Rev. Fr. Joseph ADENIYI

 

Brothers and sisters, imagine a woman who leaves her house in the care of tenants. They are expected to look after it and pay the agreed rent. But over time they stop paying and begin acting as if the house belongs to them. The owner’s generosity has been mistaken for permission to take over.

 

That is the danger in today’s Gospel: the tenants forget that the vineyard belongs to someone else. Jesus describes a landowner who carefully prepares his vineyard, leases it to tenants, and goes away. At harvest time, he sends servants to collect its produce. The tenants beat and kill them. At last, the owner sends his son, expecting him to be respected; instead, the tenants kill him, hoping to seize his inheritance. Jesus’ listeners recognize the warning: God has sent messengers to his people, and now his Son stands before them. The parable also asks every generation how it receives God’s Son and the fruit God expects. Isaiah had already sung of God’s vineyard: The Lord tended it with care, expecting good grapes. But, as the prophet explains, God “expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry.” The problem was not a lack of God’s care; it was the people’s failure to live justly and faithfully.

 

The vineyard image is not an excuse for us to look down on others. Jesus’ warning is for anyone entrusted with responsibility in God’s kingdom. We are not owners of God’s gifts. Our time, talents, family, work, parish life, and influence are entrusted to us. We can begin to behave like possessive tenants using our gifts only for ourselves, ignoring those who need help, or refusing to listen when God calls us to change. So ask yourself: What fruit does God expect from the part of the vineyard entrusted to me? Does my authority protect people or exploit them? Does my faith lead me to act with justice and mercy? When Scripture, conscience, the Church’s teaching, or the needs of the poor challenge me, do I listen, or push the messenger away?

 

The responsorial psalm gives us a prayer for the moments when we recognize our failure: “Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.” It remembers the vine God planted and pleads for his care. Even when the vineyard is damaged, God’s people can turn back and ask to be restored.  Saint Paul shows us how to cultivate a life that bears good fruit. He urges us to pray with thanksgiving, to set our minds on what is true, honourable, and just, and to practise what is good. Prayer is not an escape from responsibility; it helps shape the heart and direct our actions towards what is worthy of God.

 

Jesus is the Son whom the tenants reject, yet He becomes the cornerstone. His rejection does not have the final word. God brings life from what human beings cast aside, and He calls his people to produce the fruits of His kingdom. God is patient, continually calling us back. Let us not mistake His patience for permission to keep what is not ours. Let us turn to Him, care faithfully for what He has entrusted to us, and offer Him the harvest of justice, mercy, and love. Shalom.