Stewards of the Earth: A Sunday Meditation (Matthew 21: 33-43)

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How many of us saw recent pictures of that blood orange sky in San Francisco?

It looked apocalyptic.

Smoke from the wildfires billowed across the sky, turning everything orange.

A few days ago, I spoke with a friend who lives in northern California. He said it’s terrifying.  His sister has been evacuated four times in the last two years!

It’s hard to image the horror of watching fire creep towards your home year after year.

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These wildfires – along with hurricanes, floods, and higher temperatures – are part of the extreme weather ravaging our planet. 

I wonder, is this extreme weather a sign of what’s to come?

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In April of this year, National Geographic published an entire issue of their magazine addressing this question: What will our planet look like in 50 years?

They offered two starkly different scenarios.

In the worst-case scenario, we’ll see an increase in extreme weather, making vast parts of the planet uninhabitable, leading to large-scale migration, food shortages, and even war as nations fight for limited resources.

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In the best-case scenario, we can undo some of the damage we’ve done. 

But nations must work together to find sustainable ways to feed ourselves; to reduce carbon emissions; to clean our rivers, lakes, and oceans; and to reimagine the way we design our homes and cities.

In order to thrive, we must be good stewards of our planet.

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That’s also what the heart of today’s Gospel is about: stewardship. 

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Jesus tells a parable about a landowner who entrusts his vineyard to a group of tenants. 

The landowner gives them everything they need: he plants the choicest vines, puts a hedge around the vineyard, digs a wine press, and builds a tower. Then he hands the keys over to his tenants.

When the owner sends his servants to collect the wine, the tenants kill them. So, the landowner sends more of his servants. One by one, they’re slaughtered. The tenants even kill the landowner’s son.

Understandably, when the owner arrives, he puts these wicked tenants to death.

They reaped what they sowed.

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Jesus tells this parable to directly indict the religious leaders of his day. Like the wicked tenants, they were corrupt and short-sighted; sour stewards in the vineyard.

The Lord entrusted everything to them – his Law, the prophets, and his message of universal salvation – but they didn’t bear good fruit. They were wicked.

For this reason, their honor and privileged place in God’s kingdom was taken away from them and given to the Gentiles.

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So, what does this parable mean for us?

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God holds us accountable.

We’re stewards of creation, much like the tenants were stewards of the vineyard. The direction of our planet rests in our hands. God created the world, but he leaves us to care for it.

This has been a consistent message from Pope Francis, who calls upon us to care for creation; to share our resources with the most vulnerable; and to plan for future generations.

We’re stewards – not owners – of the earth.

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Think about what else we’re stewards of.

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We’re stewards of our democracy.

As Americans, it’s imperative to vote, to pay our taxes, and to participate in all forms of civic life.

Silence isn’t service.

We care for our nation by making our voices heard. The health of our nation depends upon active participation. 

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We’re stewards of the Church, and stewards of the faith.

It’s why we attend Mass, why we pray together, why so many of us contributed to the restoration of the church, and the building of our new pastoral center. 

The Lord depends upon us to hand on our faith from one generation to the next. Being present weekly and contributing to a safe and beautiful place to worship is part of being a good steward.

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Look at the world around us.

How am I a steward of creation?

How am I a steward of democracy? 

How am I a steward of the Church? And the faith?

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Occasionally, we need to contemplate some of these deeper questions, because we’re accountable for what happens in our world, from climate change to the Church.

Like the tenants in the Gospel, we reap what we sow.

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