Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

There seems to be an extreme contrast between the readings this week. The first reading (Isaiah 5:1-7) and the gospel (Matthew 21:33-43) seem all doom and gloom and devastation. And then Paul blithely says “Brothers and sisters: Have no anxiety at all” (Philippians 4:6-9). How does it make any sense that we’re not anxious when we’re being threatened with being trampled down or killed for our evil ways?

So let’s look more carefully. Who is under threat in the passage from Isaiah and in the gospel? The people who should know better; the people who have been given authority or control over the community and have gone bad, produced sour grapes, or put themselves and their own interests ahead of God’s will. But there is no reason to assume that we are in that position. And insofar as we are in positions of authority or control, we have no reason to fear God’s judgment unless we are guilty of the extreme failure of leadership that the scripture calls out.

Our problem, more likely, is that we may live in a society where many of those in authority do suffer from the same failings as the Chief Priests and the elders of the people that Jesus is criticizing so vehemently. We live in an unjust world, despite its claims - just as the people in the time of Jesus or Isaiah.

So let’s return to Paul’s exhortation to the Philippians - what does he suggest beyond simply not to be anxious, which may be easier said than done. He tells them to look for the true, the just, the lovely, the pure. If we feel we are living in an environment that is toxic and dangerous it is very easy to look for all the things that are wrong, to focus in on the bad, the ugly, the lying and dishonesty. But Paul’s advice is to do the opposite.

The way to peace, to God’s peace, is to seek out the good, wherever it may be found. Focus on that, not all the negativity, not all the bad stuff. That’s not easy if we feel we’re fighting a losing battle. But as Paul says in another place, if “God is for us then who can be against us”. We are not fighting alone.