10/8/2023 - 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

STORY OF VINE AND VANITY – CHALLENGE OF OUR TIMES
The day after Jesus' prophetic action of cleansing the Temple, when he was teaching in the Temple precincts, the chief priests and elders come to challenge his authority for doing these things. As part of his response, Jesus tells the parable about the wicked tenants. Matthew remarks, “They knew that He was speaking about them.” How did they catch on so quickly? Jesus was drawing upon a prophetic tradition they knew very well.

Grapes hold deep significance in the Bible, particularly in the context of vineyards in ancient Israel. These vineyards weren’t just sources of fruit and wine; they symbolized the relationship between God and His people. The eighth-century prophet, Isaiah was addressing the leaders of his own day in a parable probably in the form of a ballad sung at vintage festivals. Israel's Lord is portrayed as a vineyard owner who is so intimately and caringly related to his vineyard that he imagines it as a marriage relationship. But the happy song has a tragic end. Finding, at harvest time, that the vineyard has produced no grapes, the Lord takes it to the divorce court, ending the relationship. In case his audience has missed the point, Isaiah explains, “The vineyard of the LORD of Hosts is the house of Israel.”

By evoking the first line of Isaiah's parable, "There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower," Jesus alludes to Isaiah's story. Taking Isaiah's oblique references to violence, he develops the parable into a story in which tenants attack and kill the slaves sent by the owner to collect the harvest. A clear allusion to His own impending death by crucifixion outside of the city, Jesus modernizes Isaiah's parable by having the tenants kill the son of the owner outside of the vineyard.

These stories set in a vineyard reveal the complicated dynamic between God and His people. The vines are a striking illustration of human frailty and divine patience. The message is neither flowery nor grandiose, but rather a reminder of God's constant care, with the promise of a continuing relationship with His people despite their errant ways. This Gospel reminds us of the importance of listening to God's word. God speaks to us in many ways—through Scripture, through our Church tradition, in our Church's teaching, and through modern-day prophets. Are we attentive and receptive to God's words to us through these messengers?

The gospel parable also serves as a poignant call for us to actively protect and support those who courageously speak the truth, despite the challenges they may encounter. Just as the landowner’s servants faced adversity, contemporary truth-bearers also confront opposition, and it’s our responsibility to ensure their safety and amplify their voices. There is a great danger lurking in our times as our timid silence to the wrongs against our faith emboldens the evildoers to greater acts of suppression.

The parable also emphasizes the importance of caring for the vineyards of our lives. The vineyard is a metaphor for the blessings and responsibilities God entrusts us with. Just as the tenants were expected to cultivate and tend the vineyard, we’re called to nurture and steward the gifts bestowed upon us. This concept underscores the significance of being accountable and diligent stewards of our relationships, talents, and resources. By actively caring for our “vineyards,” we honor God’s intentions for us and contribute to the flourishing of our lives and the lives of those around us.

C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters is a fantasy tale about a devil, Uncle Screwtape, educating his nephew, Wormwood, in the art of destroying a Christian Church. Wormwood had tried scaring people with diabolic visions, and all sorts of other devious devices. To his surprise, Uncle Screwtape told him to forget about those things. He told him to concentrate on tempting people to think that they are better than others and they don’t need any conversion. That would be far more effective in destroying a Church than anything else. We have been entrusted with the vineyard to bear fruit for others. This is a great honor and a great responsibility. With its various nuances may this parable speak to our hearts for true conversion, courage to stand up for truth and be contemporary prophets of the good news of the Gospel.

Fr Tom Kunnel, C.O