Thursday of the
Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
(Ezekiel 36:23-28; Matthew 22:1-14)
When the Puritans arrived in Boston Harbor, John Winthrop
of the Massachusetts Bay Company gave a famous sermon. Invoking Jesus’ call to his disciples, he
told the immigrants that they were going to be like a “city on the hill.” That is, they were to exemplify Christian unity
and charity to the world. The words may
also be traced to Ezekiel in today’s first reading.
Israel has been devastated. Its peoples have been scattered throughout
the Middle East. Their future appears
hopeless. Into this dark abyss, the
prophet announces a new beginning. Speaking
with God’s voice, he says the people will be reunited in holiness. They will be cleansed of impurities, and their
hearts of stone will be replaced by ones of flesh. They will then live as a model for all to see.
Christ fulfills this promise with the Church. He sprinkles us with the waters of Baptism to
cleanse us of our sins. He nourishes us
with the Eucharistic food so that we might work for a better world. We falter at times, but the world still takes
note. Everyone recognizes that being
Christian means, above all, caring for others
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