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The Fruitful Trials of St. Paul

April 28, 2024

Fifth Sunday of Easter
By Fr. Victor Feltes

Imagine if Osama bin Laden, after masterminding terrorist attacks, had repented and begun proclaiming Jesus Christ and the Gospel? Christians might understandably still be afraid of him and wary of his claimed Christian conversion. In the first century, prior to his famous conversion, St. Paul had intensely persecuted God’s Church and tried to destroy it. At the stoning of St. Stephen the Martyr he had guarded the cloaks of the murderers. Before encountering Christ on the way to Damascus, he was “breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples.” He had sought and obtained letters from the high priest empowering him to arrest any Christians he found in that city and take them back to Jerusalem as prisoners. So after his conversion, when “he arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, [but] they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple.”

Yet it was all real and true. The amazing conversion of St. Paul, that fierce enemy of the early Church, is an authentic miracle in real history which has borne true fruit in Christ. St. Paul founded and fostered early Christian communities, wrote more books of the Bible than any other man, and had a hand in saving many souls. He also discovered good fruits for himself, including Christian peace and joy. St. Paul told the Philippians he had exchanged everything from before as if it were mere rubbish for “the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Such are fruits of a life in Christ.

Jesus tells his disciples in today’s gospel, “I am the vine, you are the branches.” He says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit…” Notice how Jesus says God prunes those who are in him. Pruning clips off of a vine branch certain shoots or leaves in order to help the branch to be healthy and grow and produce more and better fruit. If vine branches were conscious, self-aware like us, how would this pruning feel? Painful, I imagine. Even if a branch loved producing fruit and wished to produce much more, how would a vine branch feel about such pruning if it did not understand this pruning’s purpose? There is a danger for a Christian who expects only comforts in this life and is surprised by the coming of any trials.

Consider the life of St. Paul. He suffered and endured many trials. Five times he received thirty-nine lashes from Jewish foes, three times he was beaten with rods, one time he was stoned, three times he survived shipwrecks, and ultimately he was beheaded by the Romans. St. Paul was not always liked, even by fellow Christians. It appears some Christians at Corinth said things like, “His letters are severe and forceful, but his bodily presence is weak and his speech is contemptible.” St. Paul’s letters reflect that the first Christian communities were far from perfect and they gave him many stressful problems to deal with. He writes of having beautiful mystical experiences but also of a “thorn” in his flesh and physical illness. St. Paul’s life was not always comfortable. However, he wrote to the Philippians, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

When St. Paul, now amongst the saints and angels in heaven, looks back on all his troubles and beholds all their good fruits, does he believe that it was worth it? Of course he does. And he cheers us on alongside that “great cloud of witnesses,” prayerfully interceding for us to “persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus.” In both good times and in bad, Jesus counsels us to remain in him. “Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit… By this is my Father glorified…” And in this will be our glory too.

Posted in Christian Perfection, Homily, Parables, St. Paul, Sunday Homilies | 1 Comment »

Abide in Me & I in You

April 28, 2024

5th Sunday of Easter
By Fr. Chinnappan Pelavendran

Today we are invited to remain in Christ as branches on a vine. We do this by recognizing that God is at work in everyone and by striving to keep His commands and to do what is pleasing to God. The Christian life sounds easy and yet is a challenge for us all.

In the First Reading of today, we heard how Paul and the disciples of Jesus were trying to bear much fruit. When Paul arrived in Jerusalem and tried to join the disciples, the disciples avoided him with great fear. They knew that he had a reputation for persecuting the Christians. They were unable to believe that Paul was now one of them. Barnabas came forward and took Paul to the apostles. On behalf of Paul, he explained to the apostles how Jesus had spoken to Paul on the way to Damascus. Now Barnabas testified his spiritual joy by sharing with the others the Divine intervention of Jesus in the life of Paul. We all know what a difference Paul made to the Church. Jesus pruned St. Paul, and he bore many fruits.

In today’s gospel, Jesus uses the familiar image of the vine and the branches to teach us lessons about our Christian life. First, the image reminds us that God is the real owner of everything that we have. He is the vine grower. He does to us what is good and right. We belong fully to God. We should not allow our selfishness and pride to make us think that we have absolute control over our lives. Rather, we always have to be open to God’s action, confident that he knows fully what is good for us.

He is the vine and we are the branches. A branch cut off from the vine will wither and die. So it is with our life as disciples. We live fully and become fruitful only by remaining in Christ. In the gospel of John, the word “abide” appears several times: “Abiding in God,” “abiding in Christ,” and “abiding in his Word.” We need to abide in Christ because apart from him, we can do nothing.

The image tells us that to stay healthy and fruitful we need pruning. Vine growers know that the act of pruning is good for the branch. If the branch is not pruned for a long time, it becomes wild and produces no good grapes. Sometimes in our lives, God intervenes with the cross to challenge us and make us grow. To take away our pride, sometimes God allows us to fail to make us grow stronger in faith.

We are called to remain in Jesus, to be in communion with him. We are also to be pruned; what is useless in our lives is to be cut off. Our pruning is our self-denial and purification. We have to be open to pruning so that we can be healthy and fruitful for the Lord.

Like Paul, we believe in the name of Jesus Christ, God lives in us, and we live in him. We become branches of the true vine, Jesus Christ. Then with the psalmist, we can confidently sing: “You, Lord, I praise in the great assembly.” Alleluia!

