The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) - Day 265: Sins of Omission (2023)

Episode Date: September 22, 2023

Fr. Mike explains sins of omission, and how these are some of the biggest deciding factors of who goes to heaven and who goes to hell: whether or not we did good works God called us to. He also reminds us that not all of the New Testament parables are universally relevant, recalling the parable of the talents and the parable of the wise and foolish maidens. Today's readings are Matthew 25-26 and Proverbs 19:21-24. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. Here we are, you guys. We are on day 265. That means, you know what that means, that if I've done my math right, we are 100 days away from day 365, which on one perspective

can seem like so far away, but at the other perspective, we think, oh my gosh, we're already two and a half times that into the year, right? More or less. Anyways. Oh gosh. We're reading Matthew chapter 25 and 26, just two chapters today. Two chapters where the Lord Jesus, he reveals a lot of the need to prepare and get ready for his return. We're also reading Proverbs chapter 19 verses 21 through 24. As always, the Bible translation that I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in a Year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year. You can also subscribe in your podcast app to

receive daily episodes every single day. It is day 265. We're reading Matthew 25 and 26, Proverbs chapter 19, verses 21 through 24. The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25. The parable of the wise and foolish maidens. Then the kingdom of heaven shall be compared to ten maidens who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them. But the wise took flasks of oil with them. Our lamps are going out. But the wise replied, Perhaps there will not be enough for us and for you. Go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.

And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward, the other maidens came also, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he replied, Truly I say to you, I do not know you. Watch, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. The parable of the talents. For it will be as when a man going on a journey

called his servants and entrusted to them his property, to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, Master, you delivered to me five talents.

Here, I have made five talents more. His master said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little. I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master. And he also who had the two talents came forward saying, master, you delivered to me two talents. Here I have made two talents more. His master said to him, well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little. I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master. He also who had received the one talent came forward saying,

Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you did not winnow. So I was afraid and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours. But his master answered him, You wicked and slothful servant. You knew that I reap where I have not sowed and gather where i have not winnowed then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers and at my coming i should have received what was my own with interest so take the talent

from him and give it to him who has the 10 talents for to everyone who has more will be given and he will have abundance but from him who has not even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. The Judgment of the Nations When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the angels with him. Then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered

all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, Come, O blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me. Then the righteous will answer him, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?

And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you? And the king will answer them, Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me. Then he will say to those at his left hand, Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels, for I was hungry and you gave me no food. I was thirsty and you gave me no drink. I was a stranger and you did not welcome me naked and you did not clothe me sick and in prison and you did not visit me.

Then they also will answer, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister to you? Then he will answer, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister to you? Then he will answer them, truly I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me. And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. Chapter 26, The Conspiracy to Kill Jesus. When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, you know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified. Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and took

counsel together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. But they said, not during the feast, lest there be a tumult among the people. The anointing at Bethany. Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster jar, a very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he sat at table. But when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, Why this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor. But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, Why do you trouble the woman?

For she has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her. Judas agrees to betray Jesus. Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, What will you give me if I deliver him to you? And they paid him thirty pieces of silver, and from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.

The Passover with the Disciples Now, on the first day of unleavened bread, the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover? He said to them, Go into the city to such a one and say to him, the teacher says, my time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples. And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and they prepared the Passover. When it was evening, he sat at table with the 12 disciples. And as they were eating, he said, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me. And they were very sorrowful and

began to say to him one after another, Is it I, Lord? He answered, He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would have been better for that man if he had not been born. Judas, who betrayed him, said, Is it I, Master? He said to him, You have said so. The Institution of the Last Supper Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is my body. And he took a chalice, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, Drink of it, all of you,

for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I shall not drink again of this fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new with you in my father's kingdom. Peter's denial foretold. And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to them, you will all fall away because of me this night, for it is written, I will strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee. Peter declared to him, Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.

Jesus said to him, Truly, I say to you, this very night before the cock crows, you will deny me three times. Peter said to him, Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you. And so said all the disciples. Jesus prays in Gethsemane. Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples,

Sit here, while I go over there and pray. And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch with me. And going a little farther, he fell on his face and prayed, My father, if it is possible, let this chalice pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will. And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, so could you not watch with me one hour?

Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, my father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done. And again, he came and found them sleeping for their eyes were heavy. So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words. Then he came to the disciples and said to them, Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Behold, the hour is at hand and the The betrayal and arrest of Jesus. While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs from the chief priests and the elders of the people.

Now the betrayer had given them a sign saying, the one I shall kiss is the man, seize him. And he came up to Jesus at once and said, hail master. And he kissed him. Jesus said to him, friend, why are you here? Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, put your sword back into its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my father and he will at once send me more than 12 legions of angels?

But how then should the scriptures be fulfilled that it must be so? At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But all this has taken place, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples deserted him and fled. Jesus before the high priest. Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered.

