The liturgy of the Word today begins with the reading from Isaiah about a vineyard in a fruitful place, and “fruitful” is the key word here. There is adequate soil, seed, and location, and the Lord personally attends and cares for the vineyard.
This fruit represents the people of Israel, who are closely linked to one another as sweet grape bunches are… but this is not the kind of fruit the vine is producing after much care and attention, but rather wild sour grapes. Isn’t it unfair? Isn’t it a waste of time? In what ways would you dispose of an investment that takes up your time, your land, your water… but produces no useful return, no real benefit to you?
Moreover, the Gospel goes a step further when the tenant of the vineyard commits murder in order to take the vineyard from its rightful owner. As a Church we can’t forget who the owner of the vineyard is? Those of us who serve as ministers in the church do so not because we enjoy the gratifications of power and influence, but rather because we recognize that a vine that produces the right fruit is what the Lord deserves, all for his glory. A vine that produces sour grapes, on the other hand, is a useless plant.
Once the fruit is ripe, it is harvested and the cycle begins anew, the purpose of the vine is to produce good fruit that can be harvested for use as a source of nutrition, an instrument of life. As a Church, it is our mission to bear fruit, to respond to the Lord’s attention.
It is interesting that we prefer the static image of a flock of sheep in a sheepfold to the more dynamic one of a vine producing abundant fruit for the Church. Two important warnings are given at the end of the Gospel: one is to beware of becoming tepid, because God does not like waste and may decide to take over the vineyard and give it to others who really value it. Second, we must change our perspective and see the world through God’s eyes: that stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
Father Josekutty Mathew CMF
Claretian Publications
bibleclaret.org
