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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