A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

Jesus said to them, “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.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the chief priests and the elders of the people a parable about a landowner who planted a vineyard, built a fence around it, and leased it to tenants. When the landowner sent his servants to collect his share of the produce, the tenants beat, killed, and stoned them. Finally, the landowner sent his son, thinking the tenants would respect him, but they killed him too. Jesus then asked the chief priests and elders what the landowner would do to those wicked tenants, and they responded that he would put them to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants. Jesus quotes them Scripture, saying the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. They understand that Jesus is speaking about them, and they sought to arrest him, but they feared the crowds because they regarded Jesus as a prophet. I can’t help asking myself which figures in this parable I most closely resemble. Am I a good steward of God’s gifts, or do I expect the lion’s share and demand my inheritance?

God, help me slow down today and ask myself where all good gifts come from and whether I care for them properly. What will I do today with the gifts you give me—the gift of time, the gift of sunlight and fresh air, the gift of food, and the gift of relationships with others? The Gospel acclamation reminds me that the gift Jesus gave for his kingdom was the same as the son gave to his vineyard, his very life: “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son; so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.” Help me today, God, take joy in caring for the gifts you give me to produce fruit as I go to work, a tenant in your vineyard.

Lord, let me know you are near today. Keep me in your care and give me the grace to recognize the goodness of your gifts.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Readings

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