Catechism Links[1]
CCC 755: The Church as God’s vineyard
CCC 1830-1832: Gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit
CCC 443: Prophets are the servants, Christ is the Son
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| “The Heir of the Vineyard” by James Tissot 1886-96 |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Isaiah 5:1-7
Commentary on Is 5:1-7
This selection marks the beginning of what is known as the “Song of the Vineyard.” Using the analogy of vineyard as the “hosts of the house of Israel,” the prophet first describes how the people had been prepared by the law and the prophets. The implication is that all preparations had been made to produce God’s intended result. However, the “stiff necked” people turned away from God “…but see, bloodshed! for justice, but hark, the outcry!” Isaiah warns the people that God will cause the house of Israel to be destroyed. This is a clear reference to the Babylonian Exile which took place some 100-200 years following this prophecy.
CCC: Is 5:1-7 755
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R. (Is 5:7a) The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel
Commentary on Ps 80:9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20
Psalm 80 is a communal lament. In these strophes the image of the vineyard is applied to the house of Israel. The destruction of the vineyard is also referenced in support of Isaiah’s imagery form Isaiah 5:1ff. The psalmist entreats the Lord to restore the people to favor and rescue them from their situation.
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Commentary on Phil 4:6-9
St. Paul begins this address, as part of a series of ethical instructions, by exhorting the Christian community to prayer. Through prayer, God’s peace will come into their hearts and minds as a gift from Christ Jesus. He calls upon them to meditate upon the great good that is provided through God and provides a litany of adjectives: true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and gracious as descriptors of Christ’s actions in their midst. Through a focus on what is excellent they will achieve the peace of Christ.
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Gospel: Matthew 21:33-43
Commentary on Mt 21:33-43
St. Matthew describes Jesus applying the Parable of the Vineyard as he confronts he Jewish leadership. His motivation is clearly to let them know that, by rejecting Jesus and his message about the Kingdom of God, they have forfeited their place in the that kingdom. The description used for the vineyard is remarkably similar to Isaiah 5:1ff (above). Reference to the servants who were beaten and killed refers to the prophets similarly treated. The reference to the landowner’s son is an obvious reference to Jesus as the Son of God. The scripture quote of Psalm 118:22-23 was seen in the early church as a reference to Jesus’ resurrection. This is viewed as the vindication of the Lord and God.
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Homily
Earlier this year, in late spring, I was driving home and unexpectedly had to make a very wide turn because a car in front of me had turned the same corner and stopped, blocking part of the lane. As I went around I noticed the driver had gotten out of his car. Then I saw the reason. There was a turtle trying to cross that very busy road and the driver was essentially rescuing the critter by helping it get out of the road.
I commend this persons concern for one of God’s creatures and the fact that he was willing to put his own life at risk to save it. I also wondered a little bit about his priorities, especially since I was almost in an accident because of his act of amphibian heroism.
It may sound a bit far-afield, but let’s examine what we know about our hero. First, we know he is an animal-lover, or at least an amphibian-lover. He could have even been a Buddhist or Hindu, someone who believes all life is sacred. We might assume that he was young and a bit foolish for having placed others at risk in that heavily trafficked area. The point being made is, by the act of stopping his car unexpectedly in order to help the turtle, he identified himself and his beliefs to people who witnessed his action.
In sacred scripture today we are given a parable. Actually we are given two songs and a parable using the image of a vineyard. It is a common theme, used more than any other food in scripture. The key elements exploited in the songs and parable today are the fruit produced and desirability of the fruit.
Look, if you would at the first reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. In this early chapter of the book, the prophet is warning the people of Jerusalem using the metaphor of the vineyard. In his description, he likens Jerusalem to a carefully planted and cared for vineyard. He then tells the Hebrew people that, in spite of all the hard work of preparation (again a metaphor for the gift of the Law of Moses and the call of the Chosen People), what developed in that center of faith was not the choice grapes that had been anticipated by the prophet’s friend (God) but rather worthless fruit, wild grapes.
Seeing that what was built did not produce the intended bounty, the owner would destroy the vineyard and allow it to go fallow. This was a clear message to the people of his day. It predicted the sacking of Jerusalem and the exile associated with it.
Now look at the Gospel of St. Matthew’s Parable of the Vineyard. Jesus tells us the same builder, his Heavenly Father, again has created a vineyard. In his day, the Lord was speaking to the Scribes and Pharisees, those whose responsibility it was to tend the metaphorical vineyard of the Hebrew faithful. He tells the story of his own coming, bringing to completion the message of God. He follows the Prophets, Isaiah among them, who were poorly treated and in some cases even killed. He describes in faintly veiled terms his own coming as Messiah and predicts his death at their hands.
These two stories are separated by over seven hundred years. Jesus did not retell Isaiah’s story, he completed it. Indeed, Isaiah’s prediction about the fate of Jerusalem came to pass. Assyria invaded Judah and enslaved the people. As Isaiah also predicted, the jewel of Jerusalem was restored and the Jewish people were once more united in that city. It to this same “vineyard” Jesus comes and, using the same metaphor, completes the story of God’s attempt to find a bountiful harvest for his Kingdom.
It is easy for us to see the relationship of these two stories as we look back across the millennia since they were first told. We saw how Jerusalem was destroyed (and again, as Jesus predicted in 70 AD following his own passion). But what lesson do we take away from these related passages? Are they simply quixotic tales about the history of our faith?
Like all such stories passed down through scripture they have direct impact on us, in our time and in our circumstances. Earlier this week I attended a presentation given by our Social Justice group, The Lens of Faith. The topic discussed was Catholic Healthcare and the legal impact of government policies, especially those related to conscience issues (e.g. reproductive health, and the complex issues faced by physicians and other practitioners in the healthcare field). We were privileged to have two renowned experts from among our own faith community, Dr. Rusty Chavey, a pioneer in the faith-based holistic approach to practicing family medicine and founder of Emmaus Healthcare. He was joined by our own Bob Muise, Esq., a nationally known lawyer and founder of the American Freedom Law Center which defends individuals and groups seeking to continue to practice their faith in the face of growing persecution by secular groups and a biased judiciary.
The presentation explored the complex web of issues that surrounds us as state, local, and national governments seek to produce fruit in God’s vineyard that was never intended to be grown. The presentation reminded me that we are all responsible for bearing witness to the tenants of our faith. We cannot be part of the crowd that selfishly wants to despoil God’s garden and, in doing so, crucify his Son.
On fact became very clear as Dr. Chavey and Mr Muise spoke. Our future freedom to practice our faith is under increasingly intense attack, even in a federal environment that is less intent on promoting a morally promiscuous environment. Each of us must stand as branches of that one true vine, producing good fruit if our faith legacy is to be passed on to our children. We cannot idly stand by and let the thorns and weeds kill what God has planted and his Son has watered with his precious blood.
Let us then make that our constant prayer, as St. Paul reminds us in his letter to Philippians. Let us pray as if it is all up to God, but act as if it was all up to us (I didn’t say that, Ignatius of Loyola did, but good words, none the less). In that way, may those who see us know what we care about, and it’s not just a turtle in the road.
Pax
[1] Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, Published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014
[2] The picture is “The Heir of the Vineyard” by James Tissot 1886-96
[5] Explanation: In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “& Par.” shorthand for “and parallels.”
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