Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
5 OCT 2014
Lectionary: 139

Reading 1 IS 5:1-7

Let me now sing of my friend,
my friend's song concerning his vineyard.
My friend had a vineyard
on a fertile hillside;
he spaded it, cleared it of stones,
and planted the choicest vines;
within it he built a watchtower,
and hewed out a wine press.
Then he looked for the crop of grapes,
but what it yielded was wild grapes.

Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard:
What more was there to do for my vineyard
that I had not done?
Why, when I looked for the crop of grapes,
did it bring forth wild grapes?
Now, I will let you know
what I mean to do with my vineyard:
take away its hedge, give it to grazing,
break through its wall, let it be trampled!
Yes, I will make it a ruin:
it shall not be pruned or hoed,
but overgrown with thorns and briers;
I will command the clouds
not to send rain upon it.
The vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel,
and the people of Judah are his cherished plant;
he looked for judgment, but see, bloodshed!
for justice, but hark, the outcry!

Responsorial Psalm PS 80:9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20

R/The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.

A vine from Egypt you transplanted;
you drove away the nations and planted it.
It put forth its foliage to the Sea,
its shoots as far as the River.
R/ The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.

Why have you broken down its walls,
so that every passer-by plucks its fruit,
The boar from the forest lays it waste,
and the beasts of the field feed upon it?
R/ The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.

Once again, O LORD of hosts,
look down from heaven, and see;
take care of this vine,
and protect what your right hand has planted
the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
R/ The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.

Then we will no more withdraw from you;
give us new life, and we will call upon your name.
O LORD, God of hosts, restore us;
if your face shine upon us, then we shall be saved.
R/ The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.



Reading 2 PHIL 4:6-9

Brothers and sisters:
Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

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.
Keep on doing what you have learned and received
and heard and seen in me.
Then the God of peace will be with you.



Gospel MT 21:33-43

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.
When vintage time drew near,
he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.
But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat,
another they killed, and a third they stoned.
Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones,
but they treated them in the same way.
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 him and acquire his inheritance.’
They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?"
They answered him,
"He will put those wretched men to a wretched death
and lease his vineyard to other tenants
who will give him the produce at the proper times."
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."



Gospel Reading: Matthew 21:33-43

~We take up this Sunday’s Gospel where we left off last Sunday: Jesus has just finished relating the parable of the two sons in the vineyard. The Jewish leaders he is addressing, knowing Jesus was speaking of them, resolve to destroy him (Matthew 21:45-46). Jesus knows this and thus addresses another parable to them, also about a vineyard.

~This parable is also an allegory, that is, each person, group and place stands for something else. It is similar to the Nathan’s allegory to King David (2 Samuel 12:1-10).

~By this allegory, Jesus confronts his listeners with the fact that God has given his people every blessing imaginable and entrusted their leaders to take care of what, ultimately, belongs to him. When he sent his messengers to set them straight when they strayed, they refused to listen. When one greater than all the messengers came to set things right, they recognized his threat to their authority (verse 38; Matthew 12:14; 26:3ff; John 11:47-53).

~Jesus prophesies that the kingdom will be taken away from them and given to those who give the Lord “produce at the proper time” (verses 41, 43)— i.e., the believing Jews and the Gentiles who will make up the Church and perform the good works expected by God (Matthew 3:8-10; 16:17-19; Galatians 6:16).

QUESTIONS:

+In the 1st Reading, who is the prophet's “friend”? How can we tell he owns and cares about the vineyard? Is he within his rights to allow the wild and unproductive field to go its own way and to start over again?

+In Jesus' parable, who (or what) is represented as the landowner? The vineyard? The tenants? The servants? The son?

+In the 2nd Reading, what are the things that St. Paul tells will help us stay focused on God?

+What corresponds to the son’s death? To the removal of the wretched tenants?

+At whom does Jesus direct this parable (and those we heard on the previous two Sundays)? Why don’t’ they arrest him (verses 45-46)? Why don’t they repent and follow him?

+At different times in your life, with what attitude have you received Jesus? Have you ever felt you deserved God’s kingdom?

+In your life, is Jesus like a cornerstone (the foundation of your building)? Or is he like a millstone (a weight that drags you down)? In what ways?

+With whom do you identify in this story? Why?



"If we are trying to have Christ as our king we must be consistent. We must start by giving him our heart. Not to do that and still talk about the kingdom of Christ would be completely hollow."  

-                                                                                        -St Josemaria Escriva

Thanks op and God Bless

Your Welcome, Brother!

Back at You!

Walk with God!