READING OF THE DAY First reading from the Book of Isaiah IS 5:1-7
Let me now sing of my friend, my friend's song concerning his vineyard. My friend had a vineyard on a fertile hillside; he spaded it, cleared it of stones, and planted the choicest vines; within it he built a watchtower, and hewed out a wine press. Then he looked for the crop of grapes, but what it yielded was wild grapes.
Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard: What more was there to do for my vineyard that I had not done? Why, when I looked for the crop of grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes? Now, I will let you know what I mean to do with my vineyard: take away its hedge, give it to grazing, break through its wall, let it be trampled! Yes, I will make it a ruin: it shall not be pruned or hoed, but overgrown with thorns and briers; I will command the clouds not to send rain upon it. The vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his cherished plant; he looked for judgment, but see, bloodshed! for justice, but hark, the outcry!
Second reading from the second letter of St. Paul to the Philippians 2PHIL 4:6-9
Brothers and sisters: Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY From the Gospel according to Matthew MT 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 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."
WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER In order to make us understand how God the Father responds to the rejection of his love and his proposal of an alliance, the Gospel passage puts a question on the lips of the owner of the vineyard: “When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” (v. 40). This question emphasizes that God’s disappointment at the wicked behaviour of mankind is not the last word! This is the great novelty of Christianity: a God who, even though disappointed by our mistakes and our sins, does not fail to keep his Word, does not give up and, most of all, does not seek vengeance! My brothers and sisters, God does not avenge himself. God loves, he does not avenge himself. He waits for us to forgive us, to embrace us. (Angelus, 8 October 2017)
S. FAUSTI - "The stone that the builders have discarded has become a cornerstone," Jesus says to the leaders of the people. He thus declares what His power is and where it comes from. It is that of the "discarded stone" which has become the "cornerstone", that of the Crucified and Risen Son. The cross, foolishness and weakness for the wise and powerful, is the wisdom and power of God who saves man, destroying his delirious death. Jesus is the Messiah who comes in the name of the Lord, because He comes on the donkey. What He is rejected for is the very power of God who, in the end, will be recognized by those who crucify Him. This power, which the Son has always had in heaven, is given to Him on earth by those who reject Him, by the lords of the temple and the people, who do not know the Lord of Glory. They blindly unleash their violence of death against Him. And He makes Himself their Savior and their Lord, because He absorbs their evil without returning it, thus revealing who is God and who is man according to His image. The narration tells the interweaving of our infidelity and His fidelity. His coming to meet us and our refusal. The tug-of-war between the power of man, which is destructive and self-destructive violence, and that of God, who is Love stronger than death. The story begins by describing God's care for His vineyard. He manifests His love with facts, so that we understand Him and can make that fruit that makes us similar to Him. The multiplication of His gestures of goodness corresponds to a crescendo of our wickedness. We systematically beat and kill the prophets who call us to produce the desired fruit. To the obstinacy of His Love corresponds the ever thicker wall of our rejection! In the end, the Father sends the Son. Right in front of Him, the intention that we were brooding over Him comes to the fore: to kill Him in order to kidnap His inheritance. The listeners, questioned by Jesus, respond by saying that the crime is worthy of the most severe condemnation. But the Lord gives another interpretation: the refusal of the leaders will be the beginning of a new people, and the discarded stone will be tested on the corner of the new temple. The leaders of the people finally understand that there is talk about them, and they are going to do what Jesus has just said. Jesus, the Son of man despised and killed outside the walls, is the discarded stone that becomes the cornerstone. It is the Son who gives us the inheritance, it is the Pontiff who unites the Father to the brothers and sisters and between them. His Cross reveals the destructiveness of our violence and the strength of His Love. This is the wonderful work of God: Our misery brings out His mercy.
READING OF THE DAY
RispondiEliminaFirst reading from the Book of Isaiah
IS 5:1-7
Let me now sing of my friend,
my friend's song concerning his vineyard.
My friend had a vineyard
on a fertile hillside;
he spaded it, cleared it of stones,
and planted the choicest vines;
within it he built a watchtower,
and hewed out a wine press.
Then he looked for the crop of grapes,
but what it yielded was wild grapes.
Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard:
What more was there to do for my vineyard
that I had not done?
Why, when I looked for the crop of grapes,
did it bring forth wild grapes?
Now, I will let you know
what I mean to do with my vineyard:
take away its hedge, give it to grazing,
break through its wall, let it be trampled!
Yes, I will make it a ruin:
it shall not be pruned or hoed,
but overgrown with thorns and briers;
I will command the clouds
not to send rain upon it.
The vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel,
and the people of Judah are his cherished plant;
he looked for judgment, but see, bloodshed!
for justice, but hark, the outcry!
Second reading from the second letter of St. Paul to the Philippians
2PHIL 4:6-9
Brothers and sisters:
Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters,
whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is just, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious,
if there is any excellence
and if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things.
Keep on doing what you have learned and received
and heard and seen in me.
Then the God of peace will be with you.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Matthew
MT 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 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."
WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER
RispondiEliminaIn order to make us understand how God the Father responds to the rejection of his love and his proposal of an alliance, the Gospel passage puts a question on the lips of the owner of the vineyard: “When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” (v. 40). This question emphasizes that God’s disappointment at the wicked behaviour of mankind is not the last word! This is the great novelty of Christianity: a God who, even though disappointed by our mistakes and our sins, does not fail to keep his Word, does not give up and, most of all, does not seek vengeance! My brothers and sisters, God does not avenge himself. God loves, he does not avenge himself. He waits for us to forgive us, to embrace us. (Angelus, 8 October 2017)
S. FAUSTI - "The stone that the builders have discarded has become a cornerstone," Jesus says to the leaders of the people. He thus declares what His power is and where it comes from.
RispondiEliminaIt is that of the "discarded stone" which has become the "cornerstone", that of the Crucified and Risen Son. The cross, foolishness and weakness for the wise and powerful, is the wisdom and power of God who saves man, destroying his delirious death.
Jesus is the Messiah who comes in the name of the Lord, because He comes on the donkey. What He is rejected for is the very power of God who, in the end, will be recognized by those who crucify Him.
This power, which the Son has always had in heaven, is given to Him on earth by those who reject Him, by the lords of the temple and the people, who do not know the Lord of Glory.
They blindly unleash their violence of death against Him. And He makes Himself their Savior and their Lord, because He absorbs their evil without returning it, thus revealing who is God and who is man according to His image.
The narration tells the interweaving of our infidelity and His fidelity.
His coming to meet us and our refusal. The tug-of-war between the power of man, which is destructive and self-destructive violence, and that of God, who is Love stronger than death.
The story begins by describing God