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Gospel: Matthew 21: 33-46
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.””
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables,
they knew that he was speaking about them.
And although they were attempting to arrest him,
they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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One of the most common teaching techniques Christ uses in the Gospels is parables. There are nearly forty of them in all.
Today’s parable is undoubtedly directed at the religious authorities of his day, whom Christ accuses of being serpentine stewards, wasting God’s grace and misleading his people.
In the parable, God is the owner; Israel is the vineyard; the servants are the prophets; and Jesus is the Son whom they will kill.
This is not only one of the most direct claims Christ makes about his identity as the Son of God, but also a clear prediction of his Passion and death.
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But what, exactly, does this parable say about God? And what does it mean for us?
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God is not a micro-manager. In the parable, God does not force himself upon the tenants of his vineyard; rather, he allows them to use – even misuse – their freedom for a time. But, in the end, he returns, holding each person accountable.
Similarly, God allows us to use – even misuse – our freedom for a time. But Christ warns us that we shall all be held accountable on the day of judgment, which begs the question:
What are we stewards of? What will we held accountable for?
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Most immediately, we are stewards of our body. As Saint Paul says, “I beg you, brothers and sisters, by the mercy of God to offer your body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God” (Romans 12:1). We care for our bodies because they are temples of the Holy Spirit.
We also stewards of our families. God holds us responsible for raising our children in the faith, as well as teaching them how to live virtuous lives.
We are stewards of this parish. We are responsible for cultivating it and making it grow.
We are stewards of this earth – as well as for all who call it home, including the poor, naked, hungry, persecuted, and forgotten.
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Lent is the perfect time for us to contemplate what type of steward we are of God’s grace and creation, particularly through the lens of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
So, what kind of steward am I?
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Image credits: (1) Getty Images, Crosswalk.com (2) JW.org. (3) Kamloops Full Gospel Tabernacle, Facebook