Gospel Mt. 21:33-43
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: “Hear another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey. When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.
But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned. Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way. Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’ They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?” They answered him, “He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times.” Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes? Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.”
Homily
I remember some years ago hearing a large land owner in Trinidad saying that his caretaker thought that he was the owner of the land. The caretaker often decided what was to be done on the land without any reference to the land owner. It is a truth that those who administer property often begin to forget that they are only administrators and that the owners may have something to say about the way the property is used.
The Gospel given to us for our meditation this weekend speaks to us about those who are people of the kingdom of God. Essentially they are people who remember that we are only administrators of the gifts which God has put into the world and as such we must be attentive to God’s plan and subordinate our plans to God’s.
In the Gospel story, the tenants refuse to do what the land owner asks, they stone some servants, chase others away and finally kill the son whom they land owner has sent to them. They forget that they are only tenants and must take into account what the land owner wants.
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Isn’t this the way of the world? And isn’t it often our way? We have divided up the world and countries and hoard the riches for ourselves, riches which are meant to belong to all people. Isn’t that why we have so many starving nations, while others wallow in plenty? Isn’t that why there are so many living below the poverty line in our countries, while a minority has more than they can use? Of course we justify our behaviour in many ways. We say that people are lazy, that is why they are poor. We even believe that we are superior to others and so deserve to have more. We have convinced ourselves that we are the owners of this world and not simply administrators, who use the gifts, intellectual and otherwise, that God has given to us to ensure that all God’s children have a share in the riches that God has given to our world. Until we begin to live out of the conviction that we are chosen to be administrators of the good things which God has given to our world, we are doomed to live in a world of conflict in which the rule of the strongest always prevails. We can never be kingdom people with such attitudes.
That is why the Jesus asks the question at the end of the parable “What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?” They answered him, “He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times.”
Today we remember those who take their call to be administrators of God’s gifts seriously. We remember those throughout the world who work for land reform, so that the poor have something that they can call their own and that they can administer to help others; We remember those who strive to make us aware of environmental issues so that the world can be rescued from the degradation to which we submit it. We thank God for those who work for green spaces, nature preserves and forest reserves so that greater numbers may commune with nature. It is because of those who have done the above that human beings have not destroyed the world and themselves.
Today the Gospel questions each one of us. Do we think of ourselves as administrators or as owners? The Gospel reminds us “only administrators can be members of the kingdom.”
Prayer
All powerful and ever loving God, we thank you for this world with all its bounteous riches that you have given to us its inhabitants. As people of faith we recognize that it is given to all of us and not only to the powerful or intelligent. We recognize also that we are called to be administrators of this world, not owners for You are the only owner. Help us to care for it so that it may be of benefit to all. Help us be worthy administrators so that all who surround us may enjoy its benefits. Touch the hearts of world leaders so that the good of the whole of humanity may be their primary concern and not simply the richness and power of their particular countries, so that cleansed from greed and selfishness we may build a world of justice, peace and love. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen
