October 4th
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
“The Vineyard”
On the surface of it today’s parable seems pretty straight forward… not too difficult to answer Jesus’ parable-closing question, “What should the vineyard owner do with those tenants?” Call the cops! Kick those bums out and lock them away forever! Try out the project with a new batch of more deserving people, people who will be grateful for the leg up. No problem answering that question… it’s the question Jesus poses next that muddies the water.
When we hear a parable we naturally (even subconsciously) pretend we are this or that character in the story. So, who are you in today’s parable? Where did you land? Jesus based his parable today on one Isaiah the prophet told centuries earlier. It was clear to the early Church that heard it who was who. The vineyard owner was God; the messengers were the prophets; the Son was Jesus; and the evil tenants were the chief priests, scribes, and pharisees. That’s how the early Church heard it.
Here’s another story… There was once a church where right in the middle of a Sunday service a loud knocking came from the back door. The ushers opened the doors to find a dirty bum still reeking of alcohol and sweat wanting to come in. They gave him five bucks and scooted him on his way. Long about the Creed, “bang, bang, bang,” the bum was back wanting to enter again. He handed back the five bucks and said, “Let me in.” The ushers escorted him out, however, after catching an eye signal from the pastor who never missed a beat in reciting the Creed. A final time the bum tried to force his way in, knocking at the doors, but failing to gain entrance he wondered off. That evening he died. In heaven he met Jesus and said, “Lord, I tried to get to church to see you, but I couldn’t get in.” Jesus replied, “No worries brother, I never got in there myself.”
We don’t want to be that church any more than we want to be the evil tenants in today’s gospel. We would let him in; might not sit right next to him, but we’d probably let him in. And as far as receiving messages from the vineyard owner, the very reason we gather here in the first place is so we can hear God and know His will for us, isn’t it? We’d jump at the chance to know God’s will. Of course, if we were like the evil tenants, it would be another story… No need to listen for God if you already know what He’s going to say. Like those who tune into CNN or FOX, NPR or NRA, just to hear what they already know to be true, many can tune out contrary scripture or Magisterium teachings that challenge their established and defended perspectives by simply labeling it as liberal or conservative, socialist or fascist.
Sure, WE would jump at the chance to hear and know God’s will but given our human proclivity to selectively listen for it there seems to be no need. Seems like God doesn’t challenge us anymore (only THEM). God only seems to say “Amen” to our established positions. Who are we in the parable? Does knocking at the door go unanswered because we already know what we’re doing, who belongs, who is in and who is out?
Circle the wagons; dig in your hills; shoot from the hip; fear inspires predictable reactions.There’s a billboard off I-40 in Nashville that has a huge picture of a certain company’s health insurance card over the caption: “Because It Is A Sick World Out There.” It is a sick world out there. Seems like it’s collapsing in on itself. Disease, abuse, deception, manipulation, corruption… we’re under siege.
The Magisterium (the collective teaching of our bishops and pope) often put out encyclicals (letters) on important topics. Only how many of us really take the time to listen to them? For example, our Magisterium’s document, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, states, “As Catholics we bring the richness of our faith to the public square. We draw from both faith and reason as we seek to affirm the dignity of the human person and the common good of all.” Did we hear the knocking at our door?
Pope Francis from his encyclical, Gaudete et Exultate, said, “Holiness requires a firm and passionate ‘defense of the innocent unborn.’ Equally sacred are the lives of the poor, those already born, the destitute, the abandoned and underprivileged, the vulnerable infirm and elderly exposed to covert euthanasia, the victims of human trafficking, new forms of slavery, and every form of rejection.” Hear the knocking at the door?
Refer again to the Magisterium teaching from Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship that says, “The threat of abortion remains our preeminent priority because it directly attacks life within the sanctuary of the family, and because of the number of lives destroyed. At the same time, we cannot dismiss or ignore other serious threats to human life and dignity such as racism, the environmental crises, poverty and the death penalty.” Hear anything yet?
The fact is sometimes we run the risk of becoming those evil vineyard tenants, in as far as we are deaf to God’s knocking at our doors. If in the face of everything going on in our world today fear and anger are our only emotions… not challenge, or curiosity to learn, or self-examination, then we may well be the very characters in Jesus’ parable we never wanted to be. “Kick those bums out and lock ‘em away forever.” We said it; we thought it. The jury agrees… GUILTY.
But wait! Don’t call for the bailiff just yet. Perhaps God is bigger than we thought. Don’t forget Jesus’ follow-up question. Recall again who Jesus was telling his parable to in the first place… the chief priests, scribes, and pharisees. We just assume that their answer to Jesus’ question of what the vineyard owner SHOULD do is what Jesus believes the owner WILL do, because we give the same answer as them. But really? The chief priests, scribes, and pharisees never give Jesus correct answers! That’s their problem. They cannot imagine a God other than the one they have enshrined in their laws and customs. Jesus doesn’t respond to their answer with, “good answer,” or “that’s right;” rather he responds with a second question, “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?’” It’s like he said, “Did you just pull your heads out of the sand?” They (and we) give the wrong answer to Jesus’ question of what God will do… instead we say what we would do. Jesus corrects us by telling us something about God’s love… it endures forever.
Time after time in scripture Jesus presents us with images of a God that acts like a fool out of love for each of us. What kind of God gives away his inheritance, his livelihood, to an ungrateful prodigal son and a disrespectful firstborn (essentially placing his life in their hands)? Our God! What kind of fool would leave 99 sheep to chase after just one that got lost? Our God! What kind of God would allow himself to be arrested, beaten, stripped, and nailed to a cross all out of love for His creation? Our God! Not just a God who has compassion but IS compassion. Not just a God who has mercy but IS mercy.
God is love, and this love endures forever. We tend to think of God as we would ourselves if we had all the power and time in the universe at our disposal. (As if we were the center of the universe upon which all stood or fell.) Yet, God is not just a “great big us.” Our God is larger than any pronoun we might use like “him” or “her.” Our God is a love that empties itself out for each of us. Indeed, God does not condemn the evil tenants of the vineyard for not answering the door. God offers forgiveness in the form of His Body and Blood poured out. God offers a new chance to listen and respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. We gave the wrong answer to Jesus’ question. We are not kicked out. God is bigger than we imagine. The chance to partner with the vineyard owner is offered anew. Take – Eat – Drink… the kingdom of God is at hand.
So maybe the next time we want to rule out even the possibility that God might be trying to reach us through another person or group of persons, remember God’s mercy towards us. Remember that the vineyard owner hasn’t stopped knocking. The Holy Spirit of God is knocking at your door.