The Supreme Twofold Cross-Shaped Mitzvah of Love: Vertical Love to God and Horizontal Love to Our Neighbors - Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

Who do you love most – more than anyone else in the world – above all? 

Those who are married usually say, “My husband”, “My wife!” Those who are courting often say, “My boyfriend!”, “My girlfriend!”, “My fiancé!”, “My fiancée!” Those who value filial piety say, “My parents!” And parents say, “My child!”, “My children!”.

But for those who are faithful to God, we love spouses, parents, children, and objects of courtship and friends, under the premise that our primary love object is our Lord God (Adonai Yahweh). So, in the Torah, there is this commandment:

Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with your whole heart, and with your whole being, and with your whole strength (Deuteronomy 6:4-5).

This commandment is very important as it begins by calling full attention (shema – hear), to hear this commandment to love God with our whole hearts, and with our whole beings, and with our whole strengths. It means that we are to love God more than those whom we love so dearly among us. The way we love our spouses, children, parents, friends, are all derived observing this shemar commandment to love God first.

In fact, Jesus cited this commandment, when he was asked which commandment in the Torah is the greatest by the Pharisees, after he silenced the Sadducees (Matthew 22:34-36), who tried to prove Jesus’ teaching of resurrection to be nonsense according to the Torah but only to prove their foolishness in challenging Jesus’ teaching (Matthew 22:23-33).

In regard to the greatest commandment among the 613 mitzvoth in the Torah, Jesus said:

You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment (Matthew 22:37-38).

This means that Jesus considers Deuteronomy 6:5 as the most important mitzvah – to love God above all, more than anyone else.

In the same breath, Jesus added:

The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments (Matthew 22:39-40).

Upon citing Deuteronomy 6:5 as the greatest and first mitzvah, Jesus cites Leviticus 19:18, which commands to love our neighbors as ourselves, as the second important commandment:

Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your own people. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord (Leviticus 19:18).

According to Jesus, this mitzvah against retaliation and grudge but for loving our neighbors goes along with the first one. And he further says that the all the 613 mitzvoth in the Torah and the Nevi'im depend on these two (Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18) (Matthew 23:40). This means that we cannot love our neighbors as God wants us to do unless we love God first. And the way God wants us to love our neighbors is not just to love our “immediate neighbors”, our others in our intimate relationships, such as spouses, parents, children, and friends. But it also means to love a stranger.

When a scholar of the Law, who asked who his neighbor to Jesus, upon citing Leviticus 19:18, together with Deuteronomy 6:5, when asked by Jesus what the Torah says about inheriting eternal life (Luke 10:25-28), Jesus spoke the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37). Given that the Samaritans and the Jews hated each other because the spiritual defilement of the former upon the Assyrian conquest (2 Kings 17:24-41), the Jews did not consider the Samaritans as their own people. But, whether Jew or Samaritan, Jesus pushes the spirit of loving our neighbors beyond the boundaries of those whom we consider as “our own people”, even to those whom we may harbor animosity. 

In Jesus’ teaching on the supreme set of mitzvoth of love (Matthew 22:37-40), if we truly love God above all (Deuteronomy 6:5), the way we love our neighbors (Leviticus 19:18) shall have no walls and boundaries as to whom we love as “our neighbors”.  In this teaching of Jesus, objects of our love as our neighbors are all those who are created in the image of the Triune God (Genesis 1:26-27). Therefore, it is against Jesus’ teaching to let our little minds to decide whom we love our neighbors and whom not. But if we truly love God with our whole hearts, and with our whole beings, and with our whole strengths, then, it shall be a natural consequence to love anyone created in God’s image as our neighbors, not to be an object of our hatred, retribution, and grudge.

In loving our neighbors, anyone who is created in God’s image, as we are so, the First Reading (Exodus 22:20-26) reminds us that we must care for those who are from other nations and those who are vulnerable and prone to be marginalized in loving our neighbors, as God cares for them with His compassion. Again, we shall not set “artificial” boundaries as to whom we love as our neighbors. And we must love our neighbors as God does. It means that our compassion should go toward anyone in need without any demarcation because this is how God pours His compassion.

Predicated by observing Deuteronomy 6:5, loving God above all, as our most important object of love, we love all of those who are created in God’s image, as our neighbor as ourselves, because we are, after all, created in God’s image. Our matrimonial love, filial love, and fraternal love, are practiced in this context.

It is noteworthy that Jesus crosses our vertical love to God (Deuteronomy 6:5) with our horizontal love to our neighbors (those who are crated in God’s image)(Leviticus 19:18). And this vertical-horizontal cross-shaped motif of the love commandment that Jesus cited in the Gospel Reading (Matthew 22:34:30) is a reflection of the vertical-horizontal cross image in the Decalogue, as the first three mitzvoth are about how we are with God and the rest of the seven mitzvoth are about how we are with each other – how we are with our neighbors (Exodus 20:2-17; Deuteronomy 5:6-21).

It is clear that our vertical love – loving our Lord God as our primary love object, sets the quality of our horizontal love – loving those who are created in God’s image as our neighbors, as if they were ourselves, reflected by the Decalogue. But why does God want us to love Him above all with our whole being?

To understand God’s desire on us to love Him first, we must remember that our Lord God, in whose image we are created, has loved us first and has sent His only begotten Son, out of His love for us, to cross the vertical love that He initiated toward us, with the vertical love that we practice with one another as our beloved neighbors (i.e. 1 John 4:7-21; John 1:1, 14; 3:16).

Loving God first and above all is our life’s priority (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37), because God has loved us first (1 John 4:19) and gave us His only begotten Son (John 3:16; 1 John 4:9). And we love our spouses, parents, children, friends, and all others in God’s image, as our neighbors without setting any boundary and demarcation (Leviticus 19:18; cf. Exodus 22:20-26). Because this is how God loves us. This is how we show the way we love God. Furthermore, the Second Reading (1 Thessalonians 1:5c-10) calls us to reflect Jesus’ teaching of loving God and loving our neighbors in our apostolic works. So, as Paul and his companions on mission demonstrated to the Thessalonians, we are to reach out to our neighbors, who have not yet known Christ, especially those in afflictions, with love and compassion, through the Word and the Holy Spirit, helping them to know Christ and to turn to the Lord God. Out of our observance of Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, we engage in our apostolic works to bring our neighbors, who have not yet known God, to Him, so that they, too, will love God and their neighbors, as we do. After all, we are called to propagate God’s love to us through our love to our neighbors.

Glory and Honor: Our Payment to God is Not the Same as Our Payment to "Caesar" - Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

The Liturgy of the Word for the Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A, (Isaiah 45:1, 4-6; Psalm 96:1, 3, 4-5, 7-8, 9-10; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5b; Matthew 22:15-21), calls us to offer God what is due to Him (Matthew 22:21; Psalm 96:7-9). Because He is the Lord and there is no other, no God besides Him (Isaiah 45:5-6, 21-22), being the Creator (Isaiah 45:7-13, 18), the Savior (Isaiah 45:17), the Ruler of justice for glory (Isaiah 45:23-25). We also give thanks for enabling us to bear fruit of our work of faith and love, through His word and the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 1:1-5). It is, after all, about our exclusively faithful relationship with the Lord, only whom we believe and revere as our Lord (Exodus 20:1-7).

What do we owe to God, our Lord? And how do we pay what we owe to Him?

These are important question to ponder as we engage in the Word for the Twenty-Ninth Sunday.

                                                           *****

Having asked opinions of the chief priests and the elders of the parables given by him to expose and confront their wickedness (Matthew 21:28-22:14), as read on the Twenty-Sixth Sunday, the Twenty-Seventh Sunday, and the Twenty-Eighth Sunday, Jesus is now asked his opinion by Pharisaic disciples, sent with the Herodians, by the Pharisees, to him, in order to trap him in his words (Matthew 22:15). So they asked Jesus whether it is right or not to pay taxes to Caesar (Matthew 22:16-17).

The Pharisees’ intention behind this question is to blame Jesus with unfaithfulness to God if he gives an affirmative opinion to paying taxes to Caesar and to charge him with treason if his opinion is against paying taxes to Caesar. They were hoping to trap Jesus in either way. For this reason, the Pharisees sent the Herodians with their disciples (Matthew 22:16), for they were political supporters of Herod, who ruled the Jewish people on behalf of Caesar. Herod was not a kind of king, like David, who was anointed by God and ruled the Jews on His behalf (1 Samuel 16:1-13), but appointed by the Roman Senate. He is a Roman client king, namely, a Cesar’s political puppet, to work with a Roman governor, to rule the Jews. The Pharisees did not like the Herodians, for their pro-Rome orientation by their association with Herod, as they hated the tax collectors, Jews who worked for the Roman Empire. Nevertheless, they brought them, in order to ensnare Jesus with the question about paying Roman taxes.

Knowing his challengers’ malicious intention, instead of answering the question in an “yes or no” manner, Jesus said:

Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? Show me the coin that pays the census tax (Matthew 22:19).

Then, they handed Jesus a Roman coin, and Jesus asked them whose image and inscription were on the coin (Matthew 22:20). And they answered, “Caesar’s”(Mathew 22:21a).

So Jesus said to the Pharisaic and Herodian contesters, who tried to trap him:

Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God (Matthew 22:21b).

They were amazed by this response of Jesus and went away (Matthew 22:22). In other words, they failed their mission to entrap Jesus to blame him either against God or against Caesar, because Jesus did not respond to their dualist question with a dualist answer.

Had Jesus ever answered to refuse to pay taxes to Caesar, then, the pro-Roman Herodians would bring treason charge against Jesus to have him killed. In fact, though Jesus did not advocate against paying the Roman taxes, he was falsely charged to have incited the public not to pay taxes to Caesar because he was the Messiah-King, to make an impression as an enemy of Caesar, when he was brought to Pontius Pilate (Luke 23:2). And had Jesus ever said affirmatively to pay taxes to Caesar, then, the Pharisees would accuse Jesus for belittling God for Caesar, standing against God, who is the Lord and no other (Exodus 20:3; Isaiah 45:1).

Jesus was not entrapped in the entrapping dualistic dilemma set by his contenders.

Now, what is significance of Jesus’ answer to repay what belongs to God to God and repay what belongs to Caesar to Caesar?

Our faith in God, making our repayment of what we owe to God to Him, does not mean that we refuse to pay taxes to our civil authorities.  Jesus does not teach against our civic duties, such as paying taxes and voting, or working as civil servants or government employee or being elected officials. In fact, the way we commit ourselves to civic duties can be done to close the gap between the world and the Kingdom of God. We live in this world to commit ourselves to align our civil authorities, to which our taxes are paid, to align with God. So Paul wrote:

Let every person be subordinate to the higher authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been established by God.

Therefore, whoever resists authority opposes what God has appointed, and those who oppose it will bring judgment upon themselves.

For rulers are not a cause of fear to good conduct, but to evil. Do you wish to have no fear of authority? Then do what is good and you will receive approval from it, for it is a servant of God for your good. But if you do evil, be afraid, for it does not bear the sword without purpose; it is the servant of God to inflict wrath on the evildoer.

Therefore, it is necessary to be subject not only because of the wrath but also because of conscience.

This is why you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.

Pay to all their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due, toll to whom toll is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due (Romans 13:1-7).

As responsible citizens of the world, are we committing ourselves to make our civil authorities respectable and honorable in juxtaposition to our reverence to God? After all, it is about God, not really the world and civil authorities.

We must remember -  no matter what our civil obligation may be, we cannot let it compromise our faith in God. For us, God is our utmost priority, as we are in the exclusive covenant relation with Him, for He is the Lord, our God, no other God, to believe and revere (Exodus 20:1-7). This is why idolatry is an offense against Him (Exodus 20:5-6) and we shall love God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:5). And keeping God as our priority does not mean that we are disobedient to civil authorities.

However, fulfilling our civic duties as responsible citizens, as allegorically summarized by Jesus’ statement of “repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar”, does not mean that we conform ourselves to the world (Romans 12:2). In fact, we, as chosen by Christ out of the world, does not belong to it (John 15:19). If we do not accept this, why do we need to be Christians? In other words, we are not just worldly citizens, no matter where we live and regardless of our nationalities. We are, indeed, called out of the world to be the citizens of the Kingdom of God, which Christ has come to proclaim (Mark 1:14-15; Luke 4:43). So we seek the Kingdom (Matthew 6:33) and strive to enter the Kingdom by dong the will of God (Matthew 7:21).

In terms of our payment of what belong to God, it cannot be done with what does not belong to God. This is why Jesus did not choose whether to pay taxes to Caesar or not, in his response to the Pharisaic and Herodian challengers’ entrapping question. He kept the matter of Caesar, worldly obligations, separate from our commitment to God. Thus, our oblations to God cannot be money with images of worldly leaders.

So what are we to offer God as our repayment out of our indebtment?

