Daily Readings - Sun Oct 08 2017

First Reading - Isaiah 5.1-7

¹I will sing to my beloved the canticle of my paternal cousin, about his vineyard. A vineyard was made for my beloved, at the horn in the son of oil²And he fenced it in, and he picked the stones out of it, and he planted it with the best vines, and he built a tower in the middle of it, and he set up a winepress within it. And he expected it to produce grapes, but it produced wild vines³Now then, inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah: judge between me and my vineyard⁴What more should I have done for my vineyard that I did not do for it? Should I not have expected it to produce grapes, though it produced wild vines⁵And now, I will reveal to you what I will do to my vineyard. I will take away its fence, and it will be plundered. I will pull down its wall, and it will be trampled⁶And I will make it desolate. It will not be pruned, and it will not be dug. And briers and thorns will rise up. And I will command the clouds not to rain upon it⁷For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel. And the man of Judah is his delightful seedling. And I expected that he would do judgment, and behold iniquity, and that he would do justice, and behold an outcry

Second Reading - Philippians 4.6-9

Philippians

Chapter 4

⁶Be anxious about nothing. But in all things, with prayer and supplication, with acts of thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God⁷And so shall the peace of God, which exceeds all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus⁸Concerning the rest, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is chaste, whatever is just, whatever is holy, whatever is worthy to be loved, whatever is of good repute, if there is any virtue, if there is any praiseworthy discipline: meditate on these⁹All the things that you have learned and accepted and heard and seen in me, do these. And so shall the God of peace be with you

Gospel - Matthew 21.33-43

Matthew

Chapter 21

³³Listen to another parable. There was a man, the father of a family, who planted a vineyard, and surrounded it with a hedge, and dug a press in it, and built a tower. And he loaned it out to farmers, and he set out to sojourn abroad³⁴Then, when the time of the fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the farmers, so that they might receive its fruits³⁵And the farmers apprehended his servants; they struck one, and killed another, and stoned yet another³⁶Again, he sent other servants, more than before; and they treated them similarly³⁷Then, at the very end, he sent his son to them, saying: ‘They will revere my son.³⁸But the farmers, seeing the son, said among themselves: ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and then we will have his inheritance.³⁹And apprehending him, they cast him outside the vineyard, and they killed him⁴⁰Therefore, when the lord of the vineyard arrives, what will he do to those farmers?⁴¹They said to him, "He will bring those evil men to an evil end, and he will loan out his vineyard to other farmers, who shall repay to him the fruit in its time.⁴²Jesus said to them: "Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders have rejected has become the cornerstone. By the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes?⁴³Therefore, I say to you, that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and it shall be given to a people who shall produce its fruits

Sermon

The readings today invite us to reflect on the themes of responsibility, faithfulness, and the ultimate trust in God’s plan. In the first reading, Isaiah uses the metaphor of a vineyard to describe God’s relationship with his people. The vineyard, symbolizing Israel, was carefully tended by God, who expected it to produce good fruit. Yet, instead of grapes, it yielded only wild grapes, representing the injustice and unfaithfulness of the people. This passage serves as a warning: God’s patience is not infinite, and there comes a time when he will hold us accountable for how we have stewarded the gifts and opportunities he has given us. In the Gospel, Jesus expands on this theme through a parable about a vineyard owner and his tenants. The owner, representing God, entrusts his vineyard to tenant farmers, expecting them to produce fruit. When he sends his servants—and finally his own son—to collect the fruit, the tenants reject and kill them, motivated by greed and a desire to seize the inheritance for themselves. This parable is a direct critique of the religious leaders of Jesus’ time, who had failed to recognize and respond to God’s presence in their midst. The parable also reminds us that our response to God’s gifts and callings has consequences. Jesus’ reference to the rejected cornerstone underscores the idea that God’s plan will prevail, even if some reject it. Paul’s letter to the Philippians offers a practical response to these themes. He encourages the community to cultivate a mindset of gratitude and trust in God, rather than anxiety. By focusing on what is true, noble, and praiseworthy, we align ourselves with God’s will and open ourselves to his peace. This teaching complements the other readings by emphasizing that our faithfulness and fruitfulness are rooted in our relationship with God. As we go about our daily lives, we are called to tend the “vineyard” of our lives—our relationships, our work, and our communities—with integrity and love. Let us ask ourselves: Are we producing the fruit of justice, compassion, and holiness? Or are we, like the tenants, resisting God’s grace and failing to recognize his presence in our lives? May we strive to be faithful stewards, trusting in God’s plan and yielding the fruit of a life lived in harmony with his will.