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Invest Yourself in Heaven’s Reward

November 19, 2023

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Victor Feltes

As Jesus traveled from place to place he preached parables to different people. He told stories, for instance, featuring fields, fish, and flocks to teach farmers, fishermen, and shepherds about the Kingdom of God. It makes sense that Jesus would tell the same stories more than once, for different crowds to hear them for the first time and for his apostles to hear them repeatedly. But the gospels suggest Jesus sometimes changed his parables’ details to highlight different truths. What Jesus says in his Sermon on the Plain is similar but not identical to his Sermon on the Mount. As the Church journeys through our three-year cycle of Sunday readings we hear some parables retold by more than one gospel. And each fall, as we near the end of the Church year, our readings reflect upon the Four Last Things. Today, we have another such parable, about death and judgment, Heaven and Hell, Jesus Christ and us.

Christ is our Lord, our journeying master who shall return. We are his servants to whom he has entrusted our fortunes. And each of us one day will stand before him to give an account of our faithful or unfaithful service, with generous rewards or just punishments to follow. In Jesus’ telling through St. Matthew’s Gospel, the master entrusts weighty slabs of precious metal (called talents) in varying numbers to his servants, each according to their abilities. Upon his return, his faithful servants have doubled what they were given and receive the same words of praise: “Well done, my good and faithful servant! Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy!” One servant, however, who buried his talent and returned it ungrown, receives his master’s condemnation and is tossed into the darkness outside.

When Jesus retells his parable in St. Luke’s Gospel, the master is a nobleman who goes off to claim his kingdom, entrusting to ten servants one gold coin each. Upon his return, his faithful servants reveal their various positive returns on his investment. One has earned ten more gold coins and his king declares, “Well done, good servant! You have been faithful in this very small matter; take charge of ten cities.” Another servant has earned five more coins and the king decrees, “You, take charge of five cities.” One servant, however, hid his coin in a napkin and returned it unmultiplied. The king condemns that servant and orders all of his enemies who did not want him as their king to be slain.

The differences between these two parables highlight different truths about Heaven. In the first parable, the master speaks the same blessing to each faithful one: “Well done, good servant! … Come, share your master’s joy!” But in the other parable, the king gives his servant with ten additional coins ten cities and gives his servant with five additional coins five cities. So is Heaven’s reward the same for all the saints or can one’s reward be greater than another’s? One parable suggests their reward is the same, while the other suggests their rewards vary. On one hand, the reward of every saint is the same: they experience God’s unveiled glory forever in happy, loving communion with him and all who are in Christ. On the other hand, a great saint’s capacity for love and joy and glory may be greater than another’s.

Doctor of the Church St. Therese of Lisieux recounts in her great autobiography (“Story of a Soul”) how this idea once troubled her as a child: “One day, I expressed surprise that God does not give an equal amount of glory to all the elect in Heaven—I was afraid that they would not all be quite happy. [My older sister Pauline] sent me to fetch Papa’s big tumbler and put it beside my tiny thimble, then, filling both with water, she asked me which seemed the fuller. I replied that one was as full as the other—it was impossible to pour more water into either of them, for they could not hold it. In this way [she] made it clear to me that in Heaven the least of the Blessed does not envy the happiness of the greatest…”

Notice how in both forms of Jesus’ parable all the faithful servants are entrusted with greater responsibilities. The saints in Heaven are likewise given higher roles as our intercessors now and in the family and household of God forever. Consider how many churches, religious communities, and cities around the world are dedicated to St. Paul. They are blessed to have him as a loving patron praying for them. And consider how the Blessed Virgin Mary shall always hold a privileged place in Heaven as the spiritual mother of every Christian.

St. Paul says, “Consider this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” The generosity of our loving gifts to Christ, the additional sacrifices we make and good deeds we do, will surely not go unrewarded. Jesus tells us, “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.” Our individual hustle, cooperating with Christ’s grace, can win us greater glory, therefore “run so as to win!”

We should not fear that we lack sufficient talents or gifts to produce good fruits for glory. In the first parable, every faithful servant was able to double his money and won his master’s praise. The issue with that unfruitful, condemned servant is that he never tried. His master calls him “wicked” and “lazy” because that servant did not make even the most minimal effort to grow his gift. “Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return?” That servant did not love his lord but rather resented his lordship over him. Which is easier: to digging a hole or visiting the bank? He did not want to be his master’s servant, he did not want him as his king, and so he finds himself condemned and cast out forever. But if we love our Lord we will produce fruit, just as “every good tree bears good fruit.” As Jesus declares, “Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit.”

What is something more that you will do with the talents and gifts our Lord has lent you? It could be something large or small, in private or with others. You could be a more-focused prayer warrior, or offer secret penances for the salvation of souls. You could start a Catholic book or movie club at your home, or organize a regular Bible study that discusses the upcoming Sunday readings. You could visit shut-ins as an extraordinary Eucharistic minister, or invite somebody new each week to come with you to Mass. There are many good things you could do and I urge you to consider and answer this call, for Jesus Christ will honor your faithful, loving efforts with glorious rewards.

Posted in Christian Perfection, Generosity, Heaven, Homily, Last Judgment, Last Things, Parables, Sacrifice, Saintly People, Salvation, Service, St. Therese of Lisieux, Sunday Homilies | Leave a Comment »

Use Them Or Lose Them

November 18, 2023

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Chinnappan Pelavendran

This is the harvest season, the fall of the year. I have seen many farmers harvesting their crops. Just as the farmers hope to have good crops, so God expects a return on his investment in each of us. The problem is we do not know when our harvest day will come. Each person comes into the world with talents from God. We do not know how much God has given to us. There may be five talents, two talents, or one talent.

The main theme of the three readings today is an invitation to live in such a way that we develop and make the best use of the talents, skills, abilities, and gifts God has given us. So that, at the hour of our death, our Lord will say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Come and share the joy of your master.” (Matthew 25: 21)

In the first reading, we have a beautiful description of a ‘worthy wife.’ This praise-worthy woman dedicates herself to doing good, investing her talents for the benefit of all. A man with such a wife is greatly blessed; her value is far beyond pearls. He entrusts his heart to her. This woman represents each of us. She also represents the whole church, the bride of Christ, in joyful service of her groom, the Lord. Each of us brings honor to the Lord when we serve him freely, joyfully, and, generously.

