27^th Sunday in Ordinary Time [A]

September 4, 2020

Matthew 21:33-43

The vineyard owner in today’s parable is extraordinary. He knows that the tenants are greedy and corrupt, and if I had been the owner, I would have expelled the tenants right away. Yet, this owner is doing the opposite. He keeps sending His envoys and pleading with them, to the point of giving his own son, the true heir. This vineyard owner must be crazy! Yet, that is how much merciful, and patient God is. However, that is not the end of the story. The thing is if we keep abusing God’s mercy, His justice will eventually prevail.

When Jesus was speaking about the vineyard, the context was Jesus was confronting the elders and chief priest. Instead of serving the people, they chose to seek their gains and thus, involved in various corrupt practices. Jesus reminded them that the vineyard would be taken away if they did not repent.  Unfortunately, they were too greedy and proud. Thus, they opted to get rid of Jesus, the Son of God. The history tells us that in 70 AD, around 40 years after Christ, Jerusalem was burned, and the Temple was razed to the ground.

Unfortunately, the story of the gift given and gift taken away is one of the basic patterns in the Bible. Adam and Eve given the privilege of the garden of Eden, yet they offended the Lord, and they lost the paradise. People of Israel were liberated from the land of Egypt, but in the wilderness, they kept complaining and even worshipping false gods. Therefore, they had to die in the desert, and only their children were allowed to enter. The Israelites have received the land and built a powerful kingdom under David, but they kept sinning and forgetting the Lord, and thus, the kingdom was destroyed, and the people were exiled.

God has given each of us, something special, a precious gift. And we should take care of and protect this gift, and we shall not test the Lord. Otherwise, this gift will be taken away from us.

Faith is a gift. Faith is our first step to heaven. Yet, we have to grow our faith, to nourish it with true teachings of the Church and growing relationship with the Lord. We must defend it not only from false teachings but also from our laziness and mediocrity. Otherwise, it will be taken away from us.

A vocation to priesthood and brotherhood is a gift. It is a gift to serve the people of God, to preach the Word of God, and to minister the sacraments through which we receive the grace and salvation. We need to nurture it daily with prayer, assiduous study, and faithfully living the vows. Otherwise, it will be taken away from us.

A vocation to married life and family is a gift. It is a gift to become co-creators and co-workers of God; to bring forth life and to nurture life. We need to protect it from sins and infidelity and selfishness, and nourish it with love, commitment, and even openness.  Otherwise, it will be taken away from us.

The Earth is a gift to us. It is our home, a stunning home to live, and among billions of planets in the galaxies, there is nothing like earth. We need to defend it from exploitation, over-mining, over-fishing and even from our lifestyle that gradually destroy nature. Otherwise, it will be taken away from us.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

photo credit: jodie-morgan