leased the vineyard to tenants, and then, went to a distant country. When harvest time
came, the landowner sent his servants to the tenants to collect his share of the harvest.
But the tenants seized his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Again,
the owner sent more servants; but they were treated in the same way. Finally, he sent
his son, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they
thought, ‘This is the one who is to inherit the vineyard. Let us kill him, and his inheritance
will be ours.’ So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Now,
what will the owner of the vineyard do with the tenants when he comes?” They said to
him, “He will bring those evil men to an evil end, and lease the vineyard to others, who
will pay him in due time.” And Jesus replied, “Have you never read what the Scriptures
say? The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This was the
Lord’s doing, and we marvel at it. Therefore I say to you: the kingdom of heaven will be
taken from you, and given to a people who will produce its fruit.
READ: Paul encourages the Philippians to keep their focus on what is holy,
eliminating everything else from their minds, relying solely on God. Isaiah
sings of a well-cultivated vineyard that failed to meet expectations. Failing to
bring forth an abundant yield, it is given over to weeds and wild animals. The
vineyard in the Gospel does produce its yield of grapes, but the tenants are
greedy and unwilling to give the owner his share, even killing his son in order
to take over ownership of the land. These greedy tenants come to a bad end.
REFLECT: We often try to avoid the consequences of our actions.
Consequences are not about vengeance, but about restoration. They are
not meant to punish us, but to rebuild and strengthen the relationships that
our actions have damaged. We know that we have done wrong and hurt
people, but we don’t want to take responsibility for what we have done.
That’s one reason why people might avoid the Sacrament of Penance. This
sacrament requires that we admit our faults, take responsibility for them,
and accept the consequences in a penance that strives to restore damaged
relationships. But that is the source of divine healing.
PRAY: Lord Jesus, have mercy on me a sinner.
ACT: Examine your conscience and receive the Sacrament of Penance.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2023