The Parable of the Talents gives us several important lessons. First, it tells us God gives each person different gifts. The actual number and quality is not important, we are asked to make full use of what we have been given for the benefit of the community. When everyone does that, the community is enriched. Second, our work is never completed. We are asked to make full use of what we have. The servants in the parable were not told that they could sit back and rest. Rather, because of their trustworthiness, even greater responsibilities were given to them.

The man with one talent did not lose it. He did not do anything at all. If he had tried and failed, he would have met compassion and forgiveness. Every person has the responsibility to be active in the Kingdom of God. Finally, to the one who has, more will be given. For the one who has not used the talent, even what he has will be taken away. It seems rather unfair, like robbing the poor to pay the rich. However, Jesus is saying that those who share generously the gifts they have been given are likely to find themselves constantly enriched.

Let us focus our attention on the third servant. He does not do well. So what are his problems? He chose the least risky action available to him. This servant knew what was expected of him but failed out of fear. He tries to give all possible excuses to his master. Fear is a powerful force in some of our lives; those who have experienced a lot of criticism growing up can be slow to take a risk and may not develop. There is a saying that goes like this, “Praise the young and they will make progress. Criticize the young and they will be held back.” Unfair criticism can stop the growth of the person.

So let us help each other with words of encouragement. As St. Paul says, “Encourage one another and build each other up, as indeed you are doing.” There is much to learn from our mistakes of the past, but the Lord would not want us to bury ourselves and our talents in the ground. Now is not the time to hide our talents out of fear. Rather, it is a time to share them and to encourage each other to do the same. It is your choice now are you going to use them or lose them.

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Why Five & Five? What Is Our Oil?

November 11, 2023

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Victor Feltes

Jesus tells us, “The Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.” In those days, the Jewish custom was for a man and woman to get betrothed. This marked the start of their marriage covenant, yet the husband and wife would live separately for the first year. In the meantime, the bridegroom would return to his father’s house and prepare a dwelling place for their life together. Once all was ready, he would joyfully return to bring her to himself. She would be expecting him, but would not know the hour, so she awaited his arrival with her bridesmaids. The bridegroom and his groomsmen would come and escort the bride and her bridesmaids to his father’s house for the consummation of their marriage and seven days of feasting.

This is the cultural context for what Jesus tells us at the Last Supper, as recorded in St. John’s Gospel: “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.” These Jewish marriage customs also provide the setting for today’s gospel parable about ten virgins awaiting the bridegroom.

Five of them were wise and five of them were foolish, with the foolish ones foregoing flasks of extra oil and, as a result, being shut out of the wedding feast. Jesus Christ called himself the Bridegroom and the Book of Revelation says his saints will enjoy “the wedding feast of the Lamb.” Before unpacking how we can avoid the foolish ones’ fate, consider this question: why five foolish ones and five wise?

Like other storytellers, our Lord theoretically could have crafted his parable’s details differently. Given ten female characters, instead of five foolish and five wise, Jesus could have told a tale about one foolish virgin and nine wise ones, or preached a parable about nine foolish virgins and one wise one, or shaped his story as one of the six other mixtures where some were foolish and some were wise. So why did he say five and five?

Jesus knew that if his parable had featured just one fool beside nine wise virgins, we might presumptuously assume this story’s warning does not apply to us. On the other hand, if Jesus’ parable had featured nine fools and only one wise virgin, we might despair of being among those who enter the feast. Instead, Jesus speaks of five and five so that we will take this parable seriously yet also have confidence that we can take prudent steps to follow the Bridegroom.

What do the five wise and five foolish virgins teach us? What sort of persons were they, and what oil do we require? For an answer, recall another parable of Jesus.

In the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, after a life in which he callously neglected to care for poor Lazarus at his doorstep, a rich man suffers punishment in flames. He calls out to Abraham above: “I beg you, father, send [Lazarus] to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they too come to this place of torment!” St. Jerome, the fourth-century Church Father and Doctor of the Church, saw symbolism in this rich man’s five brothers. Jerome sees them as the wicked man’s five bodily senses which were not ordered and dedicated to God. St. Jerome declares to that rich man:

“[Y]ou have five brothers: sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch. These are the brothers to whom formerly you were enslaved. Since they were the brothers you loved, you could not love your brother Lazarus. Naturally you could not love him as brother, because you loved them. Those brothers have no love for poverty. Your sight, your sense of smell, your taste, and your sense of touch were your brothers. These brothers of yours loved wealth and they had no eye for poverty. … They are the brothers who sent you into these torments.”

God created and bestowed us our bodily senses, and they are good. Through them we sustain our lives, experience one another and this world, and delight in God’s good creations. The goodness of these material things reflect the goodness of their Maker. But it is easy for sinful humanity to become fixated on these delightful things resulting in the distracted neglect or sinful contempt of our Creator.

What is to keep our flame of faith from going out, plunging us into darkness, stopping us from following the Bridegroom? How can we properly order our five senses, and be like the wise virgins rather than the foolish, lest the Lord declare, “Amen, I say to you, I do not know you”? We need oil to keep our lamps faithfully burning and follow Christ in the light. But what is that oil?

In the Old Testament, priests, prophets, and kings were anointed with holy olive oil. Jesus was revealed to be the Christ, the Messiah – titles which mean “Anointed One.” At Jesus’ baptism, St. John the Baptist knew Jesus was the “Anointed One” when he saw the Holy Spirit descend upon him. And then at Nazareth, Jesus proclaimed, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me…” So the Holy Spirit, who descended upon Jesus, our priest, prophet, and king, is like anointing oil. The Holy Spirit is the oil we need for our burning lamps. If we are wise we will invite and welcome this third divine Person to pour out upon us, fill us, and fuel us. He will keep our faith burning and direct our bodily senses so that we may wisely follow Christ our Bridegroom into joy.

“Come Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of your faithful
& kindle in them the fire of your love.”

Posted in Holy Spirit, Homily, Parables, Rich Man & Lazarus, Sunday Homilies, Ten Virgins, Typology | 3 Comments »

God Expects Fruits From Us

October 8, 2023

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. Chinnappan Pelavendran

The last three weeks, our gospels have been about vineyards. Two weeks ago, we had the Parable of the Laborers in the Marketplace. The Good Employer called people to work in his vineyard throughout the day. Last week, we had the parable of the two sons who were called to work in their father’s vineyard, one said ‘No’ but went. The other said, ‘Sure’ but did not go. This week we have another vineyard story, the story of the evil tenant farmers who tried to steal the vineyard from their Master, even putting his messengers to death and finally putting his son to death.

Naturally, Jesus taught His disciples and the people about God’s mercy, compassion, love, and forgiveness. However, in today’s readings, we see something different: rejection and destruction. God loves his people. There is no doubt about it. At the same time, God expects fruits from his people.

The kingdom of God is often referred to with images from everyday life. Today’s readings use the image of the vineyard and wine to understand God’s relationship with his people. The vineyard is a familiar symbol of Israel, God’s chosen people. The Lord had done so many good things for Israel: He worked on the land, planted a vineyard, put walls around it, built a watchtower, and did other good things. He did all this in expectation of a fruitful harvest. The result was the opposite; the land produced bad fruits and wild grapes. The chosen people of Israel were brought out of slavery by the Lord to a land flowing with milk and honey. God did everything for His people and rightly expected them to produce fruits of righteousness and to be witnesses to unbelievers. But they gave him fruits of sin, iniquity, corruption, immorality, wickedness, and rebellion. Therefore, God took away his protection and let his vineyard be trampled by other nations. This prophecy was fulfilled when the Assyrians and the Babylonians conquered Israel.

Jesus uses the same image in today’s Gospel. The landowner represents God. The tenants represent the religious leaders who were given the responsibility to take care of God’s people and help them bear good fruit. See the great opportunities the vineyard owner offered to the tenants, and how they wasted the opportunities and expressed ingratitude. God does not simply punish his people immediately but patiently and mercifully waits. The servants suffered at the hands of religious leaders, and his own people killed Jesus. One might think that the death of Jesus would lead to man’s destruction. Instead, it has led to our redemption. The rejected stone becomes the cornerstone.

God has abundantly blessed this world with many gifts, especially natural and human resources. It would be wonderful if we all used God-given natural resources and our human talents as prudent and faithful stewards. While we are working, we should not forget the greed and selfishness of the tenants, which turned against the owner of the vineyard. We need to remember always that God is the absolute owner of this world and everything in it. We are only His tenants and, at the end of our lives, we are expected to give an account of our stewardship to Him.

As we are in the month of the Rosary, may today’s Gospel lesson help us make a firm resolution to reject pride and greed. As we pray the Rosary, may we imbibe the values of humility and love, and be constantly assured of the Blessed Mother’s protection and assistance as we journey toward our eternal home.

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Three Parables About God’s Vineyard

October 8, 2023

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. Victor Feltes

For a third Sunday in a row, we hear Jesus telling a parable featuring a vineyard. First, there was the parable about the generous vineyard owner who hired more and more laborers throughout the day and paid them all the same amount. Then, there was the tale of a father who asked his two sons to go and work in his vineyard. Today, Jesus refashions the Prophet Isaiah’s allegory (which we heard in our first reading) into a story about a vineyard owner’s wicked tenants. In these parables, Jesus tells us what “the Kingdom of Heaven” is like.

His stories prefigure how the Gentiles would join the Jews as the people of God’s Kingdom. For example, like vineyard workers called late-in-the-workday, God calls the Gentiles long after he called the Jews, yet both are offered the same wage of salvation. The wayward, Gentile, pagan peoples were like the son in the parable who at first denies his father but later changes his mind and faithfully serves him. And the religious leaders of the Jews were like those wicked tenants who betrayed the vineyard owner, mistreated his messengers, and ultimately murdered his son. Because of this, those leaders’ roles of leadership were taken away and given to others in Christ’s Church to produce more fruit for God.

Gospel parables are profound, inspired stories which contain more than one true meaning. Jesus’ vineyard parables not only describe what the Kingdom of God is like for groups of peoples but for individual persons as well. For instance, Jesus’ Parable of the Generous Landowner teaches us that it is not too late for a sinner to repent, answer God’s call and serve him now, while it is still day. His Parable of the Two Sons teaches us that doing the right thing is better than merely saying the right thing. Faithful obedience to our Father God means actually following through. And today’s Parable of the Wicked Tenants teaches us that even those who labor or have authority in God’s vineyard must act justly towards God and his servants. Blessed are those who respond to the Lord, profiting of the precious opportunity he has made possible for us.

Jesus’ parables foreshadow peoples entering God’s Kingdom from all lands. Today, we can see this realized in his Church. Look at us, Americans in Wisconsin, with a pastor of German ancestry ministering alongside a priest from India, and all of us worshipping the God of Israel together. Jesus Christ, the stone rejected by the builders, has become the cornerstone of a new Temple made of living stones, people from every land. By the Lord has this been done and it is wonderful in our eyes.

