Reflections of Caritas

Dear friends,

Responding to the question of the Teacher of the Law: ‘Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law? Jesus stressed the direct relationship between love of God and love of neighbour.  He explained that the rest of the laws are based on the two. They are like the hinges on which the entire law hung. Loving God and loving our neighbour is the heart of our daily lives, the springboard of our actions, the basis of our decisions, the reason for our prayer life, the motivation of our lifestyle and the very reason why we live together on earth. What is most important in our life? Not pleasure, nor wealth, nor health, nor beauty, nor fame, but only love. And as St. Paul says, without love, everything else in life becomes merely booming gongs or clanging cymbals, profiting us nothing (1 Cor 13:1).

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Whenever we share a meal with those we love, there is a sense of joy, community and belonging which is experienced by those around the table. Stories are told and new memories are created. We all love to share a good meal in the company of our friends and family.

The same was true at the time of Jesus. We know from the gospels, that Jesus sat and ate with many people. He often ate with those who were ignored, hated and dismissed. Nobody was excluded or dismissed by Jesus; all were invited, welcomed, and included.

In the gospel this Sunday the image and symbol of the meal and banquet are used to let us know how generous God is. The table is set and the food is ready. However, those invited gave various excuses why they could not go to the feast. In response, the king invited and welcomed strangers, good and bad alike. They were the ones who enjoyed the food and wine.

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Dear friends,

The gospel this Sunday uses the image of the vineyard to speak to us about the patience and generosity of God.

Jesus tells chief priest and the elders a parable. The owner of the vineyard sends workers into his vineyard to collect the harvest. However these poor servants do not receive a positive welcome. They are attacked and beaten. The owner then sends more workers into the vineyard. Sadly these workers are treated in much the same way. Lastly, the owner decides to send his son in the hope and belief that they will treat him with respect. Alas, his hope is ill placed; they kill his son. It comes as no surprise to us, that the owner of the vineyard represents God and his son is Jesus Christ. Also very clear in the parable, is that those who killed the servants and the owners son are Scribes, Pharisees and the elders. Imagine their shock and anger when they heard this!

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Dear friends,

In this week’s Gospel Jesus tells a well-known parable: a father who asks each of his sons to go out and work in the vineyard. After giving his command, the father expects an answer from them. Not satisfied with mere words, the father desires a real commitment. Initially the first son responds negatively but then repents or has a complete change of heart and goes out to work. The second son acknowledges with lip service his father’s request and gives in, but does not follow through on his promise. The message of the parable is clear: it is not words that matter, but deeds, deeds of conversion, Charity and faith. As we heard, Jesus directs this message to the chief priests and elders of the people of Israel, that is, to the religious experts of his people. At first they say “yes” to God’s will, but their piety becomes routine and God no longer matters to them.

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