27th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Fr. Vinner)
“CALLED TO BEAR FRUITS IN THE VINEYARD OF THE LORD”
My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The common theme of today’s liturgy of the word is called to bear fruits in the vineyard of the lord. In today’s first reading, called “Isaiah’s Song of the Vineyard,” the prophet describes God’s care of, and expectations for, His Chosen People. God’s Chosen People failed to bear fruit in spite of the blessings lavished upon them by a loving and forgiving God. Further, they were poor tenants in the Lord’s vineyard. Hence, God laments: “I expected My vineyard to yield good grapes. Why did it yield sour ones instead?” In the Responsorial Psalm (Ps 80), the psalmist pleads with God to look down from Heaven and to “take care of this vine,” knowing that if any good is to come of the vine, it will be God’s doing and not the people’s. In the second reading, Paul tells Philippians about the high expectations he has for them, reminding them that they need to become fruit-producing Christians by praying and giving thanks to God and by practicing justice, purity and graciousness in their lives.
In today’s Gospel the parable of vineyard was not totally new to the listeners. Already in the Old Testament the people of Israel were considered to be the vineyard. Psalm 80 & Isaiah chapter five spoke very clearly about the vineyard and the vineyard was the people of Israel. God was the owner of the vineyard. He did everything possible for the vineyard but the vineyard did not produce the desired fruit. This parable of the Matthew’s Gospel speaks about the tenants. These tenants were the leaders of the people of Israel. These leaders did not bother about their duty to the vineyard and to the owner. The leader’s ill- treated the servants of the owner. Probably the tenants wanted to possess the vineyard for themselves. Or they thought that the owner would not come back to take possession of the vineyard. Leaders played against the owner. The owner sent his own son to the tenants. The tenants treated him also very badly and killed him. Owner would come to take severe action against the tenants. They would be put to death. The tenants (leaders) are the center of today’s parable. Leaders have not been faithful to their duty and also they have behaved wrongly in dealing with the servants and the son.
God’s action towards the Israelites:
1. Fencing around& building watchtower:
These two actions of God refer to God’s protective care towards his people. Fencing around refers to short-term protective care of God. Fence is something that protects a vineyard form the Immediate and impending dangers that come from outside. God did certain thigs in order to expresses his protective care towards the Israelites in the immediate context. For example, when the Israelites were coming out of Egypt, God gave them Manna when they were hungry, made water come out of rock when they were thirsty; when the Egyptians followed them, he made the sea divided, and also protected them in the form of a pillar of cloud and fire.
2. He cleared the vineyard of stones:
It refers to the fact of God removing ‘stony’ things from the midst of the Israelites. One important thing that is required of human beings to bear fruit of love and compassion , is a heart of flesh, not a heart of stone. it is the stony heart that is responsible for much of violence, hatred, anger, injustice, selfishness etc,. In the world.
3. He hewed out a wine vat:
A wine vat is that which is used to get the wine out of grapes by crushing them. It refers to how God brings the best out of people through the process of suffering. In today’s second reading, St. Paul speaks of peace of God, which surpassed all understanding. To harvest such peace, it is important that a person goes through a tremendous amount of self- purification.
Coming to our lives Are we good fruit-producers in the vineyard of the Church? Jesus has given us the Church, and through her everything necessary to make Christians fruit-bearing:
I)The Bible to know the will of God.
ii) The priesthood to lead the people in God’s ways.
iii) The Sacrament of Reconciliation for the remission of sins.
iv) The Holy Eucharist as our spiritual food.
v) The Sacrament of Confirmation for a dynamic life of Faith.
vi) The Sacrament of Matrimony for the sharing of love in the family, the fundamental unit of the Church.
vii) Role models in thousands of saints. We are expected to make use of these gifts and produce fruits for God. And are we fruit-producers in the vineyard of the family? By the mutual sharing of blessings, by sacrificing time and talents for the members of the family, by humbly and lovingly serving others in the family, by recognizing and encouraging each other and by honoring and gracefully obeying our parents we become producers of “good fruit” for the Vine, Christ, in our families.
May God Bless you,
Fr.S.Vinner HGN