Oct. 8, 2017: 27th Sunday A
Oct. 8, 2017: 27th Sunday A
Click to hear Audio Homily
Do you consider yourself a “fruitful” disciple of Jesus? That is, do you bear fruit for the Lord? Jesus told his disciples, “By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.” (John 15:8) Recently, before a wedding mass, the groomsmen, the groom, and I gathered to pray. Each groomsman had a chance to voice this special blessing upon the groom. One said, “Lord, give him and his bride a long lasting marriage.” Another said, “Blessed Mother, give him wisdom to be a loving husband.” Then one groomsman prayed, “Lord, may you bless him with 10 beautiful children.” The groom’s eyes got big and the rest of the groomsmen chuckled. Biological fruitfulness is not what Jesus had in mind. For our Lord, a fruitful disciple is the one whose cornerstone is to humbly labor in love for our God.
In today’s parable of wicked tenants in a vineyard, Jesus likens the religious leaders to unproductive disciples. A tenant typically rents property and pays a fee to the property owner. A responsible tenant would take good care of the property, pay the rent on time, and have a good relationship with the owner. However, if the rent is not paid or the property is misused, the property owner would have no other choice than to expel the renter from his property. The religious leaders of Jesus’ time did not bear fruit for the Kingdom because they were preoccupied promoting themselves rather than leading the faithful closer to God.
When you consider your life, do you see yourself as an owner or a tenant? When we look at our lives, there is very little that we truly own. We are given privileges but not ownership. We don’t own our family, spouse, or children. We really don’t own the land on which we built our business or home. We are indebted to God for providing everything in our lives. So we are workers in God’s vineyard and not the owner of the vineyard. This awareness leads us to humility, which is so necessary in our spiritual life, because it helps us become fruitful disciples who are willing to work for the good of all.
Our Lord has chosen each of us from the world to go and bear fruit that will remain. St. Paul, a model of a fruitful disciple, reminds us to pray and imitate Jesus. He said, “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.” Whatever is true, honorable, pure, lovely, gracious, and praiseworthy, we are to contemplate and labor to bring it about in our own lives. When we work for God, we’re not looking for earthly reward. Yet while we labor for him, God will grant us peace that surpasses all understanding and guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Click to hear Audio Homily
Do you consider yourself a “fruitful” disciple of Jesus? That is, do you bear fruit for the Lord? Jesus told his disciples, “By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.” (John 15:8) Recently, before a wedding mass, the groomsmen, the groom, and I gathered to pray. Each groomsman had a chance to voice this special blessing upon the groom. One said, “Lord, give him and his bride a long lasting marriage.” Another said, “Blessed Mother, give him wisdom to be a loving husband.” Then one groomsman prayed, “Lord, may you bless him with 10 beautiful children.” The groom’s eyes got big and the rest of the groomsmen chuckled. Biological fruitfulness is not what Jesus had in mind. For our Lord, a fruitful disciple is the one whose cornerstone is to humbly labor in love for our God.
In today’s parable of wicked tenants in a vineyard, Jesus likens the religious leaders to unproductive disciples. A tenant typically rents property and pays a fee to the property owner. A responsible tenant would take good care of the property, pay the rent on time, and have a good relationship with the owner. However, if the rent is not paid or the property is misused, the property owner would have no other choice than to expel the renter from his property. The religious leaders of Jesus’ time did not bear fruit for the Kingdom because they were preoccupied promoting themselves rather than leading the faithful closer to God.
When you consider your life, do you see yourself as an owner or a tenant? When we look at our lives, there is very little that we truly own. We are given privileges but not ownership. We don’t own our family, spouse, or children. We really don’t own the land on which we built our business or home. We are indebted to God for providing everything in our lives. So we are workers in God’s vineyard and not the owner of the vineyard. This awareness leads us to humility, which is so necessary in our spiritual life, because it helps us become fruitful disciples who are willing to work for the good of all.
Our Lord has chosen each of us from the world to go and bear fruit that will remain. St. Paul, a model of a fruitful disciple, reminds us to pray and imitate Jesus. He said, “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.” Whatever is true, honorable, pure, lovely, gracious, and praiseworthy, we are to contemplate and labor to bring it about in our own lives. When we work for God, we’re not looking for earthly reward. Yet while we labor for him, God will grant us peace that surpasses all understanding and guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
