27th Sunday in Ordinary
Mt 21:33-43
October 8, 2023

The Old Testament Reading, as well as our Gospel, offers images of trouble in the vineyard. In both instances, no crop makes it to the owner’s wine press, so there is no wine to evaluate or enjoy. At the center of both Readings, however, is the truth that, ultimately, God is in charge.

Having waited patiently for a fruitful harvest, when one did not come, both vineyard owners make radical changes. Isaiah reports that the Old Testament landowner abandoned further efforts. In Jesus’s parable, the change alluded to, as He confronted the misguided religious leaders of the day, was a foretelling of His Self-Sacrifice on the Cross.

His listeners certainly took His remarks personally. They felt the burn that came from the suggestion that they were unfaithful and would soon be replaced. All these centuries later, we, too, should take this story to heart, because it is directed to us as well…the difference being that there is no sting for us, but only comfort and hope.

You won’t find a better explanation of this passage than that offered by Pope Francis during his Angelus address on this date in 2017.

The urgency of replying with good fruits to the call of the Lord, who asks us to become his vineyard, helps us to understand what is new and original about the Christian faith. It is not so much the sum of precepts and moral norms, but rather, it is, first and foremost, a proposal of love which God makes through Jesus and continues to make (with humankind). It is an invitation to enter into the love story by becoming a lively and open vine, rich in fruits and hope for everyone.

This powerful message is especially relevant as our Church leaders are sent to work by Pope Francis “in the vineyard” of the Synod on Synodality. Let us pray that they not be misguided by their own agendas, but rather, open themselves fully to the movement of the Holy Spirit among them. May they work diligently on behalf of what is true, honorable, just, pure, loving, and gracious, so that the entire Church might come together in celebration of The God of Peace and Love!