Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today's Mass Readings

Over the past two Sundays the gospel reading has talked about the vineyard. Vineyard is an analogy taken from the book of the prophet Isaiah. The vineyard is the people of Israel. Thus, in today’s first reading, God talks about how he made space for a vineyard, cleared the stones in it, planted the choicest vine, put a watchtower, and even put a fence around it to protect the vineyard. Thus, when in the first reading God talks about either letting the vineyard go into ruin or the gospel talks about it being handed to others, God may come across as being rather harsh. But really, these readings express pain, tears, sadness … God’s pain, God’s tears, God’s sadness. These readings are about shattered expectations. Just as a farmer would expect the finest grapes from his vineyard, God expects from his people the fruit of a faithful, steadfast, loving, and just nation.

Is it wrong for God to expect good fruit from his people? Is it wrong for a parent to expect goodness out of their children? Is it wrong for married partners to expect fidelity from each other? Is it wrong for the farmer to expect good fruit out of his farm? Is it wrong for God to expect acceptance and commitment from his very own? God did everything for his people; he gave them a land, he personally cared for them, protected them, and he send prophets to guide them. He even sent his own Son to die for them. But they bore fruits of infidelity, of betrayal, of injustice, of exploitation and of hatred. The readings, then, expresses God’s disappointment. These words express the pain of love. They are the tears and the heartache of rejection and shattered expectations.

St Paul, in today’s second reading suggests an excellent way in which we can bear good fruit in God’s vineyard. He says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Here then is a good way to be godly – to produce good fruit.

To be true, honorable, just, pure, lovely and gracious is the best fruie we can bear.