Part 1 of 2
Daily Office Readings for Sunday of Proper 20: Year 2
Psalms 93, 96, 34 Esther 3:1 to 4:3 or Judith 5:22 to 6:4, 10-21; James 1:19 to 27; and Matt. 6:1-6,16 to 18
“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” (James 1: 27)
I think this is the real benefit of religion, it is a communal benefit for the community. If it serves no community benefit, why be religious at all? Charity (which is love expressed in action), is the most important virtue we can aspire to have. We must take care of our own needs and then look for ways to help the helpless. It is what God wants of us. All of us, and especially those of us who say we are followers of our Lord Jesus, should always ask, “how can I help you?”
Part 2 of 2
New Testament Eucharistic Readings for Sunday of Proper 20:Year A
Philippians 1:21-30 Matthew 20:1-16
Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?” (Matthew 20: 14 and 15)
This is an old story about paying the last laborers the same as the first. Perhaps the owner (a stand-in for God) is looking past the working men themselves. Maybe the land owner is looking at the mothers and children whom the working men represent. These mothers and children require the same rents and food as the families of the men who were hired early on. Should the mothers and children of the men who weren’t hired early, suffer “Because no one has hired us.” (Matthew 20:7) Again, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” (James 1: 27)
Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to and through the saints of God and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John
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