I believed … Grace came to me. A great joy flooded my soul, and above all a deep peace.

The Prophet Isaiah in the First Reading today speaks precisely to the situation in which Jacques Fesch found himself through his own sins: Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon (Isaiah 55:6-7).

In the light of that we can interpret the parable in today's gospel as telling us that God's mercy extends to all who will accept it, even to the eleventh hour, to the very end of our lives. This is not something to take for granted so that we can carry on sinning until the last moment. That is the sin of presumption. But neither is it something to see as impossible, that we are beyond God's mercy. That is the sin of despair.

A month before his death Jacques wrote: The Lord continues to fill me with gifts and I feel my heart overflow with love, and my lips with thanksgiving. Shortly before his execution he wrote: In five hours I will see Jesus.

Kyrie Eleison, Missa Luba

Setting by Fr Guido Haazen OFM

Sung by Les Troubadours du Roi Baudouin

Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison

Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy

Traditional Latin Mass

Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost

The Complete Mass in Latin and English is here. (Adjust the date at the top of that page to 09-24-2023 if necessary).

Epistle: Ephesians 4:1-6. Gospel: Matthew 22:34-46.

Apostle Paul in Prison

Rembrandt [Web Gallery of Art]

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called . . . (Ephesians 4:1; Epistle).

‘When we journey without the Cross . . . we are not disciples of the Lord.’ Sunday Reflections, Palm Sunday 2016, Year C

Christ's Entry into Jerusalem, Melozzo da Forli, 1477-82

Basilica della Santa Casa, Loreto, Italy [Web Gallery of Art]

Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)

Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa)

Gospel for theProcession Luke 19:28-40 (New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition, Canada) 

After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them,  “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here.  If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”

Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

They replied, “The Lord needs it.”

They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.

When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

From The Gospel According to St Matthew, [21:1-16] Pasolini, 1964

The music to the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem is the Gloria from the Congolese Missa Luba.

Antiphon for The Procession   Matthew 21:9

Hosanna to the son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel. Hosanna in the highest.

Setting by Thomas Weelkes (1576 - 1623)

University of the Philippines Manila Chorale

Text used in the video:

Hosanna to the Son of David;
Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord;
Hosanna, thou that sittest in the highest heavens!
Hosanna in excelsis Deo!

Pope Francis celebrated Mass on 14 March 2013 with the cardinals who had just elected him. The concluding part of his homily gives us food for reflection and prayer as we enter Holy Week. I have highlighted some of the text.

This Gospel [Matthew 16:13-19] continues with a situation of a particular kind. The same Peter who professed Jesus Christ, now says to him: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. I will follow you, but let us not speak of the Cross. That has nothing to do with it. I will follow you on other terms, but without the Cross. When we journey without the Cross, when we build without the Cross, when we profess Christ without the Cross, we are not disciples of the Lord, we are worldly: we may be bishops, priests, cardinals, popes, but not disciples of the Lord.

My wish is that all of us, after these days of grace, will have the courage, yes, the courage, to walk in the presence of the Lord, with the Lord’s Cross; to build the Church on the Lord’s blood which was poured out on the Cross; and to profess the one glory: Christ crucified. And in this way, the Church will go forward.

My prayer for all of us is that the Holy Spirit, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, our Mother, will grant us this grace: to walk, to build, to profess Jesus Christ

crucified. Amen.

While Pope Francis was speaking at the Mass to the cardinal electors he is speaking to all of us. There seems to be a certain expectation among many that he will be some kind of Messiah, that he will get rid of all the Church's problems. There is only one Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Yes, there are situations that only a courageous Pope can deal with. But the renewal of the Church, the conversion of the Church, involves each of us and all of us.

Pope Francis in Palo, Leyte, Philippines

17 January 2015 [Wikipedia]

In his Message for Lent to the people of Buenos Aires in 2013 the then Cardinal Bergoglio wrote: Lent comes to us as a cry of truth and sure hope, which answers yes, that it is possible not to put on makeup and draw plastic smiles as if nothing is happening. Yes, it is possible that everything be made new and different because God continues to be 'rich in kindness and mercy, always willing to forgive,' and He encourages us to begin again and again. Today we are again invited to undertake a paschal journey to Truth, a journey that includes the cross and renunciation, which will be uncomfortable but not sterile. We are invited to admit that something is not right in ourselves, in society and in the Church, to change, to turn around, to be converted.

Further on Cardinal Bergoglio writes: This Year of Faith we are living is also an opportunity that God gives us to grow and mature in our encounter with the Lord who makes Himself visible in the suffering face of so many youth without a future, in the trembling hands of the forgotten elderly and in the vacillating knees of so many families that continue to face life without finding anyone to support them.

As Archbishop of Buenos Aires he was clearly calling each of his flock to be fully involved in the life of the Church, not to leave it to the Pope and bishops to do everything.

And he concluded his message as he began his new life as Bishop of Rome with a plea: Please, I ask you to pray for me. May Jesus bless you and the Holy Virgin look after you.

THE DONKEY

G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936)

When fishes flew and forests walked 
And figs grew upon thorn, 
Some moment when the moon was blood 
Then surely I was born; 

With monstrous head and sickening cry 
And ears like errant wings, 
The devil's walking parody 
On all four-footed things. 