There is no way that we can repay God for what He has done for us – giving His only begotten Son to pay our debt of sins (Colossians 2:13-14). Nevertheless, as our way to enter the Kingdom, we can offer our works of faith to fulfill the will of God on us (Matthew 7:21), namely, our work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ before our God and Father (1 Thessalonians 1:3). And it is important to remember that our being is essentially our oblation to God, making it holy and pleasing to Him (Romans 12:1), by not conforming to the world but being transformed by renewing our minds and discerning God’s will (Romans 12:2). This means to live a life in the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:1-4) and a life in Christ (Romans 6:1-10). So, we shall offer the fruit of our work of faith, as our repayment to God and offer ourselves as the living sacrifices.

We repay to God not worldly moneys out of obligatory feeling but our of our gratitude for being praise-worthy Creator and mighty Savior, especially for sending His Son to be sacrificed to reconcile to pay our debt of sins, and for enabling us to offer abundant fruit of our work of faith to enter the Kingdom. And let us make our offering to God to honor and glorify Him! And we do not engrave an image of God on our coins and print it on our bills, for money is not worthy payment to God and it is a blasphemous idolatry. 

Many are Called but Few are Chosen for the Heavenly Royal Wedding, the Salvation in the Kingdom of God - Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

Before delving into the Gospel Reading of the Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A (Matthew 22:1-14), it is helpful to review its context. For this, we must go over the historical sequence leading to the Gospel text.

Jesus spoke this parable, along with two other parables, in Jerusalem during his last 5 days before his death on the Cross.

                                                        *****

Upon entering Jerusalem and fervently welcomed by the crowd (Matthew 21:1-11), Jesus went to the Temple and overturned what turned this holy house of prayer into a den of robbers (Matthew 21:12-13). Then, he healed the blind and the lame, who came to him in the Temple area (Matthew 21:14). In response to these wonderful acts of Jesus, children were crying out, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”, but the chief priests and the scribes were indignant and asked Jesus, “Do you hear what they are saying?”(Matthew 21:15-16a). And Jesus said to them, “Yes; and have you never read the text, ‘Out of the mouths of infants and nurslings you have brought forth praise?”(Matthew 21:16b; cf. Psalm 8:3 LXX).

Because of this set of events, the chief priests and the elders of the people questioned Jesus of his authority to storm into the Temple and to perform healing (Matthew 21:23). Rather than giving them an answer, Jesus asked them if they could answer where the authority of John the Baptist came from to conduct baptism, in order for him to tell them about his authority (Matthew 21:24-25a). But they could not answer (Matthew 21:25b-27a). So Jesus said he could not tell them about his authority (Matthew 21:27b).

Instead of arguing about his authority with the chief priests and the elders, Jesus spoke three parables to these religious leaders to confront their wickedness: the parable of the two sons (Matthew 21:28-32), the parable of the wicked vineyard tenant workers (Matthew 21:33-44), and the parable of the wedding banquet (Matthew 22:1-14). All of these parables spoken by Jesus against the chief priests and the elders are like the parable that Nathan spoke to David to confront his sin with a parable about a rich man who stole a poor man’s ewe lamb (2 Samuel 12:1-13). Though David realized his sin of “stealing” Uriah’s wife Bathsheba by letting her husband die (2 Samuel 11:2-27) and repented (2 Samuel 12:13), the chief priests and the elders began to think how they could silence Jesus, instead of recognizing and repenting their sins (Matthew 21:45-46).

In the parable of the two sons (Mathew 21:28-32), which is the Gospel Reading of the 26^th Sunday, Jesus pointed out that the chief priests and the elders were like the son who said, “yes”, to his father when asked to go to the vineyard to work there but never went. This is to reflect their sinful hypocrisy. Though they promised God to take the stewardship of the Temple, they turned this holy house of worship into a den of robbers for their greed. In the parable of the wicked vineyard tenant workers (Matthew 21:33-44), which is the Gospel Reading of the 27^th Sunday, these religious leaders’ vices and intent to have Jesus killed are juxtaposed to the murders committed by the vineyard workers to the landowner’s servants and son. They promised to God to make the house of Israel, which is God’s vineyard, fruitful for a good harvest but what came out of the vineyard was the blood of murders, instead of the choicest wine, because of these leaders’ wickedness.

The priests were to be selfless servants of God, ministering as willed by God (i.e. Leviticus 10:6-20; Deuteronomy 18:1-8), and so were the elders (i.e. Numbers 11: 1-30). However, as reflected in these two parables, these leaders in the house of Israel were irresponsible because of their selfishness and greed.

Then, Jesus spoke the third parable to further confront the sinfulness of the chief priests and the elders, and this is the parable of the royal wedding banquet (Matthew 22:1-14), which is the Gospel Reading of the 28^th Sunday. The metaphorical setting is the royal wedding feast, which allegorizes the Kingdom of Heaven, as Jesus began this parable with these words:

The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son (Matthew 22:2).

In fact, the Kingdom is a running theme throughout the three parables that Jesus spoke directly to the chief priests and the elders. In the parable of the two sons (Matthew 21:28-32), Jesus pointed out that these leaders were to be the last ones to enter the Kingdom, behind the tax collectors and the prostituted who repented and converted, because of their hypocrisy and unwillingness to repent (Matthew 21:28-32). And through the parable of the wicked tenant vineyard workers (Matthew 21:33-44), Jesus rebuked them by saying, citing from Psalm 118:22–23:

Did you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes’?

Therefore, I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit. The one who falls on this stone will be dashed to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls (Matthew 21:42-44).

So, in the third parable, the parable of the royal wedding feast, Jesus zeros in on the Kingdom, symbolically represented with the royal wedding feast. And this also means in the presence of Jesus, the Son of God (i.e. Matthew 9:14-17; cf. Revelation 19:6-9).

The setting of the parable is that the king sets up his son’s wedding feast, ordered his servants to summon invited guests but they refused to attend (Matthew 22:3). But the king was determined to bring guests for his son’s wedding feast. So, he tried again, sending another batch of servants, emphasizing the readiness for the feast (Matthew 22:4). But some ignored the king’s invitation, while others too busy to attend because of their worldly affairs (Matthew 22:5), while there were those among the invited guests, who mistreated and killed the king’s servants (Matthew 22:6). Then the king destroyed those who murdered his servants and their cities (Matthew 22:7), as sung in Psalm 92:6-10.

Up to this portion of the parable (Matthew 22:1-7), the first two parables: the parable of the two sons (Matthew 21:28-32), and the parable of the wicked tenant workers of the vineyard (Matthew 21:33-44), as Jesus spoke the judgement against obstinately unrepentant sinners, like the chief priests and the elders.

