The Vineyard and the Fruits

                                                             
                                                             readings for sunday, October 5, 2014

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is-27 Ħadd matul is-Sena

Missalin A  p 389

Reading 1                           isaiah 5:1-7

Let me now sing of my friend, my friend's song concerning his vineyard. My friend had a vineyard on a fertile hillside; he spaded it, cleared it of stones, and planted the choicest vines; within it he built a watchtower, and hewed out a wine press. Then he looked for the crop of grapes, but what it yielded was wild grapes. Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard: What more was there to do for my vineyard that I had not done? Why, when I looked for the crop of grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes? Now, I will let you know what I mean to do with my vineyard: take away its hedge, give it to grazing, break through its wall, let it be trampled! Yes, I will make it a ruin: it shall not be pruned or hoed, but overgrown with thorns and briers; I will command the clouds not to send rain upon it. The vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his cherished plant; he looked for judgment, but see, bloodshed! for justice, but hark, the outcry! This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzzjoni  -  Profeta Isaija 5. 1-7

Ħa ngħanni lill-maħbub tiegħi l-għanja ta' mħabbtu għall-għalqa tad-dwieli tiegħu.  Il-maħbub tiegħi kellu għalqa tad-dwieli  fuq għolja għammiela. Għażaqha u naddafha miż-żrar, u ħawwel fiha dwieli mill-aħjar;  bena torri f'nofsha;  u wkoll ħaffer magħsar fiha.  Stennieha tagħmel l-għeneb tajjeb,  iżda kull ma għamlet kien għeneb qares.  U issa, intom li tgħammru f'Ġerusalemm,  irġiel ta' Ġuda, agħmlu intom ħaqq bejni u bejn l-għalqa tad-dwieli tiegħi.  X'kien fadalli nagħmel għall-għalqa tiegħi  u ma għamiltux?  Stennejtha tagħmel għeneb tajjeb,  u kull ma' għamelt kien għeneb qares.  U iss ħa nurikom  x'sejjer nagħmel jien lill-għalqa tiegħi tad-dwieli. Inneħħilha  l-ilqugħ ta' madwarha, u jħarbtuha; iġarrfilha l-ħajt,  biex in-nies tgħaffiġha.   Nagħmel minnha xagħra;  ħadd ma jiżborha jew jaħdimha,  u jinbet fiha x-xewk u l-ħurrieq.  Jien ngħid lis-sħab Biex ma jagħmilx xita fuqha!  Għax l-għalqa tad-dwieli tal-Mulej ta' l-eżerċiti  hija d-dar ta' Iżrael;   u l-irġiel ta' Ġuda  huma l-mixgtla ta' l-għalqa tiegħu.  Huwa stenna l-ġustizza,  u araw sab it-tixrid tad-demm,  stenna s-sewwa,  u araw sama' l-għajat tal-maħqurin.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm  - psALM 80:9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20

R/ (Is 5:7a) The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.

A vine from Egypt you transplanted;
you drove away the nations and planted it.
It put forth its foliage to the Sea,
its shoots as far as the River.                                                       R/

Why have you broken down its walls,
so that every passer-by plucks its fruit,
The boar from the forest lays it waste,
and the beasts of the field feed upon it?                              R/

Once again, O LORD of hosts,
look down from heaven, and see;
take care of this vine,
and protect what your right hand has planted
the son of man whom you yourself made strong.            R/

Then we will no more withdraw from you;
give us new life, and we will call upon your name.
O LORD, God of hosts, restore us;
if your face shine upon us, then we shall be saved.         R/

Salm Responsorjali    -  Salm 79 (80)

                R/  Il-għalqa tal-Mulej hija d-dar ta' Iżrael.

Inti qlajt dielja mill-Eġittu,

warrabt il-ġnus biex tħawwel lilha.

Meddet sal-baħar il-friegħi tagħha,

sax-xmara  ż-żraġen tagħha.                                       R/

Għaliex, mela, ġarraft il-ħitan tagħha,

u kull min jgħaddi jqaċċat minnha?

Iħarbatha l-ħanżir selvaġġ,

il-bhejjem tar-raba' jirigħu fija.                                   R/

Erġa' ejja, Alla ta' l-eżerċiti;

ħares mis-sema, u ara,

u żur 'il din id-dielja.

Ħu ħsieb dak li ħawlet lemintek,

ir-rimja li int kabbart għalik.                                      R/

Aħna ma nitbegħdux minnek;

roddilna l-ħajja, u aħna nsejħu ismek.

 Reġġġagħna għal li konna, Alla ta' l-eżerċti;

itfa' fuqna d-dija ta' wiċċek, u nkunu salvi.           R/

Reading 2                           philippians 4:6-9

Brothers and sisters: Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me.  Then the God of peace will be with you.  This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni  -   mill-Ittra lill-Filipin 4, 6-9

Ħuti, tħabbtu raskom b'xejn.   Fit-talb kollu tagħkom  itolbu u uru lil Alla xi jkollkom bżonn,  u iżżuh ħajr.  U s-sliem ta' Alla, sliem li jgħaddi kull ma l-moħħ  jista' jifhem, iżommilkom qalbkom u moħħkom  sħaħ fi Kristu Ġesu'.  Mill-bqija, ħuti, f'dan għandkom taħsbu;  f'kull ma hu veru, f'kull ma hu xieraq,  f'kull ma hu ġust, f'kull ma hu safi, f'kull ma jiġbed l-imħabba, f'kull ma  jistħoqqlu ġieħ, f'kull ma hu virtu', f'kull  ma ħaqqu t-tifħir; f'dan kollu aħsbu.  U kull ma tgħallimtu u ħadtu mingħandna,  u smajtu u rajtu fina, agħmluh.  Alla tas-sliem ikun magħkom. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel                                 matthew 21:33-43

