Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time / Msgr. Owen F. Campion
The Sunday Readings
The Book of Isaiah provides the first reading for Mass this weekend. Isaiah is a fascinating book of Scripture. It covers a long period of Hebrew history. Its early chapters deal with events and conditions in the southern Hebrew kingdom of Judah, before the kingdom’s conquest by the mighty Babylonian army.
Then, as the book progresses, it tells of the plight of the Hebrews taken to Babylon, the imperial capital, where they and their descendants languished for four generations.
At last, the Hebrews were allowed to return, but the homeland that they found was sterile, lifeless and bleak. It must have been difficult not to succumb to cynicism or outright rejection of God. Why did God lead them to this awful place after all that they had experienced in Babylon? Was this God’s confirmation of the covenant?
This dreary, despondent situation is evident as we hear Isaiah’s words proclaimed in this weekend’s Liturgy of the Word. But the prophet unceasingly called the people to reaffirm their devotion to God. He would rescue them.
For its second reading on this weekend, the Church presents a passage from the Epistle to the Hebrews. In the late part of the first century when this epistle was composed, the plight of the Jews was anything but good. In 70 AD, the Jews paid a dreadful price for their audacious rebellion against the Romans.
Life for them was as bad as it was in the days of the last part of Isaiah, from which came the reading heard earlier.
Nevertheless, as other prophets so often had encouraged the people in the past, the author of Hebrews assured the people of the first century that God would protect them, despite all their trials and woes, and lead them to eternal life.
St. Luke’s Gospel furnishes the last reading. It is a somber reading, indeed a warning, but also a lesson. This world is impermanent. God lives and reigns in an eternal kingdom. He is everlasting, unchanging.
Jesus holds the key to the gate of God’s kingdom, but entry into the kingdom is possible only for those who are faithful to God.
Reflection
For several weeks, the Church, either directly or indirectly, has taught us in the weekend readings at Mass that earthly life is not the final experience of living for humans because earthly life will pass.
Human existence is transitory. Earthly life will end. Then inevitably will come either eternal joy in heaven, or hopelessly unending despair in hell.
God offers us every opportunity and aid to enable us to reach eternal life in heaven. He could show us no greater love than to give us Jesus as our Redeemer and companion as we move through earthly existence. The Lord, one with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, in the eternity and power of God, is with us, forgiving us, strengthening us, guiding us, restoring us, before finally seating us at the banquet table of heaven.
Still, humans ignore or outright reject God’s love, so lavishly given in Jesus.
Saints or sinners, humans create their own destiny. Will they, with the help of grace, live in eternal joy with God? Or will they live without God in everlasting despair and pain? The choice belongs to them.
Therefore, each of us individually has a choice. By our faithfulness, or by our sin, we select the eternity in which we shall be.
Humanity’s plight can be disturbing if we do not ennoble it by hearing and accepting the promises given by God to the prophets and by the Lord’s pledge to us that, if we honestly seek God, he will assist us through Jesus to reach eternal life with its everlasting peace and joy.
The Criterion will not have an issue next week due to its summer schedule. The reflection of Msgr. Owen Campion for Sunday, August 31, will be posted at www.archindy.org/campion. †