27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Isa 5:1-7
Phi 4:6-9
Mt 21:33-43
“I tell you, then, that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.”
In today’s Gospel, Jesus told of the parable of the landowner and his ungrateful tenants. When the time came, instead of giving the landowner what was owed to him, the ungrateful tenants plotted to beat and kill his servants. Worse yet, they plotted to kill the landowner’s son and steal the inheritance. You were probably shocked by such abhorrent behaviour, and rightly so. The greed, the selfishness, the ungratefulness of the ingrates angers us when we reflect on how we experienced similar behaviour from others in our lives. But have we considered how we are like the ungracious tenants at times?
The landowner had done everything to ensure the tenants were successful in growing their crops. He built a fence, dug a wine press, and built a tower, all to safeguard the tenants’ interests and well being. What did the tenants do? They forgot about all the benefits they received, forgot about all the good that was done for them, and refused to pay the just amount owed, killed the landowner’s messengers, and then killed the son, the heir, in order to steal his inheritance.
Similarly, God has done so much for us, given us all that we could possibly need to live a spiritual life that could bear much fruit. He gave us Mother Mary, the Angels, and Saints to guide us along the way. He gave us the Sacraments such as Baptism, Reconciliation, Confirmation and the most important one, the Eucharist. God gave us His only Son. He literally sent His only Son to come and deliver a message of love to us. Although we didn’t hammer the nail into Jesus’ hands and feet personally, He was nailed to the Cross for you and me. Our sins put Him there. He died out of love for us.
And how do we react to this, to the sacrifice that Jesus offered for atonement of our sins, for repayment of a debt we can never repay? The reactions vary, some with sincere repentance and love, some with nonchalance, some with disbelief, some downright hostile.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us look deep into our hearts — are there any moments that we have been ungrateful like the tenants in the parable? Perhaps not to the extent of killing the heir, but have we turned away from our Heavenly Father, who so graciously provides for us? I know I have, and I am ever sorrowful over my weakness. I pray that the Lord will give me light and strength to be like the new tenants, who will produce the fruit for the kingdom of God.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Winnie Kung)
Prayer: My most merciful Lord, grant us the grace to bear fruit for the kingdom of God. We are often forgetful, ungrateful; please give us a servant’s heart where we are reminded of God’s love and mercy, and may we be ever thankful to the Lord.
Thanksgiving: Heavenly Father, we praise and thank you for loving us, for providing for us, for giving us everything we need to be saved and gain eternal life.
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