The Prophet Isaiah once proclaimed a song of his friend concerning his vineyard: “A vineyard on a fertile hillside. He spaded it, cleared it of stones, and planted the choicest vines (to make it fruitful); within it he built a watchtower (to protect it), and hewed out a wine press (to delight in its fruits).” Isaiah’s friend was the Lord God, whose vineyard was Old Israel, which contained the cherished plant of his people. Jesus Christ’s Church, his Bride, is the New Israel; not defined by soil or blood but open to all people. God protects her, makes her fruitful, and delights in her. He delights in us and makes us one. This is Jesus Christ’s desire for every person in our world. May the whole world come to know Christ in his Church and know the peace of God.

Posted in Catholic Church, Generous Landlord, Homily, Isaiah, Jesus Christ, Parables, Sunday Homilies, Two Sons | Leave a Comment »

The Obedience of the Third Son

October 3, 2023

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Chinnappan Pelavendran

A friend of mine was a social worker for twenty long years. All of a sudden, he became a funeral director. I wanted to know why he changed his mind by leaving a good job and becoming a funeral director. He said he spent ten years trying to change John, but he is still an alcoholic. He spent three years trying to solve Charles and Susan’s marriage problems, but they ended up getting a divorce. Later, he tried to turn one of his friends from drugs, but he is still an addict. Now, at the funeral home, when he straightens them out, they stay straight!

We feel happy when someone obeys us, but at the same time, we do not want to obey anybody. Often we forget obedience is a virtue. The parable of Jesus this Sunday is about the two sons and their obedience. The first son said “No,” but later he changed his mind; he did the father’s will. The second son said “Yes,” but later he did nothing. The meaning of this parable is clear; the Jewish leaders were people who said they would obey God but then did not. The tax collectors, sinners, and prostitutes said “No” to God, but after listening to the teaching of Jesus, changed their lives. This is what the prophet Ezekiel pointed out in the first reading, “But if the wicked turn from the wickedness they did and do what is right and just, they shall save their lives, since they turned away from all the sins they committed, they shall live, they shall not die.” (Ezekiel 18:27–28)

After listening to this parable you may have a question; which of them should we follow? I cannot say that one is better than the other, the two sons caused pain and sorrow to their father. The one caused pain at the beginning and the other one at the end. Neither of the two sons brings joy to the father. The answer comes from today’s second reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians, we follow neither the first son nor the second son. Rather, we follow the third son, the one who said “Yes” and obeyed His heavenly Father even unto death. He is Jesus Christ.

Jesus is our model for obedience to the Father’s will. Jesus obeyed His Father completely, emptying himself, taking the form of a slave, by accepting death on the cross. Because of this obedience of Jesus, God the Father exalted Jesus above every name, at the name of Jesus the knees of heaven and earth will bend, and every tongue will confess Jesus is the Lord. Jesus our Lord and Master achieved victory by humbling himself to His Father.

Today we all must examine ourselves, and evaluate how faithful we are to the promises we made. When we were baptized, the priest asked us in the name of Christ, “Do you renounce Satan? And all his works? And all his empty show? Do you believe in God the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth? Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, suffered death, and was buried, rose again from the dead, and is seated at the right hand of the Father? Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, and the resurrection of the body? And life everlasting?” For all these, we said, “I do!”

As a priest, I have to examine myself and see how faithful I am to the Lord, and to the promises I made to Him during my ordination. Those who are married, how faithful are you to your spouse and to the Lord, and to the promises you made to them in the presence of God? Let us listen to the voice of God in every moment of our life, and obey it.

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The Parable of Two Sons, Jesus Christ & Us

September 30, 2023

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Victor Feltes

The father in Jesus’ parable has two sons. He tells the first, “Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.” That son refuses but later changes his mind and goes. The father comes to the other son and gives the same command. That son replies, “Yes, sir,” but does not go. When Jesus asks the chief priests and elders which son did the father’s will, they answer, “The first.” Were those Jewish leaders correct? Yes and no.

Yes, it is true that it is better to do the right thing than to merely say the right thing. Nevertheless, it is a father’s will that all his children would do both, obeying in word and deed. In Jesus’ parable, neither son did the father’s will perfectly. Jesus Christ, on the other hand, is perfectly faithful to our Father. “However many are the promises of God,” the Letter to the Hebrews tells us, “their ‘Yes’ is in him.”

Jesus enters our world saying, “Behold, I come to do your will, O God.” Though he was in the form of God, he emptied himself and humbly took the form of a servant, assuming our human nature to his Divine Person. He was perfectly obedient to the point of death, even a death by crucifixion. Through Jesus’ obedient, faithful, loving response to his Father’s will, God has exulted him highest among us. We too have said yes to God’s will and given him our word, but we have not been obedient to that same degree.

Many here have vowed before God, ‘I, take you, to be my spouse. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.’ I pledged a similar self-gift on my deaconate and priestly ordination days. And any Catholics who are not in either of these sacramental vocations promise and pledge a gift of themselves when receiving Jesus in the Eucharist. At the turn of the fifth century, St. Augustine noted that when you approach to receive the Holy Eucharist at Mass “you hear the words, ‘The body of Christ’ and you reply ‘Amen’. Be then a member of Christ’s body, so that your ‘Amen’ may accord with the truth… Be then what you see, and receive what you are.” Our Heavenly Father has called to do works of love in our various states of life and we have said, “Yes, sir,” but we have not always done it. Yet there is encouragement for us in today’s gospel.

Jesus notes how tax collectors and prostitutes had not done the will of God preceding the preaching St. John the Baptist. They had disobeyed God’s commands but, through believing, changed their ways and were now entering the Kingdom. Through believing in Christ we also can change. We cannot do it alone, but we were never expected to. Consistently invite Jesus Christ to live his perfect obedience, his intense love, his holy life in you. Then, becoming more like him, you will share more greatly in his exulted glory.

