Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, October 4, 2020
(EPISODE: 254)
Readings for 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time - A
FIRST READING: Isaiah 5:1-7
Psalm 80:9+12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20. "The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel"
SECOND READING: Philippians 4:6-9
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (cf. John 15:16). Alleluia, alleluia! I call you friends, says the Lord. Because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father.
GOSPEL: Matthew 21:33-43
Image Credit: shutterstock licensed image: stock illustration ID: 1625826427. Heart shaped stone.By Kostsov
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Please listen to the audio-recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers and homily), for Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A - Sunday, October 4, 2020 by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-ordinary-27a-episode-254 (EPISODE: 254)
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*Prologue by Fr Paul Kelly:
This Sunday, the Twenty-seventh Sunday in year A, lands on the 4th October in 2020.
As many would know, that is usually the feast day of the great Saint Francis of Assisi. A wonderful example of discipleship and simplicity, and one of my favourite saints. But when feasts such as his land on a Sunday, the Sunday has precedence and overrides it. Very few feasts have higher priority than a Sunday. As important as Saint Francis' life is, the preeminent feasts are the Lord's feast days which are celebrated every Sunday of the year. I am sure our humble saints are perfectly happy to take second place to Our Lord, as he willingly did all his life.
["'gospel' values included in the readings this weekend: that God is long suffering, and patient. God trusts us, and gives us the blessing and gift and responsibility of autonomy – in the hope and trust, that we will use this freedom and discretion well and only for good. God lovingly desires to give us what we need, patiently calls us back to obedience. Of course, time ends up running out, sooner or later. God expects us to bear the fruits of the Kingdom of Heaven]
This gospel says a lot of really good things about our God and some very disappointing things about our human response to God's generosity and patience.
The image of the unsatisfactory vineyard would be a very familiar one to the people of Israel, as shown by the first reading. The Lord puts all this love and care into building for his people a fruitful and life-giving environment, and what he gets back is "sour grapes."
What causes bitter grapes is too much acid and not enough sugar. The fruit might be too small and too crowded or just be a wild variety of grape. It is a fitting image because if we foment bitterness, resentment, harshness, negativity and a lack of cordiality in our lives, and if we crowd out our time and energy with too many competing priorities, or if we allow pride and willfulness to be our way, it will produce a bitter and pitiful harvest. The fruits will not be good.
We see that God is extremely loving. The owner of the land did not just give them an empty parcel of land and said, "there you go, now build a vineyard and give me the fruits of it." Rather, the Master plants it himself, fences it off, builds accommodation and security and then builds the wine-press for the fruits to be processed.
The landowner is not a control freak. He hands over the vineyard and does not stand over them or set up an oppressive system to make sure they do the right thing. He trusts his tenants and entrusts the job to them and then steps back from it to give them time to do their job unhindered.
The Master is extremely patient. He is certainly not ruthless. After the very first messenger was sent and rejected, he would have been entitled to destroy the wicked tenants immediately, but instead, he continues to give them the benefit of the doubt, (Perhaps there has been a miscommunication. Perhaps there is a reason for this shocking behaviour). The master is being more than reasonable. He sends a long line of messengers to ask for what is his. There is no acid or bitterness to be found in God, his fruits are all patience, forbearance and compassion. He is very long-suffering, giving many chances for change and growth, but in the end, he must have the fruits of the vineyard as he deserves.
The master spares nothing. He even risks his most precious treasure, his beloved son, and sends him to sort this out peacefully. As the great Easter hymn says, "To ransom a slave, God gave away his own son!" What an astounding act of love and unearthly generosity to his ungrateful people.
Finally, when their rebellion and arrogance is no longer in doubt, the Master demands the fruits be given, and again acts prudently, lovingly and justly – this cannot go on like this….., And so, he hands over the vineyard to people who will care for it and use it as intended?
In many different ways, and also through the people we meet, God sends us all sorts of invitations and opportunities…., inviting us to widen our hearts and adjust our attitudes? Meanwhile, with God's help, we continue working peacefully, positively and respectfully; and with grateful hearts.
Fr. Paul Kelly
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Fr Peter (homily):
27th Sunday Ordinary Times Year A - 2020
In biblical writing the portrayal of the chosen people as the vineyard of the Lord was a familiar prophetic image, and we have an example of it is today's first reading, Isaiah's "Song of the Vineyard"
"My friend had a vineyard on a fertile hillside.
He dug the soil, cleared it of stones, and planted choice vines in it"
With all the care and cultivation, he lavishes on his vineyard, the owner has a lively expectation of a good yield at the harvest time; but all he receives from his labours are sour grapes. In his disappointment he turns the vineyard into a wasteland, knocking down its walls, leaving it pruned, undug and overgrown. The vineyard, Isaiah explains, "Is the House of Israel, and the men of Judah that chosen plant".
