27th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

October 4, 2020

Feast of St. Francis of Assisi

Readings:

First Reading: Isaiah 5: 1-7

Psalm 80 “The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.”

Second Reading: Philippians 4: 6-9

Gospel reading according to Matthew 21: 33-43

+

Homily:

In this time of the Season of Creation (September 1 to October 4, 2020), as the encyclical letter of Pope Francis′ Laudato Si (Revolution), indicating that Mother Earth is our “common home, and it needs our protection.”  We are reminded that out of God′s overflowing love, and he wanted to share this love, so God created.  We are all created by One God and Father of all.  In the beginning of time, when everything was void and empty, God created the universe, the world and all that it contained, (animals, plants, birds, fish, etc.), and last he created man and woman to share with them the responsibility to be stewards and caretakers of all creation (cf. Genesis 1: 1-31) and not to destroy it, overpower it nor own it, for they belong to Him. 

Today also we are celebrating the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of ecology and our model of love of creation and of Christ Jesus to follow.  He taught us to care for the creation for it showed the images (vestiges) of God in them and to give praise to God who made them.   He taught us also to take care and love our Mother Earth and through it we give praise, honor, blessings and thanksgiving to God, our Creator.

Jesus, in today′s gospel, told the chief priests and elders of the people another parable of the vineyard.  “Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: ‵ Hear another parable.  There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey′.”  (Matthew 21: 33).  In his parable, he said a landowner (who is God) planted a vineyard.  That God created the earth and all it contains, and a portion of it he selected as his favorite site (Israel, Jerusalem).  The landowner fenced it to protect it from wild and strange animals and people.  He also put a wine press when the fruits of the grapes are ripe to make wine; beside he made a tower to watch and oversee the vineyard.  After doing all these, he went on a journey (rested) and hired tenants (the leaders and kings of the Israelites) who will work in his vineyard (Israel).  It so happened that the lessees had a bad intention, to own the land, use and abuse it for themselves.

The landowner, who has the right to the yields of the vineyard, naturally sent his servants (who were the prophets) to collect the produce of the land. “‵When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce‵.” (Matthew 21: 34).  When the time of harvest came near, he sent his servants (the prophets) to remind the tenants of reckoning their obligation to give the income of the vineyard. “‵But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned′.” (Matthew 21: 35).  The tenants instead maltreated the servants of the landowner with harsh words, beating, even killing some of them, and stoning.  Jesus reminds his listeners of what their ancestors did to the prophets of God who announced the destruction of Israel if their kings and leaders will not change their hearts and return Israelites to God′s precepts and commandments.

God did not stop sending servants (people, men and women, as his prophets) to remind the kings and leaders of the people Israel, this time the chief priests and elders, of their obligations to protect the people and nature entrusted to them.  But they used and abused their power and authority granted to them and what was entrusted to them.  “‵Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them the same way‵.” (Matthew 21: 36).  Again and again, the landowner (the Lord God) sent his servants to get what belongs to him.   The tenants (whom Jesus referred to the chief priests and elders of the people), became more stubborn and dangerous.  They would not like to lose in their hands the vineyard leased to them by the landowner.  Evil entered into their minds that they were the ones who took care, worked and produced the fruits of the vineyard.  So, they did the same as they did to the first servants sent by the landowner.

The love of God known before the creation of the world is shown, in the fullness of time, when almost all servants (the prophets) were sent, the landowner (God) decided to send his only begotten Son, Jesus the Christ. “‵Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, ‵They will respect my son.′   But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‵This is the heir.  Come, let us kill and acquire his inheritance.′ They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him‵.” (Matthew 21: 37-39).  This son of the landowner showed his kindness, gentleness, and loving concern to the tenants.  He just followed the will and command of his father.  But he did not expect the way he was treated by the tenants (the chief priests and the elders of the people).  They did too to the son of the landowner (the heir) what they did to the servants, and even worse.  He was rejected, “they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.”  This also happened to Jesus Christ.  He showed the love of God the Father by humbling himself, lived poor life and simple, without power and authority, instead he taught the Reign-Kingdom of God by feeding the hungry, curing every kind of diseases and illnesses, cleansing the possessed, raising the dead to life, which the leaders and elders are supposed to do, and yet in the end he was handed over to the chief priests and elders (the ones God had entrusted the vineyard), suffered, maltreated, disrespected, crucified and died on the cross outside the city of Jerusalem.

Then Jesus asked those listeners a question. “‵What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes′?” (Matthew 21: 40).  He answered, “‵They answered him, ‵He will put those wretched men to a wreathed death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times′.” (Matthew 21: 41).  God the Father is like the good father of the family. He punishes his children when they commit sins, and gives reward when they commit good. Sooner or later, he will punish gravely these tenants who did not remit what is due to him; who humiliated, killed and stoned his servants and his son.

Jesus added by saying, “‵Jesus said to them, ′Did you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes?′  Therefore I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit′.” (Matthew 21: 42-43).  Jesus is the stone rejected by the chief priests and elders of the people Israel and it became the cornerstone of the house of God.  The cornerstone (or panulukang bato) is usually placed at the center of the ark of the bridge, put at the front of the building, and in any construction.  “The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a foundation of a building, for example.  All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornerstone).  The vineyard (or the Reign-Kingdom of God) will be taken away from those who do not do what was agreed upon, who do not follow what is instructed to them, who disobey the will of God, and who do not give in return what is due to Him; and it will be given to those who would give to God the produce fruit of the vineyard in due time.