Readings: Is 5:1-7; Phil 4:6-9; Matt 21:33-43
Have you ever lent something to someone, only to discover that they’ve forgotten it belongs to you?
Perhaps a book, a tool, or even some money.
And after a while, you begin to wonder whether you’ll ever get it back. The person seems to think it’s theirs now!
Well, something similar happens in today’s Gospel. Except that we’re not talking about a book or a tool. We’re talking about an entire vineyard!
Jesus tells us the parable commonly known as the Parable of the Wicked Tenants.
And I’m a little intrigued by that word, wicked.
What actually made these tenants wicked?
Well, let’s look at the story.
A landowner prepared a vineyard. He planted it, fenced it, built a tower and entrusted it to some tenants.
When harvest time came, he sent his servants to collect his share of the produce. But instead of giving him what was due, the tenants mistreated his servants. And when he finally sent his own son, they killed him too, hoping to take the inheritance for themselves.
Now, there are many things we could say about these tenants. But what strikes me most is this:
They wanted the vineyard and everything it produced entirely for themselves.
Yes, they had worked in the vineyard. They had invested their time and effort. But somewhere along the way, they began to believe that everything it produced belonged entirely to them.
They had forgotten something very important.
The vineyard was never theirs in the first place. It had only been entrusted to them.
I imagine how grateful these tenants must have been when the landowner first entrusted his vineyard to them. But somewhere along the way, their gratitude gave way to entitlement, and their entitlement turned into greed. They became so possessive of the vineyard that they forgot it was never theirs in the first place.
They wanted everything the vineyard offered, but ultimately rejected its rightful owner.
And I wonder, could we sometimes find a little of that attitude in ourselves?
We work hard. We make sacrifices. We achieve things in life. And naturally, we want to enjoy the fruits of our hardwork. There’s nothing wrong with that.
But sometimes, our sense of entitlement takes over, and we begin to think that everything we have is entirely our own doing.
We become so focused on what we’ve achieved that we forget how much we’ve actually received.
Think about it.
Our life, our health, our family, our talents, our opportunities…
How much of what we enjoy today has been made possible through the generosity and goodness of others and, ultimately, through the generosity and goodness of God?
None of us has reached where we are today entirely on our own.
There are people who have supported us, made sacrifices for us and helped us along the way. Like the landowner in today’s Gospel, they believed in us, trusted us and generously gave us opportunities to grow and become who we are today.
And yet, sometimes, we take these very people for granted. We forget their kindness and the sacrifices they’ve made for us. And sadly, sometimes we even push them out of our lives.
And isn’t it possible that we sometimes do the same with God?
We enjoy his blessings, but we forget the one who has blessed us.
We remember God when we need something. But when life is going well, when we have everything we want, how easily we can push him aside, and take his presence for granted.
Now, there’s an interesting contrast in our second reading.
St Paul is writing to the Philippians from prison. And what does he tell them?
Pray with thanksgiving. And the peace of God will guard your hearts and minds.
Isn’t that remarkable?
Here is a man facing his own difficulties, and yet he’s encouraging others to be thankful.
Paul reminds us that gratitude is not simply about being thankful when everything is going well. It’s about recognising God’s goodness in every circumstance, through the good times and the difficult ones.
And I think there’s something important here.
A grateful heart changes the way we see life.
When we are grateful, we become less concerned about what we think we deserve and more appreciative of what we have received.
When we are grateful, we begin to recognise the goodness of God and the generosity of the people around us.
And when we truly appreciate what we’ve received, we become more willing to share it with others.
Which brings us back to the vineyard.
The landowner didn’t simply entrust the vineyard to the tenants so they could enjoy it for themselves.
He expected it to produce fruit.
And perhaps that’s what God asks of us as well.
Each of us has been entrusted with a little portion of God’s vineyard.
For some of us, that vineyard is our family. For others, it’s our work, our ministry or our parish community.
Whatever our circumstances, God has entrusted something precious to each of us.
And perhaps the question we’re invited to reflect on today is this:
What are we doing with what God has entrusted to us?
If God has blessed us with talents, are we using them to help others?
If we have been blessed with resources, are we willing to share with those who have less?
And if God has entrusted people to our care, are we looking after them with love?
Because gratitude isn’t simply about saying thank you. It’s also about what we do with the gifts we’ve received.
So perhaps we can take home just one question to reflect on:
What am I doing with what God has entrusted to me?
Maybe you can think of one gift you’ve received from God. How are you using that gift? And how might you share it to become a blessing to others?.
May we never become so attached to God’s gifts that we forget the giver.
And may our gratitude be seen not only in what we say, but also in how generously we share, how faithfully we serve and how lovingly we care for one another.
After all, everything we have is a gift. And what we do with those gifts is our thanksgiving to God.
To God be the glory.
Fr Percival Sevare OSA is the Parish Priest of the Holy Spirit Catholic Church St Clair.
