Reading 1
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!
Gospel
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."
Reflection
Today's readings trace the story of salvation through the image of a vineyard. In both Isaiah and the Gospel, we see the patience of God and the reality of sin. Ultimately, the Gospel reminds us of the wonder of the salvation Christ offers to every nation.
“The vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel.” God has tended His vineyard with care, giving His people everything they need. Through Isaiah He asks, “What more was there to do for my vineyard that I had not done?” Jesus likewise describes a landowner who “planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower.” The initiative is always God's. Our part is to cooperate with His grace as faithful tenants, returning to Him the fruit of His own work.
Yet in Isaiah the vineyard yields only wild grapes, and in the Gospel the tenants withhold the owner's share. The Church Fathers interpreted Jesus’ parable as an allegory for salvation history. Like the landowner who sent his servants, God repeatedly sent prophets into His land, only for them and their teachings to be rejected. Jesus also foretells His own arrival and death in the parable: the Son who was murdered by the wicked tenants. While the landowner’s judgement is severe, the parable highlights the patience of God who reached out to His people so many times.
Jesus then quotes the psalm: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes.” Here lies a great paradox. From the greatest evil ever committed—the murder of God's Son, caused by the sins of all men—God drew the greatest good. The Kingdom is then given to “a people that will produce its fruit,” thus gathering believing Jews and Gentiles into one Church.
Just as God treated the house of Israel, so He treats all of us. He reaches out constantly, despite our great sin, hoping to draw us to Himself and bring forth the fruit He so lovingly planted. Like the wicked tenants, we will be held accountable for our evil, but we are confident that Jesus the Redeemer is more powerful than any sin. Let us frequently and urgently repent, seeking especially the Lord’s forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
If we honor Christ rather than crucify Him in our hearts, we will be the people who bear the vineyard's fruit. The chief priests pronounced their own sentence when they answered Jesus: a “wretched death.” By God's mercy, may we instead receive eternal life. Let us welcome the Lord who draws near and give Him the harvest He seeks.
Please be assured of my prayers for you before Our Lord, present in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
+ Bishop Schlert
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