Posted in Christian Perfection, Homily, Jesus Christ, Parables, St. Augustine, Sunday Homilies, Two Sons | Leave a Comment »

God is Just & Generous

September 25, 2023

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. Chinnappan Pelavendran

Generosity is the attitude of sharing whatever we have. God is Just as well as generous. When God created the world, He created everything by His words. When He created human beings, “God created man in His image, in the divine image He created him, male and female He created them.” (Gen 1: 27) God so loved the world, that he gave His only son to redeem the world. God expresses Justice and generosity, through His creation and redemption of the world.

In the first reading, we see another generous act of God: He invites His people to forsake their wicked ways and return to Him. They should not have any fear because God is very generous and forgiving, and he will forgive the sins of repentant sinners. God is always near His people as a loving Father.

Today’s parable of the landowner is also a good reminder of God’s generosity. The landowner hired laborers for his vineyard at different times of the day. However, at the end of the day, everyone received the same, daily wage. Those who were hired first complained, but the landowner proved himself just and generous. From the beginning, the landowner was clear: he agreed with those who were hired first regarding the wages. At the end of the day, he gave them the promised wage. While the first ones worked longer hours compared to the others, they were given a just wage. To the others, the landowner chose to be generous.

The context of today’s gospel is that St. Matthew was writing to the Jewish Christian community, who saw Jesus as the fulfillment of the Jewish prophecies. Some of them thought that salvation was only for the Jewish people. The truth Jesus gives to the Jewish community is this: God’s gift of salvation is offered to everyone. God will give all his children the same gift of salvation. Jesus said the prostitutes, murderers, and other sinners would be saved ahead of the religious leaders because they repented while the Pharisees and scribes continued to be hypocrites. One who repents would receive the fullness of salvation.

God has a perfect plan for your life. If others have more than you, it does not mean that God loves you less. God loves each one of us equally. In the parable, the landowner (representing God) says, “My Friend, I am not being unjust to you.” Jesus is our friend and He is not unjust to us. Think of parents and their children, parents have a different relationship with each child and special love and concern for the physically or mentally challenged. God is greater than any parent and shares His love and concern with His people, especially sinners. It is our task to listen to Him when He invites us to the vineyard.

It is never too late. It is never too late to turn to the Lord. It is never too late to be welcomed by the Lord. It is never too late to leave sin and be welcomed by the mercy of Jesus. Jesus told the parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard that we have just heard. The Lord continues to go out to the marketplace every hour to invite people to His vineyard.

Learn the simple lesson in today’s scripture readings. Allow God to be God in all things that happen in our lives. When things are not working as we planned, let God be God in that situation. Trust in God, and let Him do the rest. God is compassionate and generous to us. May we also learn to share our time, talent, and treasure in His vineyard.

Posted in Generous Landlord, Homily, Justice, Mercy, Parables, Sunday Homilies | Leave a Comment »

Controversial Mercy in the Vineyard

September 23, 2023

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Victor Feltes

The landowner in Jesus’ parable recruits workers throughout the day. He goes to the marketplace at dawn, at nine, at noon, at three, and at five, hiring laborers each time and sending them to work in his vineyard. At the end of the day, he pays his longest laborers one silver denarius coin (the wage to which they had previously agreed) but he surprisingly also pays even his briefest employees the same amount. When some grumble at this, the boss replies, “My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? …Am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?” Why did the employer risk this HR controversy? Why did he wish to pay the later workers so generously? The Old Covenant gives us insight into his motivation.

God commanded in the Book of Leviticus, “Do not hold back the wages of a hired worker overnight.” Then the Book of Deuteronomy explains why: “On each day you shall pay the servant’s wages before the sun goes down, since the servant is poor and is counting on them.” Now, if this vineyard owner had promptly paid his one-hour workers proportionally less than his full-day workers, that’s equal pay for equal work. But he pays all of them the same full wage because he is acting mercifully. He understands that his servants are poor, that their families are poor, and that they depend upon this pay for their daily bread. Rather than letting them go hungry, he generously provides. We see expressed throughout the Scriptures God’s special care and concern for the poor and the vulnerable, and our God calls us to be like himself.

Still, we can feel the grumblers’ grievance when they complain: “These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day’s burden and the heat!” And yet, those last-hired laborers were trying their best. They report that they were standing idle in the marketplace all day simply because nobody had hired them. Assuming they aren’t lying, these workers were not lazy, just unlucky. They came when they were called and received an equal reward.

In this parable, our Lord is the landowner, we are his laborers, and our payment is heaven. This parable presents hope for the unconverted. Though your days may have been wasted up to now, you can still heed our Lord’s calling and receive his merciful generosity as your reward. It may be your final hour, but do not despair and walk away forever. Answer Christ’s call. Believe, repent, and be saved.

For Christians who feel that they have labored hard and long for the Lord, I wish to address a bitter temptation you might be feeling: “If those who repent on their deathbeds get to go to heaven too, why shouldn’t I sin and just repent later?” For starters, this attitude is dangerously presumptuous. You do not know the final hour when the sun will set on your life. You may never get around to repenting before facing your eternal judgment. Furthermore, your repentance must be sincere, and God cannot be fooled.

And finally, do not imagine that the grass is greener away from Jesus. Yes, laborers in Christ’s vineyard must bear burdens and heat, yet those outside the vineyard are not at rest. They stand all day in the uncomfortable marketplace, spiritually impoverished, without true purpose, and anxious about their future. Remember that living a life apart from Christ is no paradise.

Jesus’ challenging parable about the generous landowner and his vineyard workers reminds us of God’s special concern for the poor and of our calling to practice the same. It reminds us of God’s incredible mercy and the need for all of us to answer his call to repentance. And it reminds us of God’s loving generosity, that he is all-good, and deserving of all our love.

