OT
– 27th Sunday The Lord Planted a Vineyard October 5, 2014
Is
5:1-7 Ps 80 Phil 4:6-9 Mt 21:33-43
For the past three weeks we have been listening to parables of the vineyard from the latter
parts of the gospel of Matthew. These
occur as a series of teachings about the Mercy of God and the Judgment of
God. From the past two Sundays and today
we have been hearing about this vineyard.
The vineyard symbolizes the Kingdom of God. The Owner symbolizes God. And the workers or tenants are the people of
the world. Each time in the parables we
encounter a landowner who generously calls us to produce the fruit of the
vineyard. And each time there are those
who say “yes” to work in the vineyard, and others who say “no.” In these parables
of the vineyard we also find the theme of God’s judgment upon those who say
“no.”
In today’s parable of the vineyard, we hear Jesus pronounce
a judgment upon the hearers that uses their own words of judgment. It is chilling to hear. Jesus tells them plainly that “the kingdom of God will be taken away from
you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.”
This judgment did, in fact, occur in history. It began with the death and resurrection of
Jesus. The disciples of Jesus received
the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and began walking in the gifts of
the
Holy Spirit. They lived the fruit of the
Holy Spirit as they grew in holiness. As
people began experiencing the power of this life in the Spirit, more people were
converted and began following Jesus and His Church.
Meanwhile, the religious authorities of Jerusalem began an
intense persecution of the Church. For
nearly 40 years this continued. In their
pride the authorities in Jerusalem challenged Rome and sought to overthrow its
rule. Rome responded with a great army
that besieged Jerusalem, conquered it, burned it, and killed and scattered the
inhabitants. In the Book of Revelation
the city of Jerusalem was called Mystery Babylon. This was the evil city that made war on the
saints and then was burned with fire and utterly destroyed.
Now, today’s homily isn’t just a history lesson. These parables are important for us
today. The setting of the message isn’t
just Jerusalem and the near east. The
setting also involves the Church and the World of Today. The call of the Lord is increasingly urgent
to us. He calls us to give a full “yes”
to work in the vineyard and produce its fruit.
For those who are willing to accept the messages of private
revelation approved by the church, consider the private revelations and
prophecies in modern times. The
apparitions of the Blessed Mother at Lourdes, Fatima, Akita, and Kibeho – all
approved by the church as worthy for our belief – were calls to the people of
today to prayer and conversion. And they
all also warned of a coming Chastisement upon the world. Chastisements that would be a direct result
of the world’s rejection of God’s call to conversion and holiness.
The alleged apparitions in Medjugorje, while not yet
approved by the church because they are ongoing, speak of similar themes; a
call to prayer and conversion, a prophecy of chastisement upon the world
because of its sins, and a coming Era of Peace after God has judged the world
because of its sins.
These themes are found in Sacred Scripture, particularly the
25th chapter of Matthew and the entirety of the Book of
Revelation. They are also found in the Teaching
of the Church. The Catechism speaks of
the Church following Our Lord in facing her own Good Friday prior to the
triumph at the end of the era.
If one is skeptical of the prophecies that come from private
revelation or scripture, then one can certainly also look to the secular writings
of economists, who warn of a coming financial collapse due to the enormous
mounting debt of so many countries. Or
one can look to the medical community who speak of the cycles of pandemics in
history and how we are overdue for another sweeping pandemic. Or one can look to those who study military
history and who talk of cycles of war.
There are quite enough harbingers of doom out there to make us all pause
and consider our near future.
What do we do with all that?
First of all, I think we can go ahead and admit that such things will
indeed come. In so many ways they are
self-fulfilling prophecies. What we do
as a collective human family in the world today will cause its own
chastisement. Cause and effect is a
universal law, and there is no escaping it.
Secondly and more importantly, in light of all this we must
remember God’s primary motivation on our behalf. Remember what Jesus said to Nicodemus in John
chapter 3. “God loves the world so much that he sent his only Son, that whoever
believes in him might not perish, but might have eternal life.” God’s primary motivation toward us is
love! God’s primary desire for us is our
salvation. Even when we see the great storm of all these events taking place, let us be determined to fix the truth of God’s love for us firmly in our minds. This will help us to place our full trust in Jesus, who is our hope of salvation. After all, the best part of these prophecies is the Triumph and the coming Era of Peace. It is a sure promise, and something for which we wait in joyful hope.
In the meantime, prayer, conversion, and producing the fruit
of the kingdom are the call of Jesus to us today. This has its own joy, whatever else may
occur. I close today with the words of
St. Paul from his letter to the Philippians.
They also are a true call and a true prophecy that will surpass whatever
else may occur. Listen to these words
once again.
“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.”
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