Today’s parable is not just an allegory of hot-headed and greedy servants. Our Lord’s listeners would understand the powerful message behind the story’s details.
Our Lord reaches back into the Old Testament and takes up the image used by the Prophet Isaiah who calls Israel the “vineyard of the Lord.” Jesus then describes the meticulous care that the landowner took for the vineyard, which is a way of describing God’s care and solicitude for his people.
The servants the landowner sent out to the tenants are the prophets and leaders God sent to Israel from the beginning of its history to the time of John the Baptist who for the most part were ill-treated, resisted, rejected, and even put to death. It is also rather clear that the only son who is finally sent to the tenants is none other than Jesus Himself who would be rejected, ill-treated and finally crucified.
In this parable, Jesus gives us a concise account of salvation history. Last week, we heard Our Lord tell the religious leaders that prostitutes and sinners would enter the kingdom of heaven before them. Jesus now shakes them even more by saying that the vineyard would be taken from them and given over to others.
Why? Because their lives did not bear fruit. The Church, we are those tenants now charged with the responsibility of producing the fruits of the kingdom.
In facing the challenge of the new evangelization, we have to realize that the unchurched, those who have distanced themselves from the practice of the faith, still observe those who do practice their faith.
Years before St. John XXIII became Pope; he served as the Church’s Nuncio (ambassador) to France. As a diplomat, it was expected that he host a number of rather elegant dinner parties. At one such dinner, he found himself seated across from a woman in a dress that was, shall we say, very revealing. Someone turned to the Nuncio and said, “Your Eminence, what a scandal! How inappropriate! Isn’t it an embarrassment for you that everyone is looking at that woman? He replied, “Not at all because everyone is looking at ME to see if I am looking at HER!”
People observe! What do they see in us? What are the fruits we produce for the kingdom? St. Paul describes what they should see in his letter to the Galatians where we find his listing of nine “fruits of the Holy Spirit.” They are the evidences that we are living a true spiritual life. They are the fruits that will attract others to the Lord: LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FIDELITY, GENTLENESS, and SELF-CONTROL.
I know that you would like me to comment on all nine, but I’ve chosen just three:
The first is LOVE (Charity). Our love for God should always be in evidence through our prayer and worship, the language we use and do not use. Our love should also be directed to our neighbor. C.S. Lewis wrote: “Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses.” Do we see our neighbor this way? How well do we love our enemies? That is difficult. It was said, “Love your enemy—it will drive him nuts!”
The second is JOY…the characteristic of a disciple. Should not others detect in us the joy we experience through our friendship with the Lord and the joy that we can maintain even in the most stressful times? Our faith is serious but not somber.
The third is FIDELITY. Faithfulness is a precious commodity today. Pope Francis reminds us that we live in a culture of the provisional, a culture of the temporary. Aren’t we amazed when we are able to celebrate a couple’s 50th wedding anniversary, a sister’s 60th anniversary of profession? We cannot build stable lives, stable family life, and a stable spiritual life on the sands of emotion. We are challenged to remain faithful in good and bad times, even when God seems so distant and unconcerned.
The fruits of love, joy and fidelity are particularly appropriate to highlight today as we honor Deacon Jim Challender on his retirement for he has through his ministry given these fruits have been well evident. How grateful we are today as we join Deacon Jim in offering praise and thanks to God for these years of ministry among us and in our diocese. I want to also offer thanks to his good wife, Nancy who is so important to Jim’s ministry (as are all deacons’ wives) through their support, sacrifices and generosity. Today we say thank you! Today we congratulate you!