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: "Hear another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard,  put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower.  Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey. When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.  But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned.  Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way.  Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’ They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.   What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?" They answered him, "He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times."  Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes? Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit." This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Evanġelju   -  skond San Mattew 21, 33-43

F'dak iż-żmien,. Ġesu' qal lill-qassisin il-kbar u lix-xjuħ tal-poplu:  "Isimgħu parabbola oħra: Kien hemm wieħed, sid ta' għalqa, u ħawwilha bid-dwieli; tellgħalha ħajt tas-sejjieħ madwarha, ħaffer magħsar fiha, u bnielha torri, u qabbilha lil xi bdiewa.  U siefer f'art oħra. Meta wasal żmien il-frott, bagħat il-qaddejja tiegħu għand dawk il-bdiewa biex jiġbrulu l-frott li kien imissu. Iżda l-bdiewa qabdu lill-qaddejja, u lil wieħed sawtuh, lil ieħor qatluh, u lil ieħor ħaġġruh.  Reġa' bagħtilhom qaddejja oħra, aktar minn qabel, u għamlulhom l-istess. Fl-aħħar bagħtilhom lil ibnu, "Min ibni jistħu," qal. Iżda kif raw lil ibnu l-bdiewa bdew bdew jgħidu bejniethom:  "Ara l-werriet!  Ejjew naqtluh, biex il-wirt tiegħu neħduh aħna."   Qabduh, xeħtuh 'il barra mill-għalqa u qatluh.   Issa sid l-għalqa  x'jagħmlilhom lil dawk il-bdiewa meta jiġi? Qalulu:    "Jeqridhom blla ħniena, ta' ħżiena li huma, u l-għalqa  jqabbilha lil bdiewa oħra  li jroddulu l-frott fi żmienu." Qalilhom Ġesu':  "Qatt ma qrajtu fl-Iskrittura li:  "Il-ġebla li warrbu l-bennejja saret il-ġebla tax-xewka;  bis-saħħa tal-Mulej seħħ dan; ħaġa ta' l-għaġeb f'għajnejna?"  Għalhekk ngħidilkom li s-Saltna ta' Alla tittieħed  mingħandkom u tingħata lil ġens li jagħmel il-frott minnha."       Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

//////////////////////////////

Gospel Commentary

The Vineyard and the Fruits

By Father Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap

The immediate context of the parable of the murderous tenants of the vineyard is the relationship between God and the people of Israel. It is to Israel that God first sent the prophets and then his own Son.

But similar to all of Jesus’ parables, this story has a certain openness. In the relationship between God and Israel the history of God’s relationship with the whole of humanity is traced. Jesus takes up and continues God’s lament in Isaiah, which we heard in the first reading. It is there that we find the key to the parable and its tone. Why did God “plant a vineyard” and what are the "fruits" that are expected, which God will come to look for?

Here the parable does not correspond to reality. Human beings do not plant vineyards and dedicate themselves to its care for the love of the vines but for their own benefit. God is different. He creates man and enters into a covenant with him, not for his own benefit, but for man’s benefit, out of pure love. The fruits that are expected from man are love of God and justice toward the oppressed: all things that are for the good of man, not God. This parable of Jesus is terribly relevant to our Europe, and in general to the Christian world. In this context, too, we must say that Jesus has been “cast out of the vineyard,” thrown out of a culture that proclaims itself post-Christian, or even anti-Christian. The words of the vineyard tenants resound, if not in the words at least in the deeds, of our secularized society: “Let us kill the heir and the inheritance will be ours!”

No one wants to hear anymore about Europe’s Christian roots, of the Christian patrimony. Secularized humanity wants to be the heir, the master. Sartre put this terrible declaration into the mouth of one of his characters: “There is nothing in heaven, neither good nor evil, there is no one who can give me orders. [...] I am a man, and every man must invent his own path.”

What I have just sketched is a “broadband” application of the parable. But Jesus' parables almost always have a more “narrow band” application, an application to the individual: they apply to each individual person, not just to humanity or Christendom in general. We are invited to ask ourselves: What fate have I prepared for Christ in my life? How am I responding to God’s incomprehensible love for me? Have I too, by chance, thrown him out of my house, my life; that is, have I forgotten and ignored Christ?

I remember one day I was listening to this parable at Mass while I was fairly distracted. Then came the words of the owner of vineyard: “They will respect my Son.” I started, and I understood that those words were addressed to me personally in that moment. The heavenly Father was about to send me his Son in the sacrament of his body and blood. Did I understand the importance of this great moment? Was I ready to welcome him with respect, the respect that the Father expected? Those words brought me brusquely back from my wandering thoughts.

There is a sense of regret, of delusion in the parable. It certainly is not a story with a happy ending! But in its depths it tells us of the incredible love that God has for his people and for every creature. It is a love that, even through the alternating events of loss and return, will always be victorious and have the last word.

God’s rejections are never definitive. They are pedagogical abandonments. Even the rejection of Israel, which obliquely echoes through Christ’s words -- “The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit” -- is of this sort, as is that described by Isaiah in the first reading. We have seen that this danger also threatens Christendom, or at least large parts of it.

St. Paul writes in his letter to the Romans: “Has God rejected his people? Of course not! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. ... Did they stumble so as to fall? Of course not! But through their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make them jealous. ... For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?” (Romans 11:1 passim).

Top of Form

On Sept. 29 our brothers celebrated the New Year with the feast of Rosh Hashanah. I would like to take this occasion to offer my wishes for peace and prosperity. With the Apostle Paul I ask that “peace be upon the Israel of God.”
[Translation by Joseph G. Trabbic]