October 5, 2014

27^th Sunday in Ordinary Time A

Isaiah 5:1-7; Philippians 4:6-9; Matthew 21: 33-43
How am I doing in my relationship with God? How am I doing in my relationship with others? How well am I loving myself? When I look at creation do I see the work of God in all His glory, magnificence and His giving? Do I see in God’s creation that it is about me and how I can enjoy it? Do I view the world as being created by God and therefore all is beautiful? Do I see how the corrupt world comes not from God but from corrupt people? Do I separate myself from corrupt people saying ‘that’s not me’? Do I use…abuse God’s creation? Do I feel it is there for me alone? Do I realize that God has a plan for each person from all of time and that the plan includes our being in heaven with Him? Do I give up because I feel I’m just a ‘bad’ person and never will be worthy? The readings help me so much in showing me how to focus.
Isaiah begins by giving an allegory that can be interpreted deeply or superficially. He begins by ‘fooling’ his audience into thinking that today’s passage is just an agricultural scene representing a love song to a friend. Now the ‘friend’ is making sure that the vineyard will be successful by choosing a wonderful site, preparing the soil in the right way and planting only the highest quality of plants. The ‘friend’ even ‘assumes’ that the crop will be successful by purchasing a wine press. But the harvest failed, what God has planted has been made ‘corrupt’ by human hands. The people bringing the crop to harvest are so possessed by their greed that they are unable to realize the potential harvest. The ‘friend’ that Isaiah is talking about really is ‘The Friend’…God. God brought the people to a land ‘flowing with milk and honey’; protected them from enemies on all sides. God has made the people models for all around to see as being recipients of God’s love and tenderness. Did they live the examples of love…no…they lived for themselves not for the glory and honor of God.
Jesus helps my mind set in today’s parables, telling His listeners that we are focusing on ourselves and not on God. The parables are directed against the chief priests and the elders. Each person is being compared to an unfruitful vineyard: the vineyard is Israel, the tenant farmers are Israel’s leaders and God is the householder. The servants are the prophets and the son is Jesus. Jesus is telling very directly and pointedly that the Kingdom of God will be given to a people who will produce its fruit. Unfortunately this has been interpreted that God is rejecting the Jews in favor of the Christians. NOT TRUE. The leaders have been incompetent, they will be replaced by competent leaders who will be leaders and believers.
So how do I apply these readings to myself? Do I view all that I have as a gift? Or do I maintain that I deserve these? Do I feel it’s about me being fulfilled and happy and taking care of me? Or do I see that everything is a ‘trust’ from God to me to be used for the betterment of those God has placed in my life? The subtleness of the devil wants me to act as if everything is mine and therefore I control it for my own benefit to do with as I please. Here is where the problem lies. Then the habit is developed that I want more and more…more power, more authority, more money, more pleasure and more toys to fill my pleasure. This never works…because I have made myself ‘god’ of my world. And Jesus says, “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.” JESUS IS THE CORNERSTONE.
These readings today give me much seed for thought because they are helping me to see how God feels. Isaiah says, “What more was there to do for my vineyard that I had not done?” I have to take time and reflect on all that God has done for me. As I look at the readings and at Salvation History I see in spite of all the love that God showed His people, all He got in turn was ingratitude. This was the “SIN” of Adam and Eve in the garden…they wanted MORE and were definitely not grateful for what they had been given. The people of Israel had been treated in a special way by God and along with this came responsibility. Repeatedly they failed and looked out for themselves.

Fr. Flor McCarthy summarized it in this way in his New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies: “What sort of fruits did God expect from His people? God looked for peace from His people, and got war; for true worship, and got idolatry; for justice in their dealings with one another, and got injustice, corruption, and exploitation of the poor and the weak; for goodness, and not evil; for caring and sharing, and got greed and acquisitiveness; for temperance, and got excessive eating and drinking; for community, and got exclusiveness and snobbery; for humility, and got pride; for wise and godly living, and got a pagan lifestyle.

This to some extent is our story too. God wants us to make use of the gifts and opportunities He has given us so that we can grow as His children. But often we fail to respond to His love. And yet, God doesn’t write us off, but gives us chance after chance.

We fail not just as individuals but as Church. The Christian community is the vineyard Christ planted and tended with such care that He gave His life for it. He looks to us His followers, the tenants of His vineyard, to produce the fruits of justice, love and peace. It’s a great privilege and a great challenge too.” And I ask how am I doing? Am I sharing the gift of myself in love?

So I reflect on:

• Do I try to live as my own master, rather than as one who lives to serve God?
  
• Do I view God as a God who is constantly making demands on me or a God who wants me to be a person of love?
  
• What do I view as my greatest gift? Does God agree with this?
  
• What has been my greatest achievement; why did I pick this? Would God select the same thing?
  
• Do I tend to pray more honesty when I have failed? Why is this so?
  

Sacred Space 2014 shares:
“Those who think they own God’s kingdom are in trouble. The reign of God is an action of grace, a yielding to the sway of God. I remember that it is a gift to be appreciated more than a property to be claimed or asserted.

Jesus allowed Himself to be the rejected stone, to be overlooked and demeaned. In what way might I learn from Him?”