This is the third week where the vineyard becomes the setting for our Gospel parable.
While 21 Century listeners have little knowledge of vineyards especially in Wisconsin, many first century followers of Jesus knew well the effort required to work and maintain a fruitful vineyard. The vineyard was a common reference used in Sacred Scripture. From the prophet Isaiah in our first reading we hear: “The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his cherished plant.”
Through the voice of the prophet Isaiah we hear of God’s tenderness for all creation and his watchful concern for all of its growth. With a broken heart God sees bitterness and violence ruin the intended harvest. Unfaithful tenants have destroyed the vineyard. We can connect this parable to Pope Francis’ encyclical “Laudato Si, on the Care of Our Common Home.”
Pope Francis reminded us that God’s vineyard, our earth, is crying out to us, “because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods which God had endowed her.” Today Christians have often adopted the attitude of the tenants in today’s Gospel. Pope Francis clearly states: “We have come to see ourselves as her masters, entitled to plunder her at will. The violence present in our hearts, wounded by sin, is also reflected in the symptoms of sickness evident in the soil, in the water, in the air and in all forms of live.” The earth, like the vineyard was misused by those who received it as gift.
The on-going struggle to better use the gifts we have received can result in a life-changing experience called conversion. Conversion literally means being spun around and sent in the opposite direction. Today’s Gospel reminds us that change is an essential aspect of our Christian existence. We struggle to make the changes necessary to live in harmony with the mind of God as revealed to us by the prophets, the Gospel parables, and Jesus Christ himself. Our conversion from violence to harmony, from hate to love, from darkness to light, and from brokenness to wholeness, happens when we allow the power of God’s grace to work within us. Then what we profess and what we practice meet and match. We become fruitful.
These opportunities provide many chances for a truer and more positive response. They will not be made easily or quickly, but over time they can become more sincere and faithful. When our practices carefully match our promises, the pattern of our lives will accurately match the mindset of Jesus. Remember, Jesus didn’t call for the elimination of the rebellious tenants, but for others to take their place and do what needed to be done. Caught up in Jesus’ redemptive love, we become empowered by grace to change and choose well, revealing our level of discipleship.
We humans are not helpless victims, but people in control of our own destiny so that we never become slaves to the past. Our past becomes our teacher, helping us keep our balance and “put on the mind of Christ,” as Paul reminds us. Each of us, no matter how sinful, is afforded moments of decision…time after time when we are never ultimately shaped by what we have been or done or said. We become more responsive to the many opportunities to choose well so that our actions match our beliefs.
----Deacon Wilson Shierk