But Peter followed him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside, he sat with the guards to see the end. Now the chief priests and the whole council sought false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last, two came forward and said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days. And the high priest stood up and said, But Jesus was silent. And the high priest said to him, Jesus said to him,

said so. But I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest tore his robes and said, He has uttered blasphemy. Why do we still need witnesses? You have now heard his blasphemy. What is your judgment? They answered, He deserves death. Then they spat in his face and struck him, and some slapped him, saying, Prophesy to us, you Christ. Who is it that struck you? Peter denies Jesus. Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a maid came up to him and said, You also were with Jesus the Galilean. But he denied it before them all, saying, I do not know what you mean. And when he went out to the porch, another maid saw him, and she said to the bystanders,

This man was with Jesus of Nazareth. And again he denied it with an oath, I do not know the man. After a little while, the bystanders came up and said to Peter, Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays you. Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, I do not know the man. And immediately the cock crowed. And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times. And he went out and wept bitterly.

went out and wept bitterly. The book of Proverbs chapter 19 verses 21 through 24. Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established. What is desired in a man is loyalty, and a poor man is better than a liar. The fear of the Lord leads to life and he who has it rests satisfied. He will not be visited by harm. The sluggard buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth. Father in heaven, we thank you and we give you praise. Lord God, you gave your son out of love for us and your son willingly gave his life out of love for us. Even in the midst of betrayal, he continued to love. He continued to give, even though he knew, Lord, he knew the betrayal of the disciples and he knew our own betrayal. And yet he chose to give, and he chose to love.

Lord God, help us always to receive that love. Help us always to allow ourselves to be chosen, to allow ourselves to be yours. You have bought us at a price, and help us to live that way this day and every day. In Jesus' name, amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen. So we're going to get to the passion. Obviously, we began that already today. But before that, we have chapter 25. And chapter 25 is all about being ready, right? It's all about being prepared. And so we have the parable of the wise and foolish maidens. And one of the things about parables we need to keep in mind is they're not universally applicable. I remember reading this parable or hearing it when

I was a kid and thinking like, wait a second, that's not right because my mom taught me to share. And so the wise virgins might be wise, but they're not generous. They don't do what my mom said. They don't share. And that's not the point of the parable. One of the things to keep in mind is that there's always a point of the parable. It's not universally applicable to every situation and every scenario, right? And so what is the point of this parable? The point of this parable is being prepared. So we have to understand what is the symbolism of the oil. Oil is not just oil here. Oil is, we might say, the virtues that one cultivates. Or another way to say it is the relationship with the Lord that one cultivates. So at the end, right, the foolish versions, they don't have any oil. And what is Jesus' response or the master's response to them is, I don't know you.

So you realize that if the oil represents a relationship with God or oil represents that virtue, that part of us that has been surrendered to the Lord and has been built up by God in his grace, that I can't give that to you. It's kind of like, it's like if you studied for an exam, you can't give someone what you know, right? I mean, I guess the analogy breaks down if someone, you know, slips you the answers, but how about this? I can't train for a marathon and you're not trained for a marathon. You say, hey, give me some of your training so I'm ready to run the marathon or vice versa. You can't give me, you're being prepared when I'm not prepared. And that's something true about our relationship with Christ is someone else might have this

deep and profound relationship with the Lord. They might be completely surrendered to him and growing grace. And I can't have that from them. I can't take it from them. They can't share it. They can't share it, right? Because it's impossible to share something like that. And that's what we're talking about when it comes to the oil.

That's what it symbolizes. It symbolizes that disposition of the heart. It symbolizes that relationship. I can't give something that's impossible to give. So I have to develop that on my own. I have to choose the Lord on my own. And that's what it is to be ready. And it's just really powerful.

Also, we have the parable of the talents and the judgment of the nations. Parable of the talents is that sense of, you know, we heard about the fig tree. Remember when Jesus cursed the fig tree because there was no figs on it. And you think, wait, why would he do that? Was he having a bad day a couple of chapters ago? No, that's not what's going on. Even though Jesus was hungry, I don't think he was hangry. He was in complete control of his emotions, but there was a symbolism there. It was that the point of fig trees is to produce fruit. And the point of being a Christian, the point of being someone who belongs to the Lord, even the point of the people of Israel was to produce the fruit of righteousness. I mean,

that's, that's the whole point. And same thing is true when it comes to us as Christians, the whole point is to produce fruit. And if we don't, if we just, okay, I was given this and I'm giving it back, that's failure. It's that call to say, okay, where and how can I use what God has given me for his glory and to help the people around me? That's what it is to use the talents as opposed to just say, I've got them and I'm going to keep them safe for myself. It's no, they don't belong to me, but they've been given to me to use. And that's the next piece here.

What does that mean? Does that mean being super flashy? Does it mean being on a stage? Does that mean everybody knows that you're a disciple or an evangelist? Well, it means this. Jesus makes it so clear in the judgment of nations. He says, come, you blessed of my father. Because why?

Because I was hungry and you fed me. I was thirsty. You gave me drink. I was a stranger. You welcomed me. I was naked. You clothed me. I was hungry and you fed me. I was thirsty, you gave me drink. I was a stranger, you welcomed me. I was naked, you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you visited me.

