God’s Vineyard Was Created For His Chosen People! We Are Called To Emulate It By Following In His Ways!

During formation as a deacon we were taught to balance our commitments by not taking on more than we can handle.  A handy hint we were given was to use one calendar to balance church and personal matters to avoid duplications and/or overbookings.  It works most of the time except for unexpected items such as injuries, illnesses and deaths which need immediate attention.

Looking at our Gospel and readings for this 27^th Sunday in Ordinary Time it seems like the people in those days did not keep track of their actions.  They let their promises to God about being faithful to the Covenant God made with Moses fall to the wayside to the point of disobedience and facing severe punishment.

To understand Jesus’ vineyard allegory, the vineyard is Israel, the tenant farmers are Israel’s leaders, the householder is God, the servants are the prophets and the Son is Jesus.  We initially see God’s love, mercy and forgiveness for His chosen people.  As time passed, people disobeyed God to the point of killing prophets and even Jesus by crucifixion.

Today, our Catholic vineyard is our Church represented by Pope Francis, bishops, priests, deacons, religious and laity in archdioceses and dioceses.  The Covenant is now between the Blessed Trinity and all who were initiated with Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation and those who practice their faith by being present to one another as God is to us.

And, yet, there are still negativities that exist in our Church that make people question if this is a faith they want to follow.  I am not just talking about the Pedophile problems which damaged the trust factor in our faith, but how our Magisterium is at odds ends politically.  Like American politicians, there are factions of conservative and liberal bishops and priests who want the laity to support their politics rather than come to a peaceful agreement by which all Catholics are protected and supported by the Gospel messages.

Because of this, we are seeing Catholics leave the Church more than ever to embrace other faiths or none at all.  Some condemn what they have witnessed while others take stands that have no merit other than accusations heard from third party Christians and non-Christians.  Much like the Pharisees, they make empty appearances but do little to clarify what is happening to change things for the better.  By doing so, Catholicism is slowly becoming an absentee faith as witnessed by the dwindling numbers throughout the world.

Jesus has given us a path to follow so that all believers have an opportunity to become involved by emulating Jesus in all that He does as God’s son and as our Messiah.    But to do that, we need to put aside those parts in our life which cause us to fail.

We need to simplify our relationship with God by first listening to how He wants us to live our life by understanding the Gospel message He delivers every time in Word and action.  The key word to remember is: Love. Everything God does is based on His love starting with creation and then in the everyday circumstance of our life. 

If we can put aside areas we believe are problems, and instead embrace the positives of our thoughts, words and actions in our presence to others, God will become our center allowing us to follow His ways as our ways.  The vineyard will then produce amazing fruits of Christian life, much more than attempt at external, token, gestures of conformity to God’s will.

Let us take this week to look at where we are shortsighted when it comes to making change for the better in our faith.  Take an attitude of simplicity by trusting fully in God words and actions so they become ours automatically to produce immediate results of leading a Christian life.  As God’s people, we are all called to be active member of the Body of Christ, the Christian community and the Church.  It becomes the fundamental purpose of our lives.

Reading 1: Isaiah 5: 1-7
Reading 2: Philippians 4: 6-9
Gospel: Matthew 21: 33-43