A Homily for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
How many of you have seen a vineyard up close? I am not sure if the few grape vines that my grandmother had in her backyard qualified as a vineyard, but it did teach me something about growing grapes. Grandma had to carefully keep the ground around the vines clean, and be watchful for when the vines would fall to the ground and when they did fall she would go pick them up and carefully tie them to the terraces that would give them support so that they could grow more fully and bear fruit. Of course what I remember most about my grandmother’s grape vines was when she would pick the fruit and make her homemade jelly. With all due respect to Smuckers, there was something special about grandma’s jelly.
The vineyard is an ancient symbol of Israel, God’s Chosen People. There was a promise that each family would have a fig tree, a flock and a vineyard in the Promise Land, for these three things were symbolic that all of their needs would be taken care of. From the flock the people received not only meat, but also wool and hides for clothing, from the fig tree a sweet food, and from the vine wine for celebration. Of course God’s Faithful People realized that it was God who was filling all of their needs, and giving them the good life.
It was because of this close association of the vineyard with Israel that the prophet Isaiah used the vineyard in his prophecy. He taught the people that God plants the seed of life in each of us, and as the seed in the soil seems to develop and grow in a mysterious way, so does the mystery of God’s infinite love for us is manifested in the wonder of the love of husband and wife.
God plants the “good” seed, and expects a bountiful harvest. Sadly, too often, instead of the good grapes of God’s grace being manifested in our lives we produce the wild grapes of selfishness, fear, self-centered pleasure, which blooms in the morning but fades with the noonday sun. Too often we fail to recognize God as the creator, the owner of the vineyard of our lives, and when that happens our lives become meaningless and fruitless.
In today’s Gospel reading Jesus takes up the well-known image of the vineyard, but He goes beyond just talking about God planting the seed. In Jesus’ parable, the owner of the vineyard has tenant farmers to work in his field. This is an indication that if we are to call ourselves the faithful followers of God, then we must be cooperators in doing God’s work of love in the world. However in the parable the tenant farmers become the “wild grapes” that Isaiah spoke about. Out of greed and selfishness they kill the servants of the owner, and then when the owner sends his son to them, they kill the son, and why? “Then we will get rich.” Of course what we often think will make us rich will in fact make us poor – possibly even eternally poor.
Today throughout our country we celebrate Respect Life Sunday. It is a time for us to look at the Culture of Death that continues to spread its “wild grapes” throughout our society. Why do people have abortions? Do you honestly think they want to kill a baby? No! That is why the try to deceive themselves by calling it a fetus, a clump of cells, anything other than a baby. People kill because they are afraid, or they are blinded by selfishness, or are confused by sin. They have allowed the false voices of this world to drown out the loving voice of God. In their fear, their confusion, their selfishness they kill; the unborn child, the elderly person, the infirm – even the Son of God. Of course they try to cover this killing up by saying that it is freedom, but as Pope Benedict XVI said in his homily at his installation, “The freedom to kill is not true freedom, but a tyranny that reduces the human being to slavery.”
What are we, as committed Catholics, to do? St. Paul tells us in today’s second reading that we are to cling to “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious….” Of course the true, the honorable, the just, the pure, the lovely, the gracious is God and His Divine will. The only antidote to the sins of selfishness and greed, and the fears that fuel the Culture of Death is Love, goodness and truth. If we live the Gospel of life, we will cultivate God’s vineyard so that it will bear only the finest and truest of fruit unto eternal life.
This is not only the task of a few committed souls. By our baptism, and empowered by the Gifts of the Holy Spirit which we received in a fuller way in the sacrament of Confirmation, we are all called to be good workers in the vineyard of the Lord. While our state of life gives us different responsibilities, each of us must devote our lives to building up the Culture of Life. We must be witnesses to God’s love and mercy in a world that is too often filled with hatred and fear and selfishness. In a special way, the Second Vatican Council said that you, the Catholic lay faithful must bring the Good News to the public square and the market place. That means you must voice your opposition to the issues that are most promoting the Culture of Death – abortion, embryonic stem cell research, euthanasia, and attacks on the traditional family. To fail to do so because we fear being disliked or making others uncomfortable makes us wild grapes and wicked tenants. We must boldly and courageously walk as the daughters and sons of God. St. Paul’s words to the Christians at Philippi must continue to speak to us, “Keep on doing what you have learned and received, and heard and seen…” so that the promise St. Paul made to them will also be ours, “Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
