The Lord of the vineyard

Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 139

Is-Sebgħa u għoxrin 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 

Qari millKtieb tal-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; Iġarrfilh a 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

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. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.

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. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.

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. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.

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. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.

Salm Responsorjali

Salm 79 (80)

Inti qlajt dielja mill-Eġittu,

warrabt il-ġnus biex tħawwel lilha.

Meddet sal-baħar il-friegħi tagħha,

sax-xmara  ż-żraġen tagħha.                        

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

Għaliex, mela, ġarraft il-ħitan tagħha,

u kull min jgħaddi jqaċċat minnha?

Iħarbatha l-ħanżir selvaġġ,

il-bhejjem tar-raba' jirigħu fija.            

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

                               

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

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

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 honorable, 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

Qari mill-Ittra ta' San Pawl Appostlu 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

Qari mill-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

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

 The Lord Will Never Abandon His Vineyard

A commentary on this Sunday’s Gospel reading by Fr. Thomas Rosica, 

We are back in the vineyard again this week, immersed in another of Matthew’s complex Gospel parables. Jesus told these parables in answer to the question: “What is the kingdom of God like?” His parables are short narratives that combine realistic details from first-century Palestinian life in little villages with details that are foreign to the ways that things happen in daily life.

Sunday’s Gospel parable is often called the parable of the wicked tenants. Like last week’s parable of the two sons and next week’s parable of the royal wedding feast (22:1-14), today’s story is clearly one of judgment at the centre of Jesus’ threefold response to the religious leaders who are putting his authority to the test (21:23-27).

In the Old Testament, “vineyard” or “vine” is often used as a metaphor for God’s people. The vineyard figures frequently in Jesus’ parables, setting the stage for the Kingdom of God to take root and the drama of salvation to unfold. The work in the vineyard is hard labour; patience is essential, and wages are unpredictable as we saw in a previous Gospel parable (Mathew 20:1-16). The vineyard can also be a dangerous place to work. Scuffles between workers can erupt (Mark 9:33), and violence may erupt as we see in today’s story (Matthew 21:33-43).

A story of violence and want

The juxtaposition of peace and plenty with violence and want in Sunday’s parable is part of what makes this Gospel story so powerful. A closer look helps us understand the harsh reality of people’s lives in Jesus’ day.

The estate of the landlord would have housed between 50 and 70 people, mostly slaves or servants. The most trusted servants would have had significant responsibilities. The landlord’s servants did not hesitate to “lord it over” those in his charge (21:35). In early fall, when the harvest was ready, the landlord sent out a succession of his workers to collect the rent. The landlord would not go out himself to collect the rent. On the contrary, landlords protected themselves, their families, and their considerable possessions in fortified tower-residences.

The people of Jesus’ day were also all too familiar with the violence the story portrays. When the landlord finally sent his son to collect the rent, the tenants said: “This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours” (21:38). What remains very odd is that the tenants would repeatedly mistreat and even kill the one sent to them without any reprisal by the vineyard owner. In interpreting parables, the glimpse into the kingdom of God often comes to us through the strange details that are not the way things are in life around us, then or now.

The vineyard will not be destroyed

In his homily at the Mass to mark the opening of the XII Synod of Bishops on “The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church” on October 5, 2008, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI spoke beautifully of today’s parable:

“In the end, the owner of the vineyard makes a final attempt: he sends his own son, convinced that at least they will listen to him. Instead the opposite happens: the labourers in the vineyard murder him precisely because he is the landowner’s son, that is, his heir, convinced that this will enable them to take possession of the vineyard more easily. We are therefore witnessing a leap in quality with regard to the accusation of the violation of social justice as it emerges from Isaiah’s canticle. Here we clearly see that contempt for the master’s order becomes contempt for the master: it is not mere disobedience to a divine precept, it is a true and proper rejection of God: the mystery of the Cross appears.

Yet there is a promise in Jesus’ words: the vineyard will not be destroyed. While the unfaithful labourers abandon their destiny, the owner of the vineyard does not lose interest in his vineyard and entrusts it to other faithful servants. This means that, although in certain regions faith is dwindling to the point of dying out, there will always be other peoples ready to accept it. For this very reason, while Jesus cites Psalm 118:117, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (v. 42), he gives the assurance that his death will not mean God’s defeat. After being killed, he will not remain in the tomb, on the contrary, precisely what seems to be a total defeat will mark the beginning of a definitive victory. His painful Passion and death on the Cross will be followed by the glory of his Resurrection. The vineyard, therefore, will continue to produce grapes and will be rented by the owner of the vineyard: “to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons” (Mt 21:41).

The vineyard is the house of Israel

The parable of the wicked tenants reminds us once again that we cannot control God’s continuous merciful outreach to others. It compels us to look at our lives, our attitudes, and actions, in light of whether they are an embrace or rejection of Jesus’ saving message. Rather than putting the focus on what the story says about Jewish leaders, we must ask: what does it say about us Christians? What is my vision of the kingdom of God? How am I producing a harvest for God’s kingdom, in my private and in our communal lives? What does the parable say to me about my own troubled relationships with family, friends, and colleagues? What does the story teach me about my inability to forgive others and forgive myself? Yes, the wicked tenants in today’s Gospel do indeed try God’s patience. But I do as well! How do I respond to the boundless mercy and goodness that God offers me each day?

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