Have you ever reflected upon the privilege the Lord has given us by entrusting us with great gifts? All we have belong to him. We are God’s tenants. We belong to his household. He has appointed us as stewards of His earthly kingdom. Our primary question should be, how can we best fulfill our duty by returning what is due to Him?
We are God’s tenants in God’s vineyard, a people set apart to manifest his glory. We are expected to yield fruits for salvation, because the Lord has ordained us to custodians of his words. The Lord has planted us salt of the earth and light of the world; people called to take the good news to others.
The result of fruitlessness
In the first reading said, “Yes, the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the House of Israel.” However, it was appalling to realize that God was lamenting over his household because of fruitlessness. Therefore, he said, “
“Very well, I will tell you
what I am going to do to my vineyard:
I will take away its hedge for it to be grazed on,
and knock down its wall for it to be trampled on.
I will lay it waste, unpruned, undug;
overgrown by the briar and the thorn.
I will command the clouds.
to rain no rain on it.”
We suffer spiritual aridity the moment we refuse to be fruitful in our gifting. The parable of the landlord in the gospel depicts our attitudes towards God’s servant and his invitation to fruitfulness. Though this parable was directed to the Chief priest and elders of the people, we are all called to represent God by the virtue of our baptism.
Man’s misuse of divine privilege.
The landlord provided all that is necessary for his vineyard and expected returns from the tenants he placed in charge. Unfortunately, these tenants dealt ruthlessly with his servants and finally killed his only son whom he sent to them as a last resort.
The Lord, who is patient, has much trust in us that he entrusted his gifts to us. But our nature as humans often depicts how we use the freedom of choice he gave us amidst the privileges we enjoy. At the end we must be answerable for the way we lead our lives.
Being fruitful as God’s Tenants
God has blessed us with many gifts. As God’s tenants in charge of these different gifts, we must be ready to give returns. God is worthy of our gratitude and recognition. It is fitting recognizing and acknowledging him in all we achieve. He deserves our praise.
God has sent his Son our Lord Jesus Christ to us, that we may formed into his image and partake fully in the life of the Father. By our attitudes and choices in life, we pray that we do not reject the Lord, who is the Corner Stone. Amen.
Homily of the 27th Sunday in ordinary time year A
Isaiah 5:1-7, Philippians 4:6-9, Matthew 21:33-43
Fr Oluwafemi Victor Orilua CSSp
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