Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Liturgical Cycle: A | Lectionary Cycle: II
Introduction
First Reading
The Song of the Vineyard
Let me sing for my beloved my love song about his vineyard. My beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hillside.
He dug it up, cleared the stones, and planted the choicest vines. He built there a watchtower and hewed out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only wild grapes.
Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.
What more was there to do that I have not done for my vineyard? Good grapes were the yield I expected. Why did it yield only sour grapes?
Now I will let you know what I am going to do with my vineyard: I will remove its hedge and it will be burned; I will break down its wall and it will be trampled on.
I will make it a wasteland, I will neither prune nor hoe it, and briers and thorns will grow there. I command the clouds, as well, not to send rain on it.
The vineyard of the Lord Sabaoth is the people of Israel; and the people of Judah are his pleasant vine. He looked for justice, but found bloodshed. He looked for righteousness but heard cries of distress.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 80:9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20
R. (Is 5:7a) 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.
Second Reading
do not be anxious about anything. In everything, bring your requests to God through prayer and supplication, along with thanksgiving.
Then, the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, think about whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and admirable. Pay attention to anything worth praise and admiration.
Put into action what you have learned from me, what I have shared with you, what you heard from me, or saw me do, and the God of peace will be with you.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I have chosen you from the world, says the Lord,
to go and bear fruit that will remain.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers
Listen to another example: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He fenced it, dug a winepress, built a watchtower, leased the vineyard to tenants, and then went to a distant country.
When harvest time arrived, the landowner sent his servants to the tenants to collect his portion of the harvest.
But the tenants seized his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.
Once more, the owner sent additional servants, but they were treated the same way.
Finally, he sent his son, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’
But when the tenants saw the son, they thought, ‘This is the one who is to inherit the vineyard. Let us kill him, and his inheritance will be ours.’
They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
Now, what will the vineyard owner do with the tenants when he comes?
They told him:
“He will bring those wicked men to a wicked end and lease the vineyard to others, who will pay him in due time.”
And Jesus replied:
“Have you never read what the Scriptures say?
The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
This was the LORD’s doing,
and we marvel at it.
Therefore, I tell you: the kingdom of heaven will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.
Prayers of the Faithful
REFLECTIONS
Matthew 21: 33-43
Vineyard, murder, work and redemption
The liturgy of the Word today begins with the reading from Isaiah about a vineyard in a fruitful place, and "fruitful" is the key word here. There is adequate soil, seed, and location, and the Lord personally attends and cares for the vineyard.
This fruit represents the people of Israel, who are closely linked to one another as sweet grape bunches are... but this is not the kind of fruit the vine is producing after much care and attention, but rather wild sour grapes. Isn’t it unfair? Isn’t it a waste of time? In what ways would you dispose of an investment that takes up your time, your land, your water... but produces no useful return, no real benefit to you?
Moreover, the Gospel goes a step further when the tenant of the vineyard commits murder in order to take the vineyard from its rightful owner. As a Church we can’t forget who the owner of the vineyard is? Those of us who serve as ministers in the church do so not because we enjoy the gratifications of power and influence, but rather because we recognize that a vine that produces the right fruit is what the Lord deserves, all for his glory. A vine that produces sour grapes, on the other hand, is a useless plant.
Once the fruit is ripe, it is harvested and the cycle begins anew, the purpose of the vine is to produce good fruit that can be harvested for use as a source of nutrition, an instrument of life. As a Church, it is our mission to bear fruit, to respond to the Lord's attention.
It is interesting that we prefer the static image of a flock of sheep in a sheepfold to the more dynamic one of a vine producing abundant fruit for the Church. Two important warnings are given at the end of the Gospel: one is to beware of becoming tepid, because God does not like waste and may decide to take over the vineyard and give it to others who really value it. Second, we must change our perspective and see the world through God's eyes: that stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.