27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Cycle A
October 8, 2023 – 5pm and 11am
Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton
God’s Welcome to the Vineyard
Imagine that just before a soul begins his or her life on earth, God takes the soul by the hand and points out a certain place on earth.
God then speaks to this soul or soon-to-be-conceived-and-born person. God explains.
“This is going to be your piece of the vineyard. It will be yours to make of it whatever you can.
“All I ask is that you work at it the best you can and get the most out of the soil I give you.
“If you produce grapes that make the choice wine of reconciliation and justice, great; if you only have enough water and nutrients to produce a few grapes that make a small amount of the sherry of humility and kindness, good; if you only have enough time to plant a few seeds or start a few vines that others can bring to a full harvest, you’ll have done well.”
God’s Caution
But God then cautions:
“Just don’t make the mistake that too many of my tenants make. They get too caught up in the number of grapes they can coax from the vines.
“My vineyard is about harvesting good grapes, not amassing profits. Remember too, that you are responsible for the part of the vineyard I give you.
“Don’t exhaust the grapes you harvest for yourself alone. Don’t leave behind just a dried tangle of dead vines for the next grower.”
God the vineyard owner continues. “And keep in mind that everyone has his or her own piece of the vineyard.
“But there are no dividing lines, no fences, no property markers. Your part of the vineyard is joined to your neighbor’s – so you can do neither good nor evil in the vineyard without affecting the folks next to you and the vines around you.”
God’s Reminder
Finally, God says this.
“One more thing. And I don’t mean to harp on this, but it is my vineyard.
“Not yours. I’m giving you a piece of it because that’s what being God is all about.
“An occasional thank you would be nice. But the moment you think the vineyard is yours or that you deserve more and better, your vineyard will become a very unhappy and unproductive place.
“So, go to it.” And with that said, God breathes this soul into a human embryo and another human, or human and divine journey begins.
Conclusion
So, the lesson is that we are to be good, responsible tenants of God’s vineyard.
That vineyard is the life we have been given. It is the home, the school, the job, the family, the friends, the opportunities, the community, the church, the city, the state, the country, the world we live in.
This is what we have been given. This is the vision that Jesus, the Christ gives us.
So, will we produce the choice wine of reconciliation and justice? Or the sherry of humility and kindness?
Will we at least start something good in the limited time and space that we have? Will we leave something good for the next generation?
Will we stay aware that whatever we do affects everyone else? Will we remember to be thankful to God from time to time?
God has welcomed us to his vineyard and given each of us a piece of it. It’s up to us to be good tenants.
And, by the way, this way of seeing today’s and other gospels on the vineyard comes right from Saint Catherine of Siena who lived in the 1300s. I have to give her credit for this homily!
