In the parable of the vineyard and the landowner, Jesus spoke to leaders of the people
[priests, pharisees, scribes etc] who opposed him and his gospel. Relation between
landowners and tenants wasn’t peaceful in first century Palestine; it was often marked
by exploitation, frustrations and violence. Jesus’ audience knew Isaiah’s story of the
vineyard in today’s first reading and he uses such a story to address Israel’s past
relationship to God and now to Christ, the Messiah. The focus of the parable is on
producing fruits and the rejection of the son [Christ]! The tenants were leaders of Israel
and they were concerned with safeguarding their religious, social structures that
excluded the poor, sinners and tax-collectors; they increased the burdens of common
people by their unsympathetic temple tax systems and ritual purity laws. They failed to
produce fruits of mercy and justice that God wanted, instead created fruits of
bitterness and bloodshed.
The parable of the vineyard is about judgment and promise: judgment on rebellion and
unbelief of the leaders of the people who rejected the prophets and now they threw the
Son/Christ out of the vineyard [Israel] and killed him, because it was a scandal for them
that Jesus welcomed the sinners, foreigners and forgave sins; it was a promise,
because something new is being built on the rejected stone; in Christ’s death and
resurrection, the kingdom of God [new Israel] emerged, that welcomes all humanity.
The Son/Christ is now the universal gospel that inspires to bear fruits of freedom and
love! All of creation, our personal lives and church are the vineyard of God. Deciding to
follow Jesus, we opened our hearts for seeds of love, compassion, justice, truth to be
planted in us. If each one of us is God’s vineyard [kingdom of God], how do we care for
each other? What fruits are seen in us, sour grapes or fruits that bring healing, peace,
joy?
What is the shape of the vineyard/church in us? There is a story behind Francis of
Assisi rebuilding the chapel of St. Damiano in Assisi. In a vision Jesus said, ‘Francis, go
rebuild my house, as you see, it is all being destroyed’. We see in our world increasing
violence, bitterness and in the church conflicts/divisions and world systems not
showing much care for rest of creation, [‘the vineyard is in ruins, overgrown with thorns
and briers’: Isaiah 5:1-7]. Responding to God’s love given to us in the Son/Christ is
what rebuilds lives in the midst of suffering, fears of the pandemic and poverty of
millions. To bear fruits of the kingdom, Paul says to us: seek excellence in everything,
what is honorable that brings peace and well-being to human family and the earth.
On this feast day of Francis of Assisi, we end the season of prayer, reflection for care
for creation, acknowledging that, creation is God’s vineyard. St. Hildegard of Bingen, in
one of her visions heard God saying: ’ I am life in its fullness, for all living things have
their roots in me. Reason is the root through which the word flourishes. It was God’s
eternal plan to create human beings and when he had completed that work he
entrusted human beings with all creation, so that they could create with it in the same
way God created humanity’. Make the word of God the foundation of our prayer,
meditation, thinking and imagination; that would help us respond to God in love and
show care and respect to all creation; we would justly perform our task as co-creators
with God, for all have their roots in God. We are God’s vineyard, called to bear fruits of
love and care!