Two things to keep in mind is there is that act of, there's acts of virtue that are so incredibly important. There's, and not just important in the sense of like, yeah, it's really nice to do, but think of the people who go to heaven, come, you bless my father, to the eternal life of heaven here, is because you did these things. And those who are going to hell, because you didn't do these things. That's what we call sins of omission. It wasn't even that you walked by a stranger and you kicked them. You walked by someone who was hungry and you slapped them in the face. It's not that. It's not that you did evil. It's that you didn't do good. And so this is so important when it comes

to even that big debate about faith and works. We recognize that here very, very clearly Jesus makes the point of what is the distinction between those who enter into heaven and those who do not, those who go to hell, is did you do the thing or did you not do the thing? And this is what we call the corporal works of mercy is that call by Jesus. Say, okay, take care of those who are sick. Take care of those who are in prison. Care for those who are naked and hungry and thirsty.

And do I do that? And we get to ask this question, like, okay, I might not be a horrible person. I might actually even strive after the Lord, but I have to ask myself, what about those sins of omission? Where have I not responded when someone around me was in need? Now, just the last little thing I've, well, two last little things about this is so important because we recognize that St. James will say, faith without works is dead. Faith without works is dead. And St. James will even say, we are not justified by faith alone, but by what we do with that faith we have. And this recognition, of course, that what am I doing with this? So years ago, I remember my mom

at one point, I've shared this before, but she had wanted to, she was a nurse and she wanted to travel the world on what was called at the time the good ship hope. I think they call them mercy ships. And basically, to be a medical missionary to those around the world. Because she heard the words of Jesus here in Matthew 25. And like, yeah, feed the sick, clothe the naked, give drink to the thirsty. Like, take care of those who are in need of being taken care of. That was her dream.

And then she met my dad, and they got married and had a bunch of kids. And, you know, part of that, you think that, oh, that dream is, that dream is over and you don't get to live that, that missionary life. But then you realize, wait a second. So my mom has six kids and a bunch of grandkids now. And I'm like, mom, that's what you spent your whole life doing. You spent your whole life taking a clothing, the naked, you spent your whole life feeding the hunger. You spent your whole life, uh, giving drink to the thirsty, um, taking care of us. And that's, that's what this is all about. Mother Teresa, you know, people would come to her to Calcutta and say, I want to, I want to do what you do here. And she would say, go back to your families and love them.

Because yes, some people are called to go to Calcutta or go to other places around the world to go on the mercy ships or the good ship hope and take care of people that way. But most of us are called to say, okay, look to your left, look to your right. Who are the people in your own home? Are we loving them like this? Are we caring for them like this? Because that is the great call. And that's the call that we don't have to go somewhere else to find people who are in need. And sometimes what being in need is, is I just need someone to listen. Gosh, how many times it could be so easy, but also it's so difficult for us. Someone just, they just want someone to listen to them. You almost could add

to the list, you know, Lord, when did we see you hungry? When did we see you thirsty? When did we see you a stranger? Welcome you. When did we see that you just wanting someone to listen and we didn't listen to you? Maybe you have that person in your life that's kind of tough to love. This is Jesus in the distressing disguise of the poor, as Mother Teresa would always say. Now, lastly, we have this incredible beginning of the passion. We have the Passover. We have Jesus praying in the garden. We have the betrayal and

arrest of Jesus. We have the denial and the flight of all of the disciples. But there's something about Gethsemane that I just want to highlight. Gethsemane, you know, the Mount of Olives, Gethsemane means the place of crushing, is what means is where they crushed the olives to get the olive oil out of this place of crushing. And Jesus in that place was being crushed. And the next time we have a messianic checkpoint, it's Luke's gospel. And Luke makes it even more clear. Luke being the physician, he makes it even more clear of the kind of agony that Jesus was going through even before the other people showed up to start slapping and beating him

and scourging him. But he was already going through a place of crushing. And yet even in the midst of that place of crushing, what is Jesus's core prayer? His core prayer has two elements to it. I just keep coming back to this. Two elements. One is honesty and the other is trust. So he's honest. Father, let this cup pass from me. But also there's the trust where he says, yet not why I will, your will be done. And this should mark every one of our prayers. This, I tell God the truth. They don't just pretend, oh, I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm fine. It's we tell God the truth. It might be horrible. It might be a moment of pain. We might be a moment of fear. We might be in a moment of not understanding

or frustration. We can tell God the truth. We can be honest with him. We have to, but then we trust him and say, and yet Lord in this place, not my will, but your will be done, which is not always easy. And so that's why we need to pray, uh, not only for ourselves and just coming before God and learning how to be honest and humble, you know, honest and trust him, but also to pray for each other because this community, again, day 265, it's, it's really, we've journeyed a long way together. And I don't think any of us could ever get to this place if we weren't praying for each other. I know I couldn't be here. I couldn't, I honestly, I'm telling you, I couldn't get to day 265 if you hadn't been praying for me. And I'm guessing that neither could you, if we haven't been praying for me. And I'm guessing that neither could you if we haven't

been praying for you. And so just please keep praying for me. I will keep praying for you. My name is Brother Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.