In today's Gospel Matthew borrows some ideas from Isaiah's Song but alters the central imagery: Israel is no longer the vineyard itself but tenant farmers working for their landlord. Features of the parable reflect conditions of life in rural Galilee: it was common for the land to be owned by absentee landlords, who would collect their rent in kind from the tenant farmers at harvest time. The lengthy absence of the landlord, alongside the harsh economic climate of the country often led to difficulties between landlord and tenant, sometimes leading to assaults on the agents sent to collect the rent.
To those listening to this parable their first thoughts were of the arrogance and stupidity of the tenants of the vineyard. To think that the owner of the vineyard would have forfeited his property, the development he had initiated and his resources to those tenants, after the violence, death and grief they had caused. Surely their greed had overtaken any common sense they may have had! Not even intelligent greed. It was plain enough to the Pharisees. To Jesus 'they answered, He will bring those wretches to a wretched end and lease the vineyard to other tenants.
And yet while seeing the ignorance and stupidity of the original tenants, they were blind to their own incompetence. How could the Pharisees possibly have expected to hold on to their tenancy, the kingdom of God, if they continued to reject the servants and Son of the 'Owner' of the Kingdom? They did not realise that the parable was really about them.
This of course was nothing new! Isaiah in his time had found a similar situation: 'the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah that chosen plant. He expected justice, but found bloodshed, integrity, but only a cry of distress.' Greed and short-sightedness had previously blinded others to the truth of the relationship between God and God's people.
As a people, have we changed very much, or learnt from human (salvation) history?
In our greed and short-sightedness, are we blind to the continued 'bloodshed' which is a result of injustice, and to cries of distress, which continue to result from a lack of integrity? How many more servants of the 'Owner' must be seized and suffer violence, and how many more sons and daughters must die, before all our eyes are opened in our tenancy of the kingdom of God?
We are the Lord's vineyard, gifted, and planted by God. His gifts are given for a reason. WE are expected to produce good fruit. If we do not we are rejecting Jesus, misusing the gifts we have been given. WE are gifted people as members of Christ's body, the church. Our gifts should be placed at the disposal of the Church. If we keep them to ourselves, we diminish the work of the community we belong to and believe in.
Matthew clearly uses the parable addressed to the chief priests and the elders, as a summary of salvation history. The landlords stand for the succession of the prophets God has sent to Israel, only to see them treated with disdain and violence.
The son is clearly a figure of Jesus himself, dragged out of Israel to be murdered. Jesus is not just another of the prophets, but God's own son. The punishment of leasing the vineyard to other tenants clearly indicates Matthew's though that the kingdom of God will be granted to the Gentiles, who will be expected to deliver the produce.
This parable speaks to us about the patience of God: when his servants are killed he sends more and more in the hope that people will turn from their evil ways. Even when these are killed, he still hopes his beloved son will make these people change their way. Jesus is God's last appeal, his final challenge. Depending on our response to him, judgment is then made.
If we are now the tenants, then we are subject to God's expectations of us and subject to his judgement as well. God looks to us for the fruits of love and faith and obedience: he expects that we will deliver forgiveness mercy and justice.
Today's parable has its own questions to ask of us: are these the fruits we produce.
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References:
homily: - fr peter Dillon
prologue - Fr Paul W. Kelly
Barclay, W. (1975). The Gospel of Matthew. Part II. 2nd ed. Edinburgh: St. Andrew Press].
Image Credit: shutterstock licensed image: stock illustration ID: 1625826427. Heart-shaped stone.By Kostsov.
Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A (Sunday, October 4, 2020) (EPISODE: 254 )
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (or/ The Lord be with You)
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{{gentleness and peace to you}}
Brothers and sisters, the Lord is full of love and mercy. And so, as weprepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries, let us acknowledge our sins.
Lord Jesus, you came to gather the nations into the peace of God's kingdom: Lord, have mercy// You come in word and in sacrament to strengthen us and make us holy: Christ, have mercy//You will come again in glory with salvation for your people: Lord, have
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
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Memorial Acclamation
3. Save us, Saviour of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free.
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PREFACE: own preface
Various Needs and Occasions . IV
Communion side. pwk: RH
(theme variation: 4 )
(pre+post variation: 2)
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{I gratefully acknoweldge and give thanks to God for your prayers at this time of prayer and reflection upon our God.}
Go in peace.(glorifying the Lord by your life)
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Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com
To listen to my weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here.
NB - It is often a week or so Ahead: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks
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Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:
"Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul Kelly
Prayers and chants — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL)
Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)
"The Psalms" ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins publishers.
Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray" by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993) . (Sydney Australia).
Sung "Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" - By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The Gloria, Copyright © 2011 ccwatershed.org.
- "Faith, Hope and Love" theme hymn - in memory of William John Kelly - Inspired by 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Music by Paul W. Kelly. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.
"Quiet Time." Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W Kelly. 1988, 2007. & This arrangement: Stefan Kelk, 2020.
- "Today I Arise" - For Trisha J Kelly. Original words and music by Paul W. Kelly. Inspired by St Patrick's Prayer. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.
[ Production - KER - 2020]
May God bless and keep you.
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