It is Our Time...

 

~~~ Tobit 1:3; 2:1a-8 ~~~Psalm 112 ~~~ Mark 12:1-12 ~~~

 

“All your festivals shall be turned into mourning,
and all your songs into lamentation.”

In the Gospel reading we see Jesus delegating his authority.

The landlord leaves the care of his vineyard to his tenants.

The landlord has prepared the vineyard with great care.

He has provided everything necessary for a thriving prosperous vineyard.

He was looking forward to reaping the benefits.

He was trusting the tenant to take good care of the vines.

He was trusting the tenant to be honest.

Imagine how shocked he was when his expectations were dashed by the greediness

and dishonesty of the his tenant.

 

Clearly the owner had high expectations for his vineyard.

Having a rental property, I can identify with the problems associated

with having someone else taking advantage of you.

 

In this case the crime of murder is carried out by the tenant.

This act of the taking of someone's life seems so extreme for a few grape vines.

But it is more about what this property represents than its potential.

 

The landlord eventually sends his own son to face death

in order to communicate with the tenant.

 

 

Of course the whole point of the story is to grab our attention

and perhaps give us a jolt of reality.

 

Didn't we do the very same thing to Jesus?

 

This gospel story is directly connected to God the Father sending his Son

down to us. We are now the tenants of the vineyard.

Have you ever paused to reflect

on how well we are caring for what has been entrusted to us?

From the beginning of Genesis we see how the good 'landlord' provides for us.

We squandered it all away.

We crumbled in the face of temptation...we bit into the apple.

One small bite changed everything.

That one morsel, sweet as it was,

set into motion the corrupted disposition of the heart.

Humans, God's creation, were now capable of murder...

including killing the Son of the Landlord.

 

It is now up to us; we must care for the vineyard.

Keep working in the vineyard for the juice of the harvest is so sweet.

Persevere when times are bleak and terror surrounds you.

Light shines through the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious and merciful and just.

 

On this day in 1963 Blessed John Paul XXIII died.

He was proclaimed 'Blessed' in 2000 by Pope John Paul II.

We eagerly await his canonization to be finalized in the near future.

 

No matter the cost preserve the vineyard.

The Landlord is generous and lavishes grace on his trustworthy tenants.

It is our time to care for the vineyard.