The tattered outlaw of the earth, 
Of ancient crooked will; 
Starve, scourge, deride me: I am dumb, 
I keep my secret still. 

Fools! For I also had my hour; 
One far fierce hour and sweet: 
There was a shout about my ears, 
And palms before my feet.

'Where two or three meet in my name . . .' Sunday Reflections, 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A, 4 September 2011

Prayer of the Penitent Monks, Alessandro Magnasco (1667 – 1749)

Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)

Gospel Matthew 18:15-20 (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England @ Wales, Ireland, Scotland).

Jesus said to his disciples: 'If your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him alone, is between your two selves. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you: the evidence of two or three witnesses is required to sustain any charge. But if he refuses to listen to these, report it to the community; and if he refuses to listen to the community, treat him like a pagan or a tax collector.

'I tell you solemnly, whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.

'I tell you solemnly once again, if two of you on earth agree to ask anything at all, it will be granted to you by my Father in heaven.

For where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them.'

Soiscéal Matha 18:15-20 (Gaeilge, Irish)

San am sin dúirt Íosa lena dheisceabail “Má dhéanann do bhráthair peaca i d’aghaidh, gabh chuige á áiteamh air is gan ann ach é agus tú. Má éisteann sé leat, tá tú tar éis do bhráthair a thabhairt leat; ach mura n-éisteann, beir leat duine nó beirt eile, chun go mbeadh focal a dó nó a trí d’fhinnéithe ag deimhniú gach scéil. Má dhiúltaíonn sé éisteacht leo sin, inis don eaglais é; agus má dhiúltaíonn éisteacht leis an eaglais féin, bíodh sé ina phágánach agus ina phoibleacánach agat.

“Deirim libh go fírinneach, gach uile ní a cheanglaíonn sibh ar talamh beidh siad ceangailte ar neamh, agus nithe ar bith a scaoilfidh sibh ar talamh beidh siad scaoilte ar neamh.

Agus deirim go fírinneach rud eile libh má bhíonn beirt agaibh ar talamh ar aon aigne faoi rud ar bith a bhíonn le hiarraidh acu, beidh sé le fáil acu ó m’Athair atá ar neamh. Óir, mar a mbíonn beirt nó triúr tagtha i gceann a chéile i m’ainmse, bím féin ansin ina measc.”

+++

The painting of Alessandro Magnasco ties in with both aspects of the gospel, the call to repentance, which the Church has an obligation to do in the name of Jesus, and the invitation to pray with one another for needs that we see. 

I remember years ago having to deal with a dispute between two young seminarians under my care. I had come back on Sunday night, drained after a Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend. One of the things we learn there is that a couple have the power to forgive through the sacrament of matrimony. In this sacrament Jesus is more than being  'there with them'. He is the one who makes husband and wife one.

Though I wanted to go to bed I knew I had to deal with this dispute. I met each of the two separately and asked each to describe factually what happened, what he was feeling and what he wanted to happen. I then sent each to the chapel to tell the Lord what he had told me and that I would then meet them together after half an hour. One was hardly there a few minutes when he came out and said 'He won't talk to me'. I asked 'Who?' 'The other student'. 'I told you to talk to the Lord', I reminded him, while inwardly smiling.

When they came out I met them together. After their prayer they were both ready to forgive each other. It also helped when I told them that each had described the incident in exactly the same way. In this case the two witnesses were the two 'perpetrators', though the other seminarians had drawn the matter to my attention as soon as I had arrived in the house. They were both young me of good will who wanted to follow Jesus with generosity. And when they were in the chapel together each was praying to Jesus for what he desired - reconciliation.

Jesus has given us his solemn word that in such a situation God the Father cannot but listen to our prayer.

+++

The video above is or the Kyrie eleison, Lord, have mercy, from the Missa de Angelis, the best known and most widely used of all the Masses in Gregorian Chant. Gregorian Chant gets its name from St Gregory the Great, pope from 590 to 610, on whose feast, 3 September, I am writing this. Vatican II's Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, promulgated 4 December 1963, says in No 116: 'The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as specially suited to the Roman liturgy: therefore, other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services'.

No 119 says, 'In certain parts of the world, especially mission lands, there are peoples who have their own musical traditions, and these play a great part in their religious and social life. For this reason due importance is to be attached to their music, and a suitable place is to be given to it, not only in forming their attitude toward religion, but also in adapting worship to their native genius'.

The Missa Luba is described in Wikipedia as 'a version of the Latin Mass based on traditional Congolese songs. It was arranged by Father Guido Haazen, a Franciscan Friar from Belgium, and originally performed and recorded in 1958 by "Les Troubadours du Roi Baudouin", a choir of Congolese children from Kamina'.  At the time of the recording what is now called the Democratic Republic of the Congo was still the Belgian Congo and the saintly King Baudouin the monarch. The recording was released internationally in 1963 and I remember it was very popular with my fellow seminarians, though we never tried to sing it. 

The Missa Luba anticipated what Vatican II would encourage. 

Kyrie Eleison is the only part of the Ordinary of the Mass in the Latin Rite that is in Greek. No matter what language we sing or say it in it is especially appropriate for today's Mass.