The rest of the parable of the royal wedding feast (Matthew 22:8-14) speaks not only to these wicked religious leaders of the house of Israel but to all of us.

Being disappointed about the responses from the originally invited guests, the king said to his servants:

The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find (Matthew 22:8-9).

So the servants brought all of those whom they could gather, good and bad, to fill the king’s banquet hall (Matthew 22:10). Then, the king inspected those who were brought by greeting first and spotted a person not dressed for the occasion (Matthew 22:11). He was questioned by the king why he was not with appropriate attire but silenced and expelled from the banquet all into the darkness of anguish, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth (Matthew 22:12-13). Then, in concluding the parable, Jesus said:

Many are invited, but few are chosen (Matthew 22:14).

Remember, only those who are in the good standing with God at the time of the call for the Kingdom can enter there (Matthew 7:21-23; 25:1-11; 31-46). It means the readiness to meet the Lord in his Kingdom. For this, we must repent and convert our hearts, and bear fruits of our works of faith according to the will of God. If we failed to meet this set of standards, then, we would be rejected and thrown into the place of darkness in agony.

Though both good and bad may be gathered together at first (Matthew 22:10) for the Kingdom, as a fisherman draw up the net filled with all sorts of fish, good and bad (Matthew 13:47). But, as the fisherman select only good fish out of the net and throw away the rest (Matthew 13:48), the king rejected the man who was not fit to be at the royal wedding banquet (Matthew 22:11-13), just as the bridegroom rejects the bridesmaids who are not ready for his return (Matthew 25:10-13) and Jesus rejects those who did not do bear fruit of their work of faith by the time of his parousia (Matthew 25:37-46).

Upon Jesus’ return, we are invited to the heavenly wedding feast (Revelation 19:9-6). But not everyone who is invited can be at the feast, if they are not fit for the occasion. It means that we must repent and reconcile with God through our conversion. This is why both John the Baptist and Jesus himself called us to repent for the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 3:2; 4:17). Namely, wearing a proper garment for the king’s son’s royal wedding feast means attaining the purity of heart, as the wedding points to the heavenly wedding of Christ the Lamb and his bride, who is taken by him into the Kingdom (Revelation 19:6-9; 21:2, 9; 22:17), while those who are not fit are damned (Revelation 20:10; 21:8).

As Jesus said, Many are invited, but few are chosen (Matthew 22:14). It means that those who are baptized are invited to the heavenly royal wedding feast of Christ the Lamb and his bride. But not all of the baptized and those who profess their faith are necessarily chosen to be at the feast, because not all of those who are baptized and said “yes” to do God’s will by following Christ in receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation will actually do so, just like the son who said “yes” to his father’s call to work in the vineyard but never went there (Matthew 21:30).

No sola fide, but fide et labore cum fructu abundans. Not faith alone but faith and work with abundant fruit, to be chosen by God the King to be at the heavenly royal wedding in entering the Kingdom of God.

It is also important for the Catholics to understand that Mass is allegorical to the royal wedding feast in the Gospel Reading, because only those who are chosen are truly blessed to receive the Holy Eucharist. Remember, not just externally but internally, we must be adequate for this sacred celebration of the Eucharist, enriched with the Word of God. This is why only those who are in the state of grace shall receive the Holy Eucharist (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1415).

In juxtaposing the royal wedding feast in the Gospel Reading (Matthew 22:1-14) to the First Reading (Isaiah 25:6-10a), the feast is held on God’s holy mountain, served with rich food and the choicest wine (Isaiah 25:6). Our reproaches are removed (Isaiah 25:8). Because the feast is allegorical to the quality of the Kingdom, there is no darkness, sorrow and suffering but eternal joy and light (Revelation 21:1-22:5).  And this is the consummation of God’s salvation (cf. Isaiah 25:9-10a).

As the refrain of the Responsorial Psalm (23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6) joyfully sings, we shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of our life, upon repenting, being fruitful of our work of faith, and being purified – fitting to be at the heavenly royal wedding banquet and to live in the house of the Lord, the Kingdom. And the Second Reading (Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20) reminds us that we need to be and remain humble as a proof of our good standing with God – our fitness to be chosen for the heavenly royal wedding, to be ushered by the bridegroom, Christ the King, into his Kingdom.

Let us repent, convert our hearts to the will of God, remain humble and selfless, to be chosen for the heavenly wedding banquet and to enjoy living in the house of the Lord in the Kingdom of God! The Kingdom of God is at hand. We must be ready for the call for the feast hosted by God the King.

Stewardship of God's Vineyard: Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

 Through the First Reading (Isaiah 5:1-7), the Responsorial Psalm (80:9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20), and the Gospel Reading (Matthew 21:33-43), we see vineyard as a common theme.

What does vineyard stand for in the biblical context?

For the First Reading and Responsorial Psalm, the vineyard is a metaphor for the house of Israel (Isaiah 5:7; Psalm 80:9).

God brought a wine out of Egypt and plant it in Canaan, upon preparing the land for the house of Israel, by driving away nations that would be obstacles (Psalm 80:9). This refers to the Exodus, from Passover to crossing the Red Sea, wondering in the wilderness for 40 years and defeating opposing nations, to the settlement in the Land of Milk and Honey, upon crossing the Jordan River. Namely, the Israelites’ settlement in the promised land in Canaan is the making of God’s vineyard as the house of Israel.

So, beloved God had a vineyard in the fertile land on a hillside (Isaiah 5:1), referring to the area around the Mt. Zion. What He prepared the land, making it fully equipped with a watchtower and a winepress, and planted the choicest vine, (Isaiah 5:2a) brought from Egypt (Psalm 80:9).

The choicest vine symbolizes the Israelites, God’s first beloved, delivered out of Egypt. And God the vineyard maker and owner hoped that the vine in His vineyard would yield abundant high quality crop of grapes for the choicest wine to be made, but it only bore bad fruit (Isaiah 5:2).

Of course, God, who worked so hard over 40 years, rescuing the vest vine out of Egypt, clearing the land, removing all obstacles, making it a complete vineyard, was so disappointed. He even built a winepress, in the hope to enjoy the best wine. But how could He have the choicest wine when the vineyard only yielded bad grape?

So, God decided to deconstruct the vineyard, with a curse of briers and thorns (Isaiah 5:3-6).

This section of the vineyard song (Isaiah 5:1-6) concludes with these words:

The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, the people of Judah, His cherished plant; He waited for judgment, but see, bloodshed! for justice, but hark, the outcry! (Isaiah 5:7).

