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Gospel: Mark 12: 1-12
Jesus began to speak to the chief priests, the scribes,
and the elders in parables.
“A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it,
dug a wine press, and built a tower.
Then he leased it to tenant farmers and left on a journey.
At the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants
to obtain from them some of the produce of the vineyard.
But they seized him, beat him,
and sent him away empty-handed.
Again he sent them another servant.
And that one they beat over the head and treated shamefully.
He sent yet another whom they killed.
So, too, many others; some they beat, others they killed.
He had one other to send, a beloved son.
He sent him to them last of all, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’
But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir.
Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’
So they seized him and killed him,
and threw him out of the vineyard.
What then will the owner of the vineyard do?
He will come, put the tenants to death,
and give the vineyard to others.
Have you not read this Scripture passage:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes?”
They were seeking to arrest him, but they feared the crowd,
for they realized that he had addressed the parable to them.
So they left him and went away.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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This is a very pointed parable aimed at human responsibility.
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The landowner acted first.
He provided the tenants with everything they needed to produce good wine: he bought the land, put hedges around it, built a tower, and planted the choicest vines.
Then he left, entrusting the future of his vineyard to his tenants.
He set them up for success, expecting good results. But the tenants only produced sour grapes.
Understandably, when the landowner returned, he held them accountable.
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Like that vineyard, the Lord has entrusted the future of Saint Pius X to us – and, understandably, he expects good results.
We have the opportunity become a spiritual home for hundreds, if not thousands of people; this can be a place where hearts are changed, and God is praised week after week.
Together, we can – and I believe will – do great things for the Lord. We are doing great things!
Consider the different ministries we have growing on the vine: Faith Formation, Outreach, Welcome and Hospitality, Beyond Soup, the SPX Café, Music, the Knights of Columbus, SPX Playtime, and so on.
This vineyard produces “good wine,” because God has given us everything we need to succeed. We have his grace, a beautiful church, generous parishioners like you, and a clear vision and mission: Building Community. Worshiping God. Making Disciples.
One day, one person at a time.
This growth has taken a village. Each of us is part of that.
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Looking around our “vineyard,” in ways might we continue producing “good wine” for God today?
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Image credits: (1) Download Youth Ministry (2) JW.org (3) Travis Agnew