Posted in Generosity, Generous Landlord, Homily, Mercy, Parables, Salvation, Sunday Homilies | 1 Comment »

Being a True Disciple Requires Total Commitment

August 1, 2023

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Chinnappan Pelavendran

A few months ago, I came across a student who was training himself to make the school’s football team. He got up every morning at 5:00 AM to train himself. He would run and lift weights for two hours. Then he would go back to shower, eat breakfast and go to school. After his classes, he would go back to the athletic facility and work for three more hours with his teammates. The next morning at 5:00 AM, he will start the same routine again. He had very little time for his parents, social life, and other work.

Today we have the pearl merchant who sacrificed everything to buy the pearl of great price. We hear of a treasure hunter who sold everything he owned to buy a field with treasure in it. So, what is the connection between a pearl merchant, a treasure hunter, and this young football player? What do they have in common? They have a total commitment to their dream. All of them are willing to sacrifice everything for the goal that they have set for themselves.

This is what Jesus points out in today’s gospel. To be a true follower of God requires total commitment on our part. Citizenship in God’s Kingdom requires us to give 100% all of the time, not just when we feel like it. God’s Kingdom must be the top priority of our life. We cannot be true followers of Jesus only part-time. Being a true disciple of Jesus is like being a pearl merchant. Being a true disciple of Jesus is like being a treasure hunter. Being a true disciple of Jesus is like being a football player. It involves total dedication and commitment.

There is a big difference between a true disciple of Jesus, and our pearl merchant, treasure hunter, and football player. Those three people are striving for earthly rewards, while followers of Jesus are striving for eternal and permanent rewards.

When the pearl merchant dies, his pearl will no longer be of any value to him. When the treasure hunter dies, his treasure will be just as useless to him. When the football player dies, his trophies will only be a keepsake for his family. However, when the true disciple of Jesus dies, the whole kingdom of God rejoices because it will now shine brighter and brighter. All of God’s people will be edified eternally.

Money is good when it is used to help others, not when it is only spent on ourselves. Influence and power can be great when used to lift up those who are down. Think about this. If our pearl merchant and treasure hunter and football player were willing to sacrifice so much for a prize that will never last, how much more should we be willing to sacrifice for a prize that will last forever? Earthly prizes can be good and even satisfying for a time, but eternal prizes are the best.

As true disciples of Jesus, we need to keep our greatest treasure safe, which is our personal relationship with Jesus. We do this by accepting him every day as our God and Savior. By allowing God to have total control over our lives through our loving obedience to His will, by asking for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, by talking to Him daily in prayer, and by listening to Him in our meditative reading of the Holy Scripture. By getting reconciled to Him and others, asking for pardon and forgiveness for our sins, by offering Him our lives on the altar during the Holy Mass, and by receiving Jesus in Holy Communion.

Posted in Christian Perfection, Sacrifice, Valuable Pearl | Leave a Comment »

Victory Over the Sirens’ Song

August 1, 2023

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Victor Feltes

This morning, I wish to recount two tales from Greek mythology which shed light on how we can fully live the Gospel. I want to tell you the stories of how Odysseus and his ship’s crew and Jason with his sailors each survived encounters with the mythical Sirens. The Sirens were beautiful half-woman/half-bird creatures who would sing from their island to passing ships. Their song was so alluring and entrancing that sailors would jump overboard and drown in the sea or steer their vessels into deadly shipwrecks on the rocks.

In The Odyssey, the poet Homer tells how Odysseus on his epic voyage wished to hear the Sirens’ song but also wanted to survive with his men. So Odysseus instructed his crew to tie him to the ship’s mast telling them that, no matter how much he might beg them, they were not to untie him but bind him down all the more. Then Odysseus put wax into the ear canals of all his men so they could not hear the Sirens’ song. While rowing their ship past the Sirens, Odysseus pleaded to be released, but his crew faithfully followed his previous instructions until the Sirens were left far behind them and all of them survived.

In the Greek tale of Jason and the Argonauts, Jason and his crew survived the Sirens using a different approach. Aboard their ship was a great musician named Orpheus, a master of an ancient harp called the lyre. As they passed the Sirens’ island, Orpheus plucked the strings of his instrument. And though the Sirens’ sang their evil song, Jason and all his men were so engrossed in the beauty of their friend’s music that none of them were drawn to the Sirens’ temptation.

So we see three strategies reflected in these tales: Odysseus tying himself to the mast, his men keeping wax in their ears, and Jason and his crew being captivated by something more beautiful.

Some people approach certain sins like Odysseus, asking, “How far can I entertain this temptation without falling? How much can I enjoy this sin without suffering consequences?” But having such a divided heart makes it is very hard to restrain oneself. Others, with more success, approach such sins like Odysseus’ men by giving temptation no hearing. They are not seduced by temptation because they prudently avoid its near occasions. They know where they are weak and adjust their habits accordingly. This strategy should have some place in aspects of all our lives. However, the third strategy against the allure of sin is best of all: to be led by, delighting in, and loving the holy, good, and beautiful.

Jesus says, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” The person in Christ’s parable sacrifices joyfully because he so values the treasure he has found. Jesus says, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.” A wise merchant can peacefully trade everything else for one most beautiful and desirable thing, to his great personal profit. Jesus, God, is the Pearl of Great Price. Christ’s Kingdom and life with his saints is the treasure we have found.

Let us pray: “Lord God, help me to love you more — your goodness and beauty and love — and to love all that you love as you love it.” Ask Jesus Christ to grow and deepen your love so that as you journey on your life’s voyage your faith may not be shipwrecked but be lived in fullest freedom with peaceful, loving joy.

