Deacon Larry

 

October 5, 2008

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is 5: 1-7; Phil 4: 6-9; Mt 21: 33-43

Dc. Larry Brockman

Have you counted your blessings recently?  Have you even recognized your blessings recently?  Both the First Reading and the Gospel tell us that we have such Blessings.  How so?   

Well, consider that we, the people of God, are the vineyard that is talked about in the parables today, and that God represents the Landowner in both of them.  What does the parable say that God does?  He plants the vines on fertile ground, and He does all that can be done to nourish and encourage the vines to grow and bear fruit. 

Now I’m quite sure that God doesn’t make junk.  So, that means each of you is chosen by God to be capable in the way he intended.  Yes, each of you is a special vine hand selected by God to grow in the environment that God wants for you.  So that means each of you has been planted on fertile ground, and that you are truly blessed.  But do you recognize that for what it is?  And have you responded by bearing the fruit God is hoping for? 

It’s fair to say that most people are constantly searching for fulfillment in their lives.  So, if you are honest, your answer is that you have not borne all the fruit God hopes for.  And I think there are two reasons for that.  First, it’s hard to recognize the blessings you have been given when you are focused on the blessings that you would like to have instead of the ones you actually do have.  It’s like you’d rather be an apple tree than a grape vine.  And when you don’t grow apples, you get upset.  Yet, that’s looking for something that’s not intended for you.  If your time and energy are focused on your goals, not God’s goals, you are not recognizing your blessings.  For most people, the fact that you are where you are right now means that you are in the environment God intended for you.  So, the proper focus is on your family, your job, the situation around you, and the things that you naturally do well- right where you are.  Note also that God is persistent.  God will keep nourishing you along the way, hoping, and expecting the best; hoping you will bear fruit in the environment He has placed you in.   

Second, in order to bear really good fruit, you have to extend yourself.  Think of a vine that does not spread out roots.  It will languish and bear poor fruit; it may even falter and die.  In the gospel story, God keeps sending his servants to call into accountability the tenants who are tending the vineyard.  Three times these servants were sent.  Yet the tenants keep abusing God’s servants, and finally they killed the owner’s son, because these tenants refused to give the landlord his due.  It can be like that in our lives as well.  We can resist the messages that God keeps sending us on how to extend ourselves, and persist on pursuing our own agenda instead.  Then, when things happen in our lives that seem to be going against us, we build up resentment, resentment which can lead to the same offense the tenants committed- killing God’s son by abandoning Him and trying to take control over life for ourselves!  It can be the pursuit of your comforts (like a larger car or bigger TV); or your leisure time (like too much lunch time with the girls or too much football on TV); any one of a number of things.  But it is something where your focus is on yourself rather than on the mission God has in mind for you to extend yourself.  Then, when things don’t go your way, you build up resentment and slowly, kill God’s son rather than change the focus of your life to seek God’s will and bear more fruit.   

St. Paul said this to the Philippians:  “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think of these things.”    Well, this is how you can extend yourself:  By doing something that builds the values Paul is talking about above where our society has fallen down.  That means getting involved in something outside of your own life that contributes to these values.  It doesn’t have to be a major commitment, but what is important is a start.  Today for example, we are signing up people to get involved in our Right to Life Activity.  Consider getting involved in that.  Start by joining the Right to Life sidewalk chain outside the Church from 1:30 to 2:30 this afternoon.  Also, in a couple of short weeks, we elect our Government.  Get to know where the candidates stand.  Make sure the candidates meet Paul’s criteria on the issues- important issues like right to life, education, and health care.  And get involved by helping the candidate that fosters these values.  Then there are opportunities to help with a new Hospital Visitation Ministry, or with St. Vincent de Paul, or other social service ministries in the parish.    

Now I know some of you may be thinking that you can’t find a connection between the feeling of restlessness or resentment you might have over your misfortunes and the positive effects of the two recommendations I have just made, to be satisfied with the blessings God has given you, and then go one step further by getting involved in something selfless outside your daily comfort zone.  But listen to this from the second reading from Paul:  “Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, then the God of peace will be with you”.  That’s what we are all looking for- the Peace of God that surpasses all understanding, and that is the connection. 

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 7th, 2008 at 8:40 pm and is filed under Holy Family Sunday Homilies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.