Matthew 21:33-43
Dear Friends, Our journey with the Gospel of Matthew is drawing to a conclusion. In the next few Sundays, we will have selections that highlight two things: Jesus’ conflict with the Jewish leaders and His call to make a decision on His message.Down through Church history these final chapters of Matthew have been distorted to produce an anti-semiticism that has been a gross distortion of the gospel. This misrepresentation of Jesus’ message has led to activities that have been abhorrently inhuman and unjust in the relations between Jews and Christians.
The basic message of the parable of the murderous tenants of the vineyard asks us to address the need to make a decision. Will we be stewards of the gifts that God has given us? Are we living the gospel message in our family? Are we making a contribution to our community to make it more life giving to all? Are we responding to the call to act justly and be instruments of peace? Are we being responsible and not squandering the blessings of our environment?
Jesus demands a decision. Do we accept His call and the gift of unconditional love? Are we able to recognize that all of life is a gift to be cherished and developed? The call of stewardship, in particular, asks us recognize the dominion of God and our reality as finite creatures who are gifted and loved.
It is God’s world. Our task is to be faithful workers in the vineyard of life. We are called to accept the Son who will guide us and direct us to the truth and freedom that is the true hunger in our hearts. Stewardship in the vineyard of life is made so much easier and so much clearer when we accept the gift of the Father, Jesus Christ.
As we begin the search for a spiritual path to lead us out of the ecological dilemma, there are two points we need to highlight. These ideas must be at the beginning of our search and in the middle and also at the end. It is difficult to overstate their importance.
The first is that we are not alone in the struggle. God is with us no matter how overwhelming the challenge may appear. In fact, our poverty and seeming helplessness are extremely helpful in revealing our dependence on God.
Therefore, we need to realize that our small personal efforts are important. They benefit society in a way most often hidden from us. Likewise, they lift our self-esteem, encouraging us to stay in the battle.
Secondly, most of us will need to change our understanding about creation. The most common view of creation is that God created the world and it was good and that was it.
Our disengagement from Creation flows from this static view of creation. The reality, however, is that creation is dynamic. Creation is filled with God’s presence. Laudato Si, Pope Francis’ eloquent reflection on the the enviornmental crisis, (#8 & 9) speaks eloquently on this dynamic presence of God in creation. He states that violation of the natural environment is a direct affront to God. Stripping of forests and polluting the rivers, lakes and oceans are not neutral acts but direct violations of God’s presence and plan for creation. Bartholomew pleads for responsible participation with nature, not the violent denial of responsibility. This sin against the natural world is a sin against both ourselves and God.
We need a spirituality that frees us to see with both the eyes of the heart and the eyes of the mind. We need a spirituality that encourages us to create the virtues to let us live responsibly with what we need, not with the desires coming from a multibillion dollar advertising industry that engulfs our daily life with falsehoods. These are the first steps in a journey to help all of humankind live a productive, healthy and responsible life that respects and nourishes God’s gift of creation.
