Deacon Tom Anthony

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 139

Reading 1 Is 5:1-7

Let me now sing of my friend,
my friend's song concerning his vineyard.
My friend had a vineyard
on a fertile hillside;
he spaded it, cleared it of stones,
and planted the choicest vines;
within it he built a watchtower,
and hewed out a wine press.
Then he looked for the crop of grapes,
but what it yielded was wild grapes.

Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard:
What more was there to do for my vineyard
that I had not done?
Why, when I looked for the crop of grapes,
did it bring forth wild grapes?
Now, I will let you know
what I mean to do with my vineyard:
take away its hedge, give it to grazing,
break through its wall, let it be trampled!
Yes, I will make it a ruin:
it shall not be pruned or hoed,
but overgrown with thorns and briers;
I will command the clouds
not to send rain upon it.
The vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel,
and the people of Judah are his cherished plant;
he looked for judgment, but see, bloodshed!
for justice, but hark, the outcry!

Responsorial Psalm Ps 80:9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20

R. (Is 5:7a) The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
A vine from Egypt you transplanted;
you drove away the nations and planted it.
It put forth its foliage to the Sea,
its shoots as far as the River.
R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
Why have you broken down its walls,
so that every passer-by plucks its fruit,
The boar from the forest lays it waste,
and the beasts of the field feed upon it?
R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
Once again, O LORD of hosts,
look down from heaven, and see;
take care of this vine,
and protect what your right hand has planted
the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
Then we will no more withdraw from you;
give us new life, and we will call upon your name.
O LORD, God of hosts, restore us;
if your face shine upon us, then we shall be saved.
R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.

Reading 2 Phil 4:6-9

Brothers and sisters:
Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters,
whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is just, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious,
if there is any excellence
and if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things.
Keep on doing what you have learned and received
and heard and seen in me.
Then the God of peace will be with you.

Alleluia Cf. Jn 15:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I have chosen you from the world, says the Lord,
to go and bear fruit that will remain.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 21:33-43

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
"Hear another parable.
There was a landowner who planted a vineyard,
put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower.
Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.
When vintage time drew near,
he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.
But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat,
another they killed, and a third they stoned.
Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones,
but they treated them in the same way.
Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking,
'They will respect my son.'
But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another,
'This is the heir.
Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.'
They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?"
They answered him,
"He will put those wretched men to a wretched death
and lease his vineyard to other tenants
who will give him the produce at the proper times."
Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes?
Therefore, I say to you,
the kingdom of God will be taken away from you
and given to a people that will produce its fruit."

 MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 We all dwell within the vineyard together. Jesus Christ has opened the gates wide and offers entrance to anyone who wishes to work, live, and rejoice in His name. There is no price to pay. There are no requirements and there is no cost for admission. There only needs to be a desire to leave the wasteland that is a life without Jesus and enter into an existence with Him. The work that we then do and the life that we live becomes one that is inseparable from Jesus Christ. The land that we find ourselves living in is one that is owned by the Father. So, as tenants in the vineyard, we belong to Him and are encouraged  to listen to what He has to say. The Landowner knows His land the best and He knows how He wants it tended to and harvested. He also knows how to bring forth the highest yield of grapes which will then in nurture us and satisfy our thirst and hunger for something better.

In one way, the vineyard in the Parable of the Tenants represents Israel and the tenants the People of Israel. God, as the landowner, sends forth his servants (the prophets) to encourage these people to return to Him with love. The response is to reject the prophets and continue their ways of disobedience. Jesus then indicates that they will also do this to Him (the son). Even though this is the case, it is through Jesus Christ and the Incarnation that the message of salvation is revealed to the entire world. What was initially revealed to a Chosen People was now opened up to the entire world.

This is such beautiful imagery. Even though we are not perfect and tend to pursue of own needs and wants, God is so loving that He keeps calling us to return to Him so that He may love us. There is no limit to this love, demonstrated by the fact that He sent His only son into the world to suffer and be crucified so that we may obtain eternal life. He did not have to do this. He wanted to do this. When we are receptive to this love, we are transformed by it: we want to do good works, we want to love one another as we are loved, and we want to live a good Christian Life.

The landowner did not have to send his servants. He did not have to send others to follow. And he certainly did not have to risk his only son. He did it because he wanted to give the tenants an opportunity to do the right thing. God does the same thing. Time and time again we are given chance after chance to accept Him into our lives. So many times we have failed to respond to Him and there will be times in the future when these same actions are repeated. Yet, God is always there willing to forgive and love.

Upon the acceptance of Jesus Christ, the vineyard becomes a paradise. It represents our relationship with God. It will feed us and provide for our needs physically, mentally, and above all spiritually. We are guided and protected by the landowner who is God. Paul tells us in his letter today to have, “no anxiety at all.” All will be provided for through prayer and petition. As long as Jesus Christ is central in our lives then all obstacles, trials, and tribulations can be overcome. Continuous prayer leads to a continuous relationship with Jesus. We will then be able to conduct ourselves and develop all of our relationships through the lens of Jesus Christ.

And as Paul says,

“Keep on doing what you have learned and received
and heard and seen in me.
Then the God of peace will be with you.”

Deacon Tom