TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A

 

 

 Reflection By Barbara Durand

 First Reading Isaiah 5:1-7

 Second Reading: Philippians 4:6-9

 Gospel Matthew 21:33-43

 

 

 

 

 

The first reading for today from Isaiah and the Gospel story are focused on the image of the vineyard. In the Old Testament Israel was the image of God’s vineyard and was therefore clearly recognisable to Jesus’ audience.    

It takes a lot of time and effort to cultivate a vineyard in the dry, harsh land of Israel, therefore a vineyard is very precious to the “owner”.

To look at this parable we need to consider three points:

Firstly, how was the parable used by Jesus and heard by his audience.  The parable tells the story of his own experience of ministry and his sense of being missioned by God and yet rejected.  We can imagine Jesus spending many hours in prayer, thinking about his mission and why his words have been received in such a hostile manner.  This would have been the purpose of his prayer, to seek an understanding.

In the parable, firstly the servants are sent to collect the harvest. Instead, the tenants seized, beaten, stoned and even killed the owner’s messengers.   Originally, the Jewish listeners see the servants as the prophets sent by God to Israel.  The listeners would have recognised this link to God and his sending of the prophets to bring Israel to fidelity, yet one by one God messengers were rejected.

In the parable Jesus goes on to speak of the owner who sent his own son. “They will respect my son”, said the owner. But no, he was also seized, thrown out of the vineyard and killed.   Jesus, who is now in Jerusalem and in the last weeks of his life, is telling this story to show the religious leaders how he has been rejected in his own ministry. A clear reference to Jesus’ death on the cross outside the walls of Jerusalem.

What does this parable say to us today?  In these times we are the new stewards of the vineyard which is God’s kingdom.  Now he expects us to produce fruit, fruit that will last. Are we much better than the chief priests, the elders or the Scribes and the Pharisees?  By our Baptism we are privileged to be called to be a worker in the Lord’s vineyard.  Are we truly living out the Gospel in our world today?  We are all called to be members, active members of the Body of Christ, the Christian community, the Church.

Our parish is our vineyard, and must not produce sour grapes that no one can eat. It must be open to the various ways the Lord speaks to it, whether those people are Church leaders or prophetic voices which may sometimes say things which are difficult to hear.

 

We can ask ourselves, is our parish a security blanket for those who do not want to face up to the challenges facing every society. When that happens, we tend If we to cling to old, fixed ways of doing things and to resist change.  If we resist changes that are necessary to serve a constantly changing society we can find ourselves creating a core of “chief priests and elders” who will ensure that the prophetic voices and people with real vision will be effectively blocked.

Cardinal Newman who said more than 100 years ago that “To live is to change; and to be perfect is to have changed often.” We need to make sure that our vineyard produces rich grapes, not only for ourselves but for others too, to enjoy.  If we are good “tenants” it may well happen that the Lord will ask others to come and take our place.    

How do we see this call? Do we find it a privilege, a blessing, or a troublesome burden? How well have we received the message of the Lord?