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OMELIE / Omelie EN

04 ott 2020
04/10/2020 - 27ª Sunday in O. T. - year A 

04/10/2020 - 27ª Sunday in O. T. - year A 

Reading 1 IS 5,1-7  Psalm 79/80  Reading 2 PHIL 4,6-9  Gospel MT 21,33-43

 

Isaiah is showing us God's love for His people, a people chosen and educated carefully in order to become a model of justice and communion, so much so to be taken as an example for all the other peoples. The image used by the prophet is the vineyard, spaded and grown without sparing any effort by a farmer, who later, obviously, from the workers he had handed it over to, expects fine grapes. Jesus as well will use this image to help us recognise in Him the vineyard which bears plenty of fruit through His disciples.

So, God asks: “What more was there to do for my vineyard  that I had not done?Why, when I looked for the crop of grapes,  did it bring forth wild grapes?”. “The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel,: … he looked for judgment, but see, bloodshed!  for justice, but hark, the outcry”.

The people of Israel, instead of becoming an example of faithfulness, has been corrupted and, following the selfishness and the vices of this world, has taken up a way of living identical to that of pagan peoples which do not know God. Jesus is aware of this: He himself, who with many signs proves to be the one who has been promised by the prophets and who carries inside the fullness of the divine love, is judged and rejected. The leaders of the people cannot recognise Him, on the contrary, often they refuse to admit the evidence of the facts and plan already how to get rid of Him. So He, lovingly, but also truthfully and with determination, sheds light on this lie, both in order to help with the possible conversion of someone, and to avoid the choices of the leaders becoming an obstacle to the faith in Him coming from the little and the simple ones. This is why He tells a parable. In it, He uses the images chosen by the prophet Isaiah, who talks about a vineyard, the object of all its owner's care. The vineyard is a good one, but the tenants, evil, take care of their own interests and do not recognise the rights of the owner. The latter tries many times to convince gracefully his tenants, but uselessly, by sending faithful servants to them. In the end, he sends his own son, trusting that, despite being evil, those tenants would show respect and would do what he asked. Here we understand that Jesus is talking about Himself, reveals His task and His identity, but He is also foretelling His own violent death.

The leaders of Israel, who have many earthly interests, cannot recognise any more their role in the people’s mission, they do not even want to depend on God, who they do not think able to intervene in history: the latter, they want to be the unchallenged owners of. Therefore, Jesus foretells their ruin too: they are rejecting the one who has been chosen by God, and so God will take away every authority from them. This will be given to other tenants: another people, which Jesus has begun 'growing' by choosing and shaping its columns in the characters of His disciples. The people which will give God glory by bringing into the world His “justice” is the Church: the latter too however will need to be careful to live always united to the Son of God, to bear fruit by making Him known and letting Him meet with all the other peoples.

Saint Paul is giving us some indication so we, inside the Church, might become effective builders. First of all, we cannot think we are self-sufficient, but we will need to call upon God with prayers both of request and of thanksgiving. In this way He Himself will have the possibility of shaping in us a heart always new, a heart which desires “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious”. This is the example we received from the saints, even better, from him, the apostle who has lived through many difficulties because of his faith: we will keep always in front of us the humble, meek and strong examples of our brethren who have been approved by God!