Matthew 21:33-43
Dear Friends, Our liturgical year continues to move on. There is no stopping the clock. Our journey with the Gospel of Matthew is moving to its conclusion. In the next few Sundays, we will have selections that highlight two things: Jesus’ conflict with the Jewish leaders and His call to choose life in following in his footsteps.
Down through Church history these final chapters of Matthew have been distorted to produce an antisemitism that has been a dreadful 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 asks us to address the need to decide. Will we be stewards of the gifts that God has given us? Are we living the gospel message in our family? Are we contributing 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 asks us to recognize the dominion of God and our reality as finite creatures who are forgiven, gifted and loved.
Today's Gospel passage from Matthew points to the rejection of Jesus’ preaching by the leaders of Israel. But it also should raise the question for us. Does our way of life offer some kind of partnership with the murderous tenants? We can ask ourselves: what role does justice and righteousness play for us in the garden of our daily life? Matthew will point out in the famous passage chapter 25 about the “the least of my brothers and sisters". We are told that failing to feed the poor is the same as denying Christ himself. This lack of justice and concern for the poor is the opposite of giving life. This is the murder of the Son in our time. We are choosing death over life. The rejection of the owner’s Son was not the monopoly of the Jewish leaders. It continues down through history.
Our task is to be faithful workers in the vineyard of life. Today, this calls us to both concern for the poor and marginalized along with concern for God’s gift of creation. Both are victims of gross neglect. The poor are almost always the first victims of climate change and other abuses of nature.
As we are called to address these overwhelming issues we are called to accept the Son. It is Jesus 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 Father’s gift, Jesus Christ.
We are not alone. God is always with us. 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.
As we begin to understand the challenge to our environment, 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, speaks eloquently on this dynamic presence of God in creation. It 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. There is a plea 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.
The gospel message of Jesus frees us to see with both the eyes of the heart and the eyes of the mind. Jesus’ teachings encourage 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. When we begin to live this call to respect God’ creation, we will be choosing life for both ourselves and the poor.
Down through Church history these final chapters of Matthew have been distorted to produce an antisemitism that has been a dreadful 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 asks us to address the need to decide. Will we be stewards of the gifts that God has given us? Are we living the gospel message in our family? Are we contributing 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 asks us to recognize the dominion of God and our reality as finite creatures who are forgiven, gifted and loved.
Today's Gospel passage from Matthew points to the rejection of Jesus’ preaching by the leaders of Israel. But it also should raise the question for us. Does our way of life offer some kind of partnership with the murderous tenants? We can ask ourselves: what role does justice and righteousness play for us in the garden of our daily life? Matthew will point out in the famous passage chapter 25 about the “the least of my brothers and sisters". We are told that failing to feed the poor is the same as denying Christ himself. This lack of justice and concern for the poor is the opposite of giving life. This is the murder of the Son in our time. We are choosing death over life. The rejection of the owner’s Son was not the monopoly of the Jewish leaders. It continues down through history.
Our task is to be faithful workers in the vineyard of life. Today, this calls us to both concern for the poor and marginalized along with concern for God’s gift of creation. Both are victims of gross neglect. The poor are almost always the first victims of climate change and other abuses of nature.
As we are called to address these overwhelming issues we are called to accept the Son. It is Jesus 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 Father’s gift, Jesus Christ.
We are not alone. God is always with us. 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.
As we begin to understand the challenge to our environment, 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, speaks eloquently on this dynamic presence of God in creation. It 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. There is a plea 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.
The gospel message of Jesus frees us to see with both the eyes of the heart and the eyes of the mind. Jesus’ teachings encourage 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. When we begin to live this call to respect God’ creation, we will be choosing life for both ourselves and the poor.