Posted in Christian Perfection, Culture, Homily, Literature, Love, Parables, Sunday Homilies, Valuable Pearl | 1 Comment »

Spread the Good Seed

July 16, 2023

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Chinnappan Pelavendran

Jesus’s favorite way of teaching was by using stories and parables. The story makes it more approachable and leads us to discover it for ourselves. We recall stories much more than abstract things; today’s gospel narrates the familiar parable of the sower and the different kinds of soil on which the seed falls. This story encourages us to reflect on our own lives and our response to the good news of God’s loving reign. It invites each of us to ask, what kind of soil am I?

Today Jesus speaks about four types of land, path, stones, thorns, and the last is good ground. The seed fallen on the path stands for those who hear the message of the kingdom of God but do not understand it, thus the evil one comes and snatches it away. The evil one does not want the seed of the Gospel to sprout in the heart of man.

The second is that of the seed fallen among the stones, this represents the people who hear the word of God and understand it immediately, but when trials and tribulations arise, these people give up immediately.

The third is that of the seed fallen among the bushes with thorns; Jesus explains that this refers to the people who hear the word but care about the world and the temptation of riches, being choked. Finally, the seed that fell on the fertile soil represents those who hear the word, accept it, cherish it, and understand it.

The enemy of our life here is ignorance, trials, tribulations, focus on money, possessions, pleasure, comfort, and indifference. All these may lead to the seed of God’s word to wither and die, or be carried away by the winds of the world.

Jesus invites us to have good dispositions be docile to His word, grow, and bear fruit in us. Today we must ask ourselves how our heart is. Which soil does it resemble? That of the path, the rocks, the thorns? It is up to us to become good soil and bear good fruit for us and for our brothers and sisters.

Today we must examine ourselves, Am I a catholic who actively practices my faith and love of God? or am I simply someone who attends church on Sundays and just identify as a catholic without truly living out my beliefs? Do I truly understand and put into action the teaching of Jesus as found in the Gospel?

Let’s remember that for a plant to grow, it needs to be watered, cared for, and protected from bugs or diseases. To practice our faith, we must nurture it by reading scripture and continually deepen our prayer, the sacraments, and ongoing education, in order to live our faith well. As St. Jerome says ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.

At the same time, we are also sowers for people who rely on us. Do we make an effort to teach others about the faith through our prayers, actions, and words? Our words and actions have the power to do both good and harm, they can build up or cause scandal, they can inspire or discourage, can bring souls closer to Christ, or push them away. So try to be good soil and sower of the word of God to His people.

Posted in Homily, Parables, Sunday Homilies | Leave a Comment »

Seed, Soil, & Fruit: Parish Transformation

July 16, 2023

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Victor Feltes
(As preached at St. Paul’s Parish)

Imagine if St. Paul’s Parish had turned out very differently than what we see today. Imagine if we had not only failed to reach our capital campaign pledge goal for renovating this church — imagine we had never even attempted it. Imagine unmet maintenance needs all around our campus: Our church roofs in desperate need of re-shingling. Our church attic lacking proper insulation. Our undercroft walls in clear need of refreshing. Our crumbling parking lot in need of repaving. No digital sign promoting our parish on our front lawn. Imagine there was never a new extension added between our church and the school. The gym, library, computer lab, and other rooms were never built. They would not be needed now anyway, since our school closed down years ago. All our grade school children enrolled in the secular public school.

A lack of sufficient volunteers ended our CCD/religious education program, teen youth ministries, and Vacation Bible Schools. Sunday Masses’ Children’s Liturgies never even began. Our Thrift Sale pavilion building, likewise deprived of sufficient volunteers, became used for nothing more than storage. At parish funerals, no resurrection singers in the balcony, nor ladies providing luncheons for the mourners after. No Family Life Committee meals marking each year’s marriage anniversaries and dearly departed souls. No Sojourner House evenings, no KC or PCCW events, no Fall Festival. No Eucharistic Adoration, no prayer chain, no prayer shawls, and few Communions being brought to the homebound. Not only no associate priest coming to our parish, but also no priestly vocations coming out of our parish. And many more lost things than this. Imagine all these things gone and the resulting missing goodness.

The good things we enjoy in our parish are the result of the seed Jesus speaks of in our Gospel. He is the Sower who goes out to sow, but some seed falls on hardened hearts and quickly gets gobbled up. Some seed falls on weedy hearts and gets choked by the worldly fears or earthly desires living there. Some seed falls on shallow hearts and is betrayed as soon as trials or difficulties come. But the Sower’s seed has found rich soil in some, in the hearts of those who listen to his word and understand it, bearing fruit a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold in our parish.

Now ordinary soulless soil cannot choose to change, but you can! Make a decision of your will and invite the Sower to cultivate you. Ask Jesus to help you to believe and understand him. Ask him to calm your fears and disordered desires. Ask him to deepen the personal connection between you. With Jesus Christ, you can change the sort of soil you are in order to bear more fruit with him. The Sower sows the seed in hopes it will produce much fruit, and along with it, more seed. Together with the Sower, we should scatter seed too.

Imagine a St. Paul’s Parish of tomorrow greater than we see now: Each pew of our renovated and beautified church filled on Sundays. More families worshipping here with their children. A full set of altar servers and a choir for every Sunday Mass. Our great Catholic school, enrolled to its full capacity. New parishioner initiatives and efforts to bless our community. And scores of your relatives, friends, and neighbors returning to the Church or joining her for the first time.

Is this not what the Sower of the seeds wills for our parish? He desires each of us to play a part in his mission, and our role is simple. Pray to God and offer sacrifices for these good things to come be. Pray earnestly to those around you and boldly invite them to join us. (Remember how the Sower casts the seed all around him on every ground.) And be living saints, whose lives, devotion, words, and deeds, bear good and lasting fruit for yourself and others, thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold.