8 October, 2023 | 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 Gospel Mt 21:33-43





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Gospel Text:

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."


Reflections:

Jesus came on earth with a mission to form a new people of God. Following the life of Jesus they would live out the fullness of God’s life and love. Thus they would gradually inherit a place in God’s kingdom. Often we are like these tenants in the Gospel who forgot the care of the landowner who gave them a steady job to live a good life, drawing them gradually  to his kingdom. Instead of being grateful we try to take over the inheritance from him. We want to be our own Lord and Master.
God desires that we listen to Jesus and commit our lives to him. It is only through Jesus and in union with him that we can recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit in our life, moment by moment. 

Activity: 

Thank God for the love offered in Jesus and for the intimacy to which he calls us.

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