Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Also Read: Mass Readings for 08 October 2023 Mass Reading Reflection for 08 October 2023
Gospel: Matthew 21: 33-43
You have it all on lease. The wealth you think is yours is leased. Your body is given to you on lease. Your relationships are on lease; so are your talents. The faith you have is on lease, and even your soul is on lease.
If it is on lease, the accounts have to be settled; we own nothing. We have to return our bodies to the nature. We have to return our souls to God. We have to return our family, positions, wealth, and everything properly accounted for. We don’t own any of them; God owns all of them.
To our peril, we assume that we own a lot. Look at the tenants of the parable. They thought the vineyard was theirs if they silenced and chased away those who said otherwise. When the beloved son of the landlord came, they decided he was the ultimate obstacle in possessing the vineyard.
The son in the parable represents the Son of God, Jesus himself. The Jewish leadership assumed that by getting rid of Jesus, they should become the absolute authority. They were grossly mistaken. We know that well.
We, who assume ourselves as good Christians, often repeat the same mistake. Leasing out is an act of trust. God gave us body and soul because He trusts that we will take care of both well. God gave you a spouse because He trusted you would take care of your spouse well. God gave you children trusting you, that you will take care of them on His behalf.
God gave you a beautiful smile so that you share it generously. God gave you time and talents so that you share them with those in need. In the same way, God expects you to share food, clothing, and shelter with those who cannot afford them.
If you have got a job, it is not for eternity, it is for a limited time, do it to perfection, and step aside gracefully when it is time.
Let us respect the messengers who remind us of our duty. To their peril, the tenants of the parable deemed the messengers from their master as nuisances. They got rid of them in different ways.
The world today is inventing new methods of silencing the messengers of God. Those who talk of Jesus and His values are deemed a liability and nuisance by many. Those who stand up for life from conception to final breath, are considered liability. Those who advocate love and forgiveness are mocked. Yes, the messengers are at risk even today.
Nonetheless be a messenger of the true master, God himself. Let us never cease to remind ourselves that God is the owner of everything we see around us. Let us never be ashamed to be a messenger of God. Because the world needs more messengers of God. And you are one of the messengers of God. Every Christian is a messenger of God.
Amen.
