It is 4th October 2020. We celebrate the Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time. The readings are from Isaiah 5:1-7; the second reading is from Philippians 4:6-9; and the Gospel from Matthew 21:33-43.
We celebrate the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the founder of Franciscan Family. Wishing you all a happy of St. Francis of Assisi, troubadour of peace. May his intercession help us to respect everyone as brothers and sisters and protect the Mother Earth.
A man went to Heaven. Your hands are not dirty enough. God sadly looked at him and said, yes, they are clean, but they are empty.
As we have just listened to all the three readings, let us not think that God is fed up with us. God continues to trust and entrusts the vineyard to us whether it is our life, or the church, or our families.
We are the vineyard of the Lord. As the vineyard belongs to the Lord, so are we.
Whether we a nation, a community, a family and individual.
“What could I have done for my vineyard that I have not done?”
“I expected my vineyard to yield grapes. Why did it yield sour grapes instead?”
We are just tenants. God is the owner of our life and expects fruits from our life.
God expects social and economic justice from us all.
As we are here in the Church, let us examine and see what kind of grapes are we?
Are we sour with anger, hatred, vengeance, and indifference or are we sweet with love, peace, and joy of the Holy Spirit?
In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah compares the vineyard to us, the people of God. God shows God’s disappointment seeing the harvest after all that God has done so meticulously.
Vineyard is used more frequently as a metaphor for God’s people. Jesus resonates the first reading. God is the owner of the vineyard. The people are the one who leased the vineyard. The leaders and people refused to listen to the prophets. The owner sent His Son.
The context is the Holy Week. A few days before His Passion, Jesus chided the religious leaders and priests by sharing today’s parable.
The metaphor in Isaiah is sour grapes, in the Gospel, the abundant ant harvest. When the tenant wanted to have the land for themselves.
The responsory Psalm praises, “The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.” (Ps.79)
The Church is vineyard of the Lord:
God is infinitely good, patience and merciful in dealing with us opposed to growing ingratitude and colossal abuse of the vineyard. God requires our cooperation in bringing the best. The kingdom of God is being neglected by us. It belongs to God. Who is messing it? God wants to tell that since the chosen ones did not take care of it, we are the new chosen ones. Paul tells the Galatians, “love, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are the fruits needed for the growth and development.
Who is messing the vineyard of God? Isaiah and Jesus ask that what is God to do? The violence and greed are manifested in injustice as the wild/sour grape. God is interested in people who wishes to hear: John 15:5 “I am the vine and you are the branches. Abide in me and you will bear much fruit.” A Church and a family of God cannot remain indifferent without working for social and economic justice. When the vineyard of a poor person was encroached in the story of Jezebel and King Ahab, people did not stand up for the poor man. Pope Francis said back in March that God is not judging us, but rather inviting us to judge what is important to us.
Our family as a vineyard:
As we are on the first Friday of the Monday dedicated to the Most Sacred Heart and in the Month dedicated Holy Rosary, we need to find time during this pandemic that has made us sour for sure in many ways. A family that prays together thinks and bears fruit together. Some are exhausted physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We begin to say things that are painful to each other more than ever.
Planting vineyard is creating a relationship. It is a long-term investment and labor. At least three years for a vineyard to give fruit. Justice and fruitful life are the one God expects from us all. To be fair with the community, family, and one another. God goes out to the fullest to make the people of God to be fruitful. People bore thorns and wild grapes. God Cultivated, ploughed, cared, protected, and preserved yet the fruit was desireless. God is interested in long-term relationship. God trusts each one of us and expects us to be fruitful. God creates the possibility for the fruitfulness. The innumerable opportunities and resources God have given us to bring the best out of ourselves. Having done everything possible for each one of us, God anticipates a rich harvest. God expresses his anger and hurt when we have failed to offer compassion and mercy. Dr. Wayne Dyer says we need to notice what is there. Why are we focusing on what is missing? What we focus gets expanded. Feelings come from thoughts. FIND THEM DOING THINGS RIGHT. It is so easy to give when we keep our thoughts fruitful. When our thoughts are sour, our actions cannot be fruitful. What we think, it expands.
We are the Vineyards today:
Paul recommends a set of Christian virtues need to practice personally as whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and gracious and anything worthy of praise that pleases God. “Beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Phil.4:8). Are we the poor tenants too? We are called to produce fruits. Have we disappointed God in any way? Refusal to change. They are self-confident, corrupt, luxurious living. Only person who wants to change is a baby with dirty napkin. The elders and chief priest during the time of Jesus Failed to learn. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
As we remember our Guardian angel today, let us learn to listen and allow ourselves to be guided by them to be fruitful vineyard of the Lord.