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Readings for Sunday 10-2-2011                                

Are Your Ears Open?

               

                Have you ever felt like you’ve been taking the Catholic Faith for granted?  If you answered ‘yes’, it’s time to rethink your answer.  This Sunday’s Gospel passage continues the same theme as last week’s reading, with Jesus’ continual disapproval of the religious leaders of His day.  (Note to self: Be careful if you’re thinking of going into the priesthood, religious life or becoming a catechist.  You’re expectations will be higher.)  Again, Jesus questions them with another parable about a landowner.  In this parable, God is the landowner with a vineyard.  The landowner has leased the vineyard to tenants.  These tenants represent the religious leaders of Jesus’ day.  The landowner has gone off on a journey, representing the fact that God allows the religious leaders to make decisions on earth in His absence.  God does not control their actions and decisions, but gives them real authority to act in His name.  God has entrusted the religious leaders with the mission of bringing the people closer to Him.  That the landowner is on a journey does not mean that God has abandoned us, that He doesn’t care about us.  The landowner expects the tenants to work on his behalf, just as God expects the religious leaders to carry out what He wants.  This, however, is not what happens in the parable.  The tenants kill the landowner’s servants and his son, just as the religious leaders of Israel killed the prophets and, ultimately, Jesus.  Once the landowner returns, he will put the old tenants to death, and will give his vineyard over to new tenants.  In a similar way, the religious leaders of Jesus’ time were stripped of their authority, which was given to the Apostles and the Catholic Church.  This parable shows Jesus’ passion, a life and death passion, that He has about being a religious leader.  He’s not against religious leaders, but He has big expectations of those who stand up to speak and teach on His behalf.  Most importantly, He wants to protect the ‘common person’ so that they understand just how much God loves them.  Jesus will do anything to make sure this message does not get distorted.  Jesus’ high standard of leadership did not just apply to the Jewish leaders of the First Century: It applies even more to today’s leaders in the Church who have been given ‘the keys to the Kingdom’, who have been given authority in the Church.  The Catholic Church is God’s instrument of salvation in the world, and Jesus has vowed not to let hell overtake it.  He is protecting it with His life.  Let us make it a point, then to pray for the religious leaders of our Church, including priests, religious (brothers and sisters) and lay people: May God grant them the ability to stay 100% focused on their holiness, never compromising it or the message of God’s love for His people.

Reading 1                            Isaiah 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!

Reading 2                            Philippians 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.

Gospel                                 Matthew 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."

Questions for Discussion:

1. What do you think motivated the tenants to kill the servants and the landowner’s son?  Do you think the landowner overreacted by wanting to put the tenants to death? What point was Jesus trying to make with this part of the parable?

2. How do you think the chief priests and elders reacted to Jesus’ saying, ‘the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit’? Describe. How well are we, as Catholics (including lay people), producing the ‘fruit’ of the Gospel?  Describe.

3. Have you ever thought of a vocation to the priesthood or religious life as a brother or sister? Describe. Given this passage, how can priests, religious (brothers and sisters), and lay people be supported in their call to serve the Body of Christ?

4. How has God warned you through other people that you needed to make a change in your life?