Though God once cherished His vineyard, the house of His beloved Israel, He now has to send judgement on it for its failure to produce good grape for the choicest wine. The vineyard produced bad grape because its workers (Israelites) brought bloodshed of righteous ones among them (e.g. 1 Kings 21:1-29; Isaiah 1:21-23). God the vineyard owner has heard their outcry, and those who have committed injustice shall be punished for justice.

In this, there is a Hebrew word play: for judgement (mishpat/ מִשְׁפָט ), but see bloodshed (miespah/ מִשְׂפָח)!, for justice (righteousness) (sedaqah/ צְדָקָה), but hark the outcry(se’aqah/ צַעֲקָה)! God will bring judgement for the bloodshed of righteous people, and bring His justice (righteousness) to have heard the cry of those whose blood was shed. And this jusgement statement of God is made in accordance with these words of God:

Anyone who sheds the blood of a human being, by a human being shall that one’s blood be shed; For in the image of God have human beings been made (Genesis 9:6).

Thus, God gave this commandment:

You shall not kill (Exodus 20:13).

Turning the vineyard into the land of murderous blood, rather than the land from which the choicest wine is brought, reflects how the Israelites sinned against God, as they seemed to have lost their sense of gratitude to God for delivering them from Egypt and for His providence throughout the Exodus.

God the vineyard maker and owner provided everything for His beloved Israelites. Thus, they should have been humble and obedient workers in His vineyard to produce a good grape for the best wine. Instead, what came out of the vineyard was the blood of the righteous and the innocent, instead of the juice of good grape from the winepress. The grape they produced was bad because they turned out to be bad stewards of God’s vineyard, not obeying His commandments.

The Gospel Reading (Matthew 21:33-43) echoes what is metaphorically described in the First Reading (Isaiah 5:1-7): a failure of stewardship.

The Gospel Reading, which is known as the parable of the wicked tenant workers of the vineyard (Matthew 21:33-46), is another parable directed to the chief priests and the scribes, who were entrusted by God to serve as stewards of God’s Temple and His people, the Israelites, following the Gospel Reading of the previous Sunday (Matthew 21:31-32), which is known as the parable of the two sons.

Basically, Jesus is speaking these parables to confront the hypocrisy and wickedness of these religious leaders of Israel. They have turned the house of prayer, the Temple, into a den of robbers (Matthew 21:13). And their service to God was nothing but a lip service as they twist the Law for their own benefits (Matthew 15:3-11).

In the parable of the wicked tenant vineyard worker (Matthew 21:33-46), as in the vineyard story of the First Reading (Isaiah 5:1-7), the vineyard owner is a metaphor of God, who is the Creator. And he planted vine in His vineyard, put protective measures (hedges) and equipped it with a wine press (Matthew 21:33; cf. Isaiah 5:2). And he leased the vineyard to the workers and went away on a journey (Matthew 21:33). This means that God, the vineyard owner, is not a so-called “micromanager” of His workers. He entrusts them to take good care of His vineyard for a good harvest.

In this context, the vineyard symbolizes the house of Israel, for which God entrusts the chief priests and the scribes, as well as, other religious leaders, such as the Pharisees, take care of it so that it will remain faithful to Him and His Law, producing abundant fruit of faith. However, it turns out not so.

Then, as the harvest time drew near, God the owner sent His servants to the vineyard to check how the fruit was bearing (Matthew 21:34). But these workers they assaulted and murdered the servant sent by the vineyard owner (Matthew 21:35), because there was no good fruit, for they were not working as instructed. When another batch of the vineyard owner’s servants were sent, it turned out the same result (Matthew 21:36). So, the owner sent his own son, hoping that the workers would be more compliant to his intention to check on the fruit and respect his son (Matthew 21:37)

Did they finally become obedient and cooperated with the owner’s son out of respect? No. They murdered him in order to take his inheritance for themselves (Matthew 21:38-39).

Through this, Jesus was pointing to the chief priests and the scribes that they were at least as wicked as those who killed prophets and judges, as reflected in Isaiah 5:1-7. And they were about to kill him, the Son of God, the son of the vineyard owner. When Jesus spoke this parable, his passion and death were drawing nearer.

Then Jesus asked the chief priests and the scribe, what the vineyard owner would do about this (Matthew 21:40), and they answered that the owner would put these wicked workers to death and let better workers bring good fruit (Matthew 21:41).

In response, Jesus said to them, citing from Psalm118:22–23:

Did you never read in the scriptures: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes”? Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit. The one who falls on this stone will be dashed to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls (Matthew 21:43-44).

At that point, the chief priests and the scribes realized that Jesus was rebuking them through this parable (vv. 33-44) in connection to Isaiah 5:1-7 (Matthew 21:45) and began to try to seize him (to have him killed) but was afraid to do so at that time because many people already regarded him as a prophet (Matthew 21:46).

Throughout the parable in the Gospel Reading (Matthew 21:33-43), we see that what the chief priests and the scribes were doing and were about to do, were addressed allegorically as the wickedness of the tenant vineyard workers. And it was they who pronounced the judgement they deserve for their wickedness (Matthew 21:41). Their wickedness had turned grape bad, thus, doomed to receive God’s due judgement, as reflected in the First Reading (Isaiah 5:1-7).

So how does the Gospel Reading (Matthew 21:33-43), in connection to the First Reading (Isaiah 5:1-7), apply to us?

To us, God’s vineyard can be God’s Creation, for which He entrusts us to be its stewards (Genesis 1:26, 28), as well as, the Church that Christ has built for us (Matthew 16:18), which Paul describes as one body of Christ with many parts, and we are this body (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). Thus, our stewardship to Christ’s Church, the body of Christ, also means taking care of ourselves as one body of Christ with many parts. If we fail, we cannot abide in him as one, and we must produce good fruit (John 15:1-17).

How are we serving Christ’s Church? How is the fruit of our stewardship coning out? Is it in good quality?  How are we taking care of God’s Creation? Are we taking care of God’s creatures so that they can also praise God, as in St. Francis’ reflection on Psalm 148?

God entrusts us to be the stewards of His vineyard, which can be symbolic to His Creation and the Church, until the time of the harvest, which is the judgement (Revelation 20:11-15).

If we are working in God’s vineyard as we are supposed to, as God hopes us to, then, there is no need to worry, as we just need to keep up with the good work, as we have learned from Christ and through his Apostles, as reminded by the Second Reading (Philippians 4:6-9). Let us continue to work diligently and faithfully in God’s vineyard for good harvest and good wine! Let us guard God's vineyard from the blood of murders! 

