28th Sunday of the Year (A)

(Edited) Sunday reflections: (from) years 2014 (A), 2015 (B), and 2016 (C)

October 12, 2014
Liturgical readings
Isaiah 25:6-10a
Psalm 23
Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20
Matthew 22:1-14

"They rounded up everyone they met, bad as well as good."

Some parables of Jesus involve the theme of God's judgment. This parable of the wedding feast is a good example. God is represented by the king who gave a big banquet for his son's wedding. When the king gave out the invitations through his servants, some of those invited created trouble. And so the king expressed his anger by sending his army and burning their city. But since the feast for his son had already been prepared, the king still sent out his servants to invite anyone they could see. As all kinds of people were invited, the wedding hall was filled with guests, both good and bad.

How does tradition interpret this parable? According to St. Thomas of Aquinas, the banquet in the parable is like the Eucharistic banquet. In the Eucharist, all are invited to come and partake of it - both saints and sinners. All are healed and comforted. Sins are purged away. Virtues are increased. Souls are enriched with an abundance of every spiritual gift. All Catholics of all walks of life are privileged to receive these wonderful effects of the Eucharistic celebration. And the Eucharist is not exclusive; it is inclusive. But even if the invitation is for all, many "ignore it, go their way to their farm or to their business". And others even lay hold of its servants, "insulting them and killing them" - as the many martyrs of Church history attest to.

Jesus instituted the Eucharist for all, to strengthen the good that is in all people, and to purge away what is bad. Others do not see or are ignorant of the value of the Eucharist. But there must be respect for their belief and reserve the final judgment to God. In time, as God sees fit, He will enter others' lives, and make them aware of the great spiritual treasures that the Eucharist can bestow upon all people. The Eucharist is meant for all. It is the reason for the mission: it is the reason the Church goes on mission to make the gospel known. And the spiritual treasure of healing, gratitude and joy which the Eucharist can give is a blessing all can partake of.

Scripture quote:
"On this mountain the Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples...a feast of rich food and choice wines...The Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces; the reproach of his people he will remove from the whole earth." (Isaiah 25)

Understanding Eschatology: Death, Judgment, Heaven, Hell, the Second Coming

Limbo, the Eschata, Eschatology and Christian Hope

The theology of the last things such as death, judgment, heaven, hell and the second coming of Christ, belongs to the study of eschatology. This study takes as its principle still the person of Christ, who remains as the source of Christian hope for all Christians, in view of the end time, and the future thereafter, where a new earth and a new heaven shall be created.

Definition of Limbo

Some theologians define limbo as a state of being shared by all those who have died deserving neither the full experience of heaven nor the everlasting sorrow of hell. The term is taken from Latin, "limbus", meaning "on the border" or on the edge. The word also means a border or hem of a garment. This technical theological term designates the place or condition of those who have died without baptism, but also without the mortal guilt necessary for condemnation to hell.

Two kinds of limbo

Tradition distinguishes between the limbo of the Fathers (limbus patrum), and the limbo of the infants (limbus infantum). The first designates all the just who have preceded Jesus in salvation history, including Old Testament figures, and all those of non-Jewish origin. The second refers to the state of children who have died without baptism but also not committing any sin. In 1794 A.D., Pope Pius VI taught that a Catholic can believe in this spiritual condition of happiness called "limbo", where no pain is suffered by those who are destined to be in that state of being.

Definition of eschata

The eschata refers to the last things: death, judgment, heaven, hell and the second coming of Christ (particularly called parousia). These last things can be viewed two ways: by focusing on the destiny of the individual with accounts of what will happen to him in terms of purgatory, heaven or hell, or on the other hand, by focusing on the collective destiny of the world, both natural and human, in terms of a general resurrection of the dead and the dawning of a new earth and a new heaven.

Eschatology and Christian hope

The eschata are understood more in the context of eschatology, which refers to the study of the last things. But eschatology is always to be seen and guided by the principle that Jesus is the norm and foundation for all truth regarding the last things, and what would be in the future after it. Jesus and His resurrection becomes the center that produces Christian hope for personal lives and the social and environmental dimensions in which these are situated. Thus, even if the future remains very much a mystery for every Christian, the promise of new life in Christ to come can always be imaged in the person of Christ Himself and through the scripture: "no eye has seen nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived what God has prepared for those who love him".

Related sources:

• The New Dictionary of Theology, Komonchak, Collins and Lane, editors
• The New Concise Catholic Dictionary, by Reynolds R. Ekstrom

St. John Paul (1991-1995 A.D.)

