First Reading: Isaiah 5:1-7
Second Reading: Philippians 4:6-9
Gospel: Matthew 21:33-43
In
this Twenty-Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time Year, A, the Mother Church invites
us to reflect on the very nature of our livelihood. Through the readings, we
are presented with the question of ungratefulness. We are called to look back
and identify occasions through which we failed to appreciate the good done to
us, the moments we harmed those who meant good to us and the situations that we
took advantage of and paid for good deeds through bad or evil means, perhaps
due to envy.
In
the first reading of Isaiah 5:1-7, the prophet presents us with the “Song of
the Vineyard” whereby the writer sings to the one he loves a song about his
vineyard. This can be treated as an allegory through which some incidences are
indicated. The planting of the vine represents God bringing Israel into the
land of Canaan (Isa 5:2), the protection around the vineyard stands for angels
that guard God’s people (Isa 5:5), the tower is the temple (Isa 5:2), the
winepress is the altar and the bad grapes are all kinds of sin, especially
idolatry (Isa 5:4,7). We note that God still cares for us and gives us room to
figure about our lives and have a change of mind and heart, and so we are never
late to mend our relationship with Him.
Nevertheless,
the Gospel readings seem to reiterate a similar circumstance. We encounter a landowner who planted a
vineyard, took good care of it and finally rented it to some farmers. The deal
looks good and these farmers feel content with the action for it seems that
they were the beneficiaries in either way. The problem only ensues during the
harvest time when the landowner judges it wise enough to collect his fruits
through the aid of his servants. The treatment he encounters is rather worrying,
for the people he trusted drastically turn against him. They beat and stone his
servants, and painfully enough, finally kill his son bearing in mind that he
was the heir and so look forward to possess his inheritance by grabbing it
forcefully.
It
is important to note that, the landowner might have rented his vineyard to
these farmers at a reasonable price that would aid them provide for their basic
necessities without much struggle, thus, treating them with righteousness. I am
also moved by the patience manifested by the landowner, even though his
servants were consecutively mistreated, he kept sending others hoping that the
farmers would relent and attend to his request before he sent his son whom they
strangled.
In
the second reading, Philippians 4:6-9, Paul calls the community to make prayers
and supplications to God and to have virtuous thoughts. It is, therefore, clear
that evil thoughts lead us astray and it could be the cause of farmers
disregarding the pleas of the landowner regarding his need of his fruits.
This
reminds me of the character of a dog. A dog with a bone on his mouth has a
tendency of barking on seeing another dog with a bone as well. What follows is
that the bone drops down and he loses as a result of wanting to snatch what the
other had. Henceforth, this is what happens to us when we are envious about
others. The farmers became jealous towards the landowner and to his son, the
heir, of his vineyard and ended up killing him. This Sunday’s readings then
remind us to do away with our envious character little by little and to always
remain grateful to those who wishes us well.
Ooko
Thomas Owino
IV Year Theology
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