St. Maria Faustina Kowalska: The Secretary of Divine Mercy to the King of Divine Mercy

On October 5, the Roman Catholic Church commemorates and honors the life of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, a polish nun, to whom Christ appeared as the King of Divine Mercy, from 1931 until her death in 1938.

It is the day after the Memorial Feast of St. Francis of Assisi (October 4). In fact, these memorial feast days in row, the same Gospel Reading (Matthew 11:25-30) is read.

This Gospel Reading has two parts: the Father in heaven reveals things in His will only to the humble (anawim) through Christ the Son, so that they may come to know the Father through him (vv. 25-27) and Christ’s invitation to yoke with him (vv.28-30).

Both St. Francis and St. Faustina served Christ humbly (Acts 20:19). And they were drawn to him, upon their encounters with him, abided in him (John 15:14), being yoked with him in his humility and gentleness (Matthew 11:29).  And things in God’s will for us have been revealed through their respective services.

Through St. Francis’ service to repair the Church, Christ’s poverty and love, symbolized with the Cross, have been revealed, directed to let all creatures praise God for His goodness and glory. Then, what service did St. Faustina performed for him and what did he reveal through her humble service?

Thanks to St. John Paul II, who beatified and canonized her, St. Faustina and her service to Christ, have been made known, especially through her diary, in which she meticulously wrote what Christ revealed to her.

The Church venerates St. Faustina for her humble service as the Secretary of the Divine Mercy to the King of Divine Mercy, who is Christ himself. And through her service, Christ revealed himself as the Divine Mercy, calling us to draw ourselves to abide in his Mercy.

As St. Francis sung his praise to God, reflecting Psalm 148, St. Faustina praised the Divine Mercy:

Be praised, merciful God, One God in the Holy Trinity,

Unfathomable, infinite, incomprehensible,

immersing themselves in You, their minds cannot comprehend You,

So they repeat without end their eternal: Holy.

Be glorified, O merciful Creator of ours, O Lord,

Omnipotent, but full of compassion, inconceivable.

To love You is the mission of our existence,

Singing our eternal hymn: Holy...

Be blessed, merciful God, Eternal Love.

You are above the heavens, the saphires, the firmaments.

The host of pure spirits sings You praises,

With its eternal hymn: Thrice Holy.

And, gazing upon You, face to face, O God,

I see that You could have called other creatures before them (Diary 1741).

And at the beginning of her diary, St. Faustina wrote her mission as the Secretary of the Divine Mercy to the King of the Divine Mercy:

O Eternal Love, You command Your Sacred Image to be painted.

And reveal to us the inconceivable fount of mercy,

You bless whoever approaches Your rays,

And a soul all black will turn into snow.

O sweet Jesus, it is here. You established the throne of Your mercy

To bring joy and hope to sinful man.

From Your open Heart, as from a pure fount,

Flows comfort to a repentant heart and soul.

May praise and glory for this Image

Never cease to stream from man's soul.

May praise of God's mercy pour from every heart,

Now, and at every hour, and forever and ever.

O My God

When I look into the future, I am frightened,

But why plunge into the future?

Only the present moment is precious to me,

As the future may never enter my soul at all.

It is no longer in my power,

To change, correct or add to the past;

For neither sages nor prophets could do that.

And so, what the past has embraced I must entrust to God.

O present moment, you belong to me, whole and entire.

I desire to use you as best I can.

And although I am weak and small,

You grant me the grace of your omnipotence.

And so, trusting in Your mercy,

I walk through life like a little child,

Offering You each day this heart

Burning with love for Your greater glory.

J.M.J. [Jesus, Mary, and Joseph]

God and souls

King of Mercy, guide my soul (Diary 1-3).

Both St. Faustina and St. Francis, sharing the same Gospel Reading (Matthew 11:25-30) for their feast days, remind us that God reveals things in His will only to those who are humble. And they come to Christ the Son, to yoke themselves with him and to abide in him. Thus, they seek nothing for themselves but to serve him humbly and obediently. This is how we come to know the Father, who has sent both the Son and the Holy Spirit.

In a way, Christ’s revelation of the Divine Mercy can be juxtaposed to his eschatological prophetic revelation to Apostle John, as we may draw a parallel between the Diary of St. Faustina and the Book of Revelation (the Book of Apocalypse).

St. John was one of the apostolic servants to Christ, kept alive (i.e. John 21:20-23) to receive his eschatological revelation and pass it on to the Church (Revelation 1:1-3), and to care for his mother, Mary, until her Assumption (John 19:27).

Christ chose St. Faustina to pass on his message of the Divine Mercy to the Church and the world, as he chose Apostle John to do with the eschatological prophesy. Today, we can listen to Jesus speaking of the eschatological consummation of God’s salvific and redemptive scheme in reading the Book of Revelation. We can also listen to him speaking of the salvific eschatological prophesy from a perspective of God’s mercy, as Christ the King of Mercy revealed to St. Faustina his desire for us to be saved through the Divine Mercy:

During prayer I heard these words within me: The two rays denote Blood and Water. The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous. The red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls...

These two rays issued forth from the very depths of My tender mercy when My agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross.

These rays shield souls from the wrath of My Father. Happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him. I desire that the first Sunday after Easter be the Feast of Mercy (Diary, 299).

O Blood and Water which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a Fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You! (Diary, 309).

The words with which I entreated God are these: Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ for our sins and those of the whole world; for the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us (Diary, 475).

When I had said the prayer, in my soul I heard these words: This prayer will serve to appease My wrath. You will recite it for nine days, on the beads of the rosary, in the following manner: First of all, you will say one OUR FATHER and HAIL MARY and the I BELIEVE IN GOD. Then on the OUR FATHER beads you will say the following words: “Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.” On the HAIL MARY beads you will say the following words: “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion have mercy on us and on the whole world.” In conclusion, three times you will recite these words: “Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.” (Diary, 476).

My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy (Diary, 699).

My daughter, write down these words: All those souls who will glorify My mercy and spread its worship, encouraging others to trust in My mercy, will not experience terror at the hour of death. My mercy will shield them in that final battle...

My daughter, encourage souls to say the chaplet which I have given to you. It pleases Me to grant everything they ask of Me by saying the chaplet. When hardened sinners say it, I will fill their souls with peace, and the hour of their death will be a happy one.

Write this for the benefit of distressed souls: when a soul sees and realizes the gravity of its sins, when the whole abyss of the misery into which it immersed itself is displayed before its eyes, let it not despair, but with trust let it throw itself into the arms of My mercy, as a child into the arms of its beloved mother. These souls have a right of priority to My compassionate Heart, they have first access to My mercy. Tell them that no soul that has called upon My mercy has been disappointed or brought to shame. I delight particularly in a soul which has placed its trust in My goodness.

