Friday, September 29, 2017

1Reflection for Sunday, October 8; Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time; Matthew 21:33-43


Gospel: Matthew 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 wret-ched men to a wret-ched 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."
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Reflection:
A corrupt leader stole millions from the people whom he was serving. When he was not in power anymore a righteous leader replaced him and this new leader initiated investigations to unearth the many corruptions of the former greedy leader. Eventually the long arm of the law caught up with this corrupt leader and he was imprisoned.

Every now and then we also see arrogant and dictatorial leaders who manipulate their people with false promises and deception.  They do this for the reason that they want to perpetuate themselves in power.  They cannot give up power because of their greed for it; they cannot let go until they’re forced out by the supreme power of God coursed thru the people. 

In the gospel we see the greed of the tenants; they were given everything that they would need as they grow the plants in the vineyard. When it was harvest time they did not give the share of the landowner they instead killed the emissaries sent to them.  Even the son of the landowner they killed; what a display of extreme greed! What eventually happened to the greedy tenants? They died, the vineyard was taken from them and it was given to those who were not greedy.

Our insatiable appetite for the things of this world like money, power, sex, possessions and the like will bring us nothing but damnation. Anything that we possess thru our greed will eventually be taken from us.

Just look at the countless dictators that were violently forced out of their power because of their greed for it. Just look at the many corrupt government officials who are being chased by so many cases filed against them.

We must learn how to share, we must become generous and we must not be corrupt or greedy for we are mere tenants of this world. When we die God will ask us to account of the things that He entrusted to us.

He will ask us: Were you able to share? Were you generous? And were you not corrupt or greedy? – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

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