Sunday Series: October 5, 2014

I've been noticing a theme in Mass the last few weeks, and today it was all over the place. I'll start with the responsorial psalm. "The Vineyard of the Lord is the House of Israel." The word vineyard has been very prevalent in the readings of the last few weeks, especially the Gospels. What does the vineyard represent? I've heard many answers to this question: earth, the kingdom of God, the Church. In the responsorial psalm the vineyard represents the House of Israel. At the moment, this answer may not seem all that profound, but Today's Gospel sheds a whole new light on it.

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."

Once again Jesus is calling the leaders of the Jewish community. Every group of characters in the parable represents a part in the Jewish faith. The tenants are the religious leaders of the Jews. They were the ones who were supposed to tend to the people. The servants are the prophets. God sent a great number of prophets to the Jews, but the leaders never listened to them. So the Master (God the Father) sent his Son (Christ) to the tenants. The tenants disposed of the Son just as they did the servants. They killed him. Ironically, the pharisees and elders of the Jews saw what should be done in this case when they said that vineyard should be leased to other tenants who will give the fruit to the Master at the proper time. This is actually what happened. The Vineyard of the Lord was taken from the hands of the Chief Priests and the scribes and placed in the hands of those who would produce its fruit, the Apostles.

So what is the Vineyard? It is the Covenant. Just as the Jewish elders were leaders of the old, the Apostles were leaders in the new. The difference is that the Apostles actually produced fruit. The leaders of the Jews were prideful and selfish. All they did was for themselves. Behavior like that was not welcome in God's Covenant. God requires humility and love. Thus Christ was sent down to fulfill the Old Covenant by being a perfect example and then begin the New Covenant with him as the Cornerstone, and this has become wonderful in our eyes. If we too are to be good stewards of the Lord's Vineyard, we follow the words that St. Paul spoke to us today.

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.

The Covenant of God has been passed down to us through the Church. Through her traditions and teachings we have learned what is right in the eyes of the Lord. Here is our challenge: do it.