Write that when they say this chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as the just Judge but as the merciful Savior (Diary, 1540-1541).

As the above excerpts from her Diary show, Christ spoke to St. Faustina that the Divine Mercy is necessary for us to be blessed at the heavenly wedding banquet (Revelation 19:6-9) and to enter the Kingdom (Revelation 21:1-22:5), as our names to be written in the Book of Life (Revelation 20:12-15). To benefit from the salvific effects of the Divine Mercy, Christ calls us to recite the Divine Mercy Chaplet and pray in front of the Image of the Divine Mercy as to pray in front of the Cross, on which the incarnated Christ is crucified, the blood and the water gushing out of his body on the Cross, as the shield of the Divine Mercy from God’s wrath. Remember, the Chaplet and the Image are only for those who truly desire to repent and seek Christ and his Divine Mercy.

Thanks to St. Faustina, we know this important revelation of the Divine Mercy, fortifying his eschatological revelation to St. John.

Now, how can we humbly serve Christ, the King of Divine Mercy, being grateful to the service of St. Faustina as being the Secretary of Divine Mercy?

First and foremost, we must be humble and obedient to Christ, as these words of the King of Divine Mercy to his humble Secretary of Divine Mercy remind:

Do not value any external thing too highly, even if it were to seem very precious to you. Let go of yourself, and abide with Me continually. Entrust everything to Me and do nothing on your own, and you will always have great freedom of spirit. No circumstances or events will ever be able to upset you. Set little store on what people say. Let everyone judge you as they like. Do not make excuses for yourself, it will do you no harm. Give away everything at the first sign of a demand, even if they were the most necessary things. Do not ask for anything without consulting Me. Allow them to take away even what is due you – respect, your good name – let your spirit rise above all that. And so, set free from everything, rest close to My Heart, not allowing your peace to be disturbed by anything (Diary, 1685).

St. Francis of Assisi: Humble Steward to Let God “Laudato Si” by All Creatures

St. Francis of Assisi, whose memorial feast is on October 4, is recognized as patron Saint of environment, as proclaimed by St. John Paul II. St. Francis’ ministry puts the poor and the vulnerable first, as he placed himself and fellow friars, amidst of them. As they are the most defenseless to hazardous effects prompted by environmental deterioration, his care for the poor and the vulnerable also meant the care for the environment. But his care for the environment in his practice of the preferential option for the poor and the vulnerable goes further, as it is to direct our attention to God through His Creation’s mysterious goodness.

Pope Francis wrote:

Saint Francis, faithful to Scripture, invites us to see nature as a magnificent book in which God speaks to us and grants us a glimpse of his infinite beauty and goodness. “Through the greatness and the beauty of creatures one comes to know by analogy their maker” (Wis 13:5); indeed, “his eternal power and divinity have been made known through his works since the creation of the world” (Rom 1:20). For this reason, Francis asked that part of the friary garden always be left untouched, so that wild flowers and herbs could grow there, and those who saw them could raise their minds to God, the Creator of such beauty. Rather than a problem to be solved, the world is a joyful mystery to be contemplated with gladness and praise (Laudato Si, paragraph 12).

To better understand St. Francis of Assisi’s care for environment, to lift our minds and hearts to God, we must remember that the risen Jesus has commissioned us with this commandment:

Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15).

This means that we are to go and make disciples in all nations on earth (Matthew 28:19), as to sing a new song for how marvelous God’s deed with His holy arm is, including His work on our salvation, out of His love, to all the ends of the earth (Psalm 98:1-3). This also means to affect not just people on earth but of all God’s all creation so that they all joyfully sing praise to the Lord, who comes to govern all of us, all His creations, with justice (Psalm 98:4-9).

Our Lord, Jesus Christ, is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation (Colossians 1:15), while we are being created in God’s image to serve as God the Creator has entrusted us as stewards for His creation (Genesis 1:26-28), which is held altogether in him (Colossians 1:17), because all things were created through him (John 1:3) for him (Colossians 1:16) in the hope that all creatures will praise the name of the Lord for His splendor all over the earth, for raising up His strength for us, His loyal servants (Psalm 148:7-14), as good stewards of His creations (Genesis 1:26, 28).

This means that we must remain obedient to this primary commandment to care for all God’s creations while we show the glorious power of God to all the ends of the earth, making disciples of all nations.  And Pope Francis reflected this in his encyclical, Laudato Si, which means, “praise be”, taking this title from St. Francis of Assisi’s reflection of Psalm 148.

St. Francis composed:

Original Umbrian dialect

English translation

Altissimu, onnipotente bon Signore, Tue so le laude, la gloria e l'honore et onne benedictione. Ad Te solo, Altissimo, se konfano, et nullu homo ène dignu te mentouare.   Laudato sie, mi Signore cum tucte le Tue creature, spetialmente messor lo frate Sole, lo qual è iorno, et allumini noi per lui. Et ellu è bellu e radiante cum grande splendore: de Te, Altissimo, porta significatione. Laudato si, mi Signore, per sora Luna e le stelle: in celu l'ài formate clarite et pretiose et belle.   Laudato si, mi Signore, per frate Uentoet per aere et nubilo et sereno et onne tempo, per lo quale, a le Tue creature dài sustentamento.   Laudato si, mi Signore, per sor'Acqua, la quale è multo utile et humile et pretiosa et casta.   Laudato si, mi Signore, per frate Focu, per lo quale ennallumini la nocte: ed ello è bello et iucundo et robustoso et forte.   Laudato si, mi Signore, per sora nostra matre Terra, la quale ne sustenta et gouerna, et produce diuersi fructi con coloriti fior et herba.   Laudato si, mi Signore, per quelli ke perdonano per lo Tuo amore et sostengono infirmitate et tribulatione.   Beati quelli ke 'l sosterranno in pace, ka da Te, Altissimo, sirano incoronati.   Laudato si mi Signore, per sora nostra Morte corporale, da la quale nullu homo uiuente pò skappare: guai a quelli ke morrano ne le peccata mortali; beati quelli ke trouarà ne le Tue sanctissime uoluntati, ka la morte secunda no 'l farrà male.   Laudate et benedicete mi Signore et rengratiate e seruiteli cum grande humilitate.

