We are meant to carry the Word of God, and the love of God, everywhere we go. That won’t always be easy. Fr. Eric Immel, SJ, reflects on the Parable of the Tenants of the Vineyard. Based on the readings for Sunday, October 8, 2023.
They’re killing people in the vineyard? I’m not going there…I don’t care how good the wine is.
I’m Eric Immel, and this is my One-Minute Homily.
In today’s gospel, we’ve got a whole mess of symbols and characters – the vineyard, tenant farmers, a landowner, servants, and of course, a son. New Testament scholar Daniel Herrington points out that these symbols and characters constitute an allegory – the vineyard is Israel, the tenant farmers are Israel’s leaders, the landowner is God, the servants are prophets, and the son is – well – Jesus.
We’ve all heard the phrase – don’t kill the messenger, and yet, our faith compels us to carry the Word of God into the midst of a world which often isn’t ready to hear it. We face adversity at every turn – and yet, we must use our faith to face these challenges in order to spread the message of love incarnate through the person of Jesus. We may be rejected. It may cost us everything. But, as people who live in the light of Christ, we carry on anyway, no matter the cost. This, we believe, will bear great fruit.