Series: On the life of John Paul II

From 1991 - 1995 A.D.

The Gulf War

As the world entered the decade of the 1990s, it just experienced the breakup of the Soviet Union and the retreat of Soviet communism. Now, the focus of the world's attention was riveted on the impending Gulf War. John Paul wrote a letter to USA President George Bush and to President Saddam Hussein of Iraq, in an attempt to avert the war. The letter was written the 5th of January, 1991 A.D., but the Gulf War still erupted two days later. Fortunately, the war was brief and shortlived; it ended on February 28, 1991 A.D.

Still the missionary Pope

1991 A.D. again saw the Pope travelling to countries outside Rome:
May 10-13: Portugal
June 1-19: Poland
August 13-20: Czestochowa, Poland (3rd World Youth Day)
October 12-21: Brazil
In the Holy Father's fourth visit to Poland, he saw the advent of free enterprise. The Western world was now coming to Poland: mass-market paperbacks, Hollywood movies, and commercial TV. But the Holy Father had a mission in mind for Poland - that Poland would return to its Christian roots and become a beacon of hope for the rest of Europe in the coming third millenium.

A third social encyclical

The Pope wrote three important encyclicals on questions of labor, politics, and economics. The first in 1981 A.D. (Laborem Exercens - On Human Work); the second in 1987 A.D. (Sollicitudo Rei Socialis - On Social Concern); and the third encyclical - which was to clarify his position on capitalism (Centesimus Annus - The Hundredth Year), was written on May 1, 1991 A.D. His basic message was that only Catholic social doctrine can purify capitalism and democracy. This third social encyclical reflects John Paul's social wisdom - a wisdom believed by many to be his legacy not only for the coming decades but also and perhaps, even in the coming centuries.

Highlight of 1992 A.D.

Aside from his missionary trips outside Italy, the year 1992 A.D. saw the Holy Father establishing diplomatic relations with various countries, and recognizing the sovereignty of many states. The Pope recognized the Russian Federation in January 1 and Croatia and Slovenia in January 12. He also established diplomatic relations with Croatia, Slovenia, Ukraine (February 8); Swaziland (March 11); Mongolia (April 4); Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova (May 23); Nauru (June 1); Mexico (September 21); Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan (October 17); and Belarus (November 11). Aside from establishing political ties with many states, the Holy Father never forgot his mission to the nations. His pastoral visits outside Italy included: Senegal, Gambia, and Guinea (February 19-26), Angola, Sao Tome and Principe (June 4-10), and Santo Domingo (October 9-14) for the 5th centenary of the evangelization of Latin America. It was also in this year, 1992 A.D., that the Holy Father instituted the World Day for the Sick - celebrated annually on February 11, and beatified two persons: Jose Maria Escriva de Balaguer (founder of Opus Dei), and Giuseppina Bakhita of Sudan.

Physical suffering

In his mid-seventies, the Pope suffered one physical affliction after another. In July 1992 A.D., he had a nonmalignant growth taken from his large intestine, and stones removed from his gallbladder. In November 1993 A.D., he broke his shoulder in a fall. The following year, he fractured his femur slipping in the shower, and was obliged to have an artificial hip replacement. Despite all these, the Holy Father, did not lack hope. On August 12-15, 1993 A.D., he was in Denver, Colorado, addressing a hundred thousand young people - the fourth International World Youth Day. The cheers of the Church's youth in America invigorated him and gave him cause for optimism.

World Youth Days

International World Youth Days had been held in Argentina, Spain, and Poland. The fourth was held in the USA. For his next World Youth Day trip, in 1995 A.D., John Paul would travel to the Philippines. It was in Manila, 1995 A.D., where the Holy Father would attract four million to his papal mass - his largest-ever crowd. The World Youth Days were his idea, a way of reaching out to young Catholics directly, bypassing the filtering effects of Church elders and the news media (these Youth events alternate yearly between Rome and an international site). Both the Pope and his young flock are, according to him, pilgrims on the same path, searching for "a real encounter with Jesus Christ."

Edited from the following sources

• The Pope Coming from the East, by Teresio Bosco, S.D.B.
• An Intimate Portrait: John Paul II, by Mark Bakermans
• The Pontiff in Winter, by John Cornwell
• Pope John Paul II: Champion of Faith, by TV Guide Magazine Group, Inc.
• Special Report: The 25 Years of Pope John Paul II, Vatican Information Service
• John Paul II: A Great Pope Passes into History, Readers Digest (June 2005)
• John Paul II: 1920-2005, Newsweek Special Double Issue (April 11/April 18, 2005)