Most high, all powerful, all good Lord! All praise is Yours, all glory, all honor, and all blessing. To You, alone, Most High, do they belong. No mortal lips are worthy to pronounce Your name. Be praised, my Lord, through all Your creatures, especially through my lord Brother Sun, who brings the day; and You give light through him. And he is beautiful and radiant in all his splendor! Of You, Most High, he bears the likeness. Be praised, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars; in the heavens You have made them bright, precious and beautiful.   Be praised, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air, and clouds and storms, and all the weather, through which You give Your creatures sustenance.   Be praised, my Lord, through Sister Water; she is very useful, and humble, and precious, and pure.   Be praised, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom You brighten the night. He is beautiful and cheerful, and powerful and strong.   Be praised, my Lord, through our sister Mother Earth, who feeds us and rules us, and produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs.   Be praised, my Lord, through those who forgive for love of You; through those who endure sickness and trial.   Happy those who endure in peace, for by You, Most High, they will be crowned.   Be praised, my Lord, through our sister Bodily Death,from whose embrace no living person can escape.Woe to those who die in mortal sin!Happy those she finds doing Your most holy will. The second death can do no harm to them.   Praise and bless my Lord, and give thanks,and serve Him with great humility.

 And Psalm 148 praises God the Creator:

Hallelujah!

Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the heights.

Praise Him, all you His angels; give praise, all you His hosts.

Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all shining stars.

Praise Him, highest heavens, you waters above the heavens.

Let them all praise the Lord’s name; for He commanded and they were created,

Assigned them their station forever, set an order that will never change.

Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all the deeps of the sea;

Lightning and hail, snow and thick clouds, storm wind that fulfills His command;

Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars;

Animals wild and tame, creatures that crawl and birds that fly;

Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all who govern on earth;

Young men and women too, old and young alike.

Let them all praise the Lord’s name, for His name alone is exalted,

His majesty above earth and heaven.

He has lifted high the horn of his people; to the praise of all his faithful, the Israelites, the people near to Him.

Hallelujah!

Pope Francis wrote:

Francis helps us to see that an integral ecology calls for openness to categories which transcend the language of mathematics and biology, and take us to the heart of what it is to be human. Just as happens when we fall in love with someone, whenever he would gaze at the sun, the moon or the smallest of animals, he burst into song, drawing all other creatures into his praise. He communed with all creation, even preaching to the flowers, inviting them “to praise the Lord, just as if they were endowed with reason”. His response to the world around him was so much more than intellectual appreciation or economic calculus, for to him each and every creature was a sister united to him by bonds of affection. That is why he felt called to care for all that exists…..

If we approach nature and the environment without this openness to awe and wonder, if we no longer speak the language of fraternity and beauty in our relationship with the world, our attitude will be that of masters, consumers, ruthless exploiters, unable to set limits on their immediate needs. By contrast, if we feel intimately united with all that exists, then sobriety and care will well up spontaneously. The poverty and austerity of Saint Francis were no mere veneer of asceticism, but something much more radical: a refusal to turn reality into an object simply to be used and controlled (Laudato Si, paragraph 11).

Do we have the same affection and openness to God’s Creation in environment? Are we willing to form fraternal harmony with creatures in environment, as St. Francis did? 

We must, in order to fulfill our stewardship to God’s Creation as entrusted by the Creator God (Genesis 1:26, 28).  St. John Paul II said on this matter to general audience on January 17, 2001, calling our stewardship as “lordship”:

Man's lordship, however, is not "absolute, but ministerial:  it is a real reflection of the unique and infinite lordship of God. Hence man must exercise it with wisdom and love, sharing in the boundless wisdom and love of God" (Evangelium vitae, n. 52). In biblical language "naming" the creatures (cf. Gn 2: 19-20) is the sign of this mission of knowing and transforming created reality. It is not the mission of an absolute and unquestionable master, but of a steward of God's kingdom who is called to continue the Creator's work, a work of life and peace. His task, described in the Book of Wisdom, is to rule "the world in holiness and righteousness" (Wis 9: 3) .

Our stewardship in way of lordship to God’s Creation, therefore, must be exercised in transformative work to establish the Kingdom of God here on earth, as it is in heaven. And, as the stewards, we must be humble and obedient to our master, God, Francis, Francis, go and repair My house which, as you can see, is falling into ruins.and love His Creation, especially, the poor and the vulnerable with special care, as St. Francis of Assisi exemplified.

In the Gospel Reading of his memorial feast (Matthew 11:25-30), we hear Jesus praising the Father for keeping things in His gracious will to those who think of themselves “wise” but for revealing only to child-like humble people (vv. 25-26), like St. Francis of Assisi. Because of things in God’s gracious will revealed to him for his humility, Francis was able to do his work obediently, in response to Jesus’ call on him, “Francis, Francis, go and repair My house which, as you can see, is falling into ruins”. So, he began literally repairing dilapidated churches, starting with the church of San Damiano. As he carried out this carpentry work, brick by brick, some men offered help and began to join him. He wondered from place to place, begging alms, to continue his repair works for churches.

What St. Francis of Assisi repaired was not damaged churches. He began a repair work of the Church and of God’s Creation. To repair the Church in general, St. Francis called to bring radical obedience to Christ and his Gospel message. Rather than making sermons, Francis preached this through his own actions and the very life of obedience to Christ, chastity, and poverty, as reflected in the three knots of the white string attached to the Franciscan habit.

St. Francis’ work helped the Church to have a place in Jerusalem, working with the Muslims that occupied the Holy City, because of his outreach to them, as an ambassador of Christ’s peace. And it was made possible because God revealed to him what was necessary to work with the Muslims. This is why the Franciscans took the stewardship of the Christian section of Jerusalem in 1217, working in peace with the Muslims and the Jews.

For him, the Church exists in fraternal harmony with all God’s creations. This is why his repair work of the Church also meant to care for environment. Unless environment did not allow mysterious splendors of God’s creations, how could we better praise God for His great art, reflected in these words of David:

For you are great and do wondrous deeds; and you alone are God.

Teach me, Lord, your way that I may walk in your truth, single-hearted and revering your name.

I will praise you with all my heart, glorify your name forever, Lord my God (Psalm 86:10-12).

God revealed His will to St. Francis through Christ the Son clearly as he embraced the Cross of San Damiano, as he knelt down and prayed in front of it, humbly seeking His guidance, after denounced all of his earthly attachments. In this sense, Francis boasted nothing but the Cross of Christ (Galatians 6:14), resulting in bearing the marks of Christ in his body (Galatians 6:17), receiving stigmata. Indeed, he has let God be praised (laudato si) by all His creations through his works to repair Christ’s Church. Indeed, he has let God be praised (laudato si) by all His creatures through his works to repair Christ’s Church.

Given how the Church has been and how our environment has been, we need to join St. Francis of Assisi in our apostolic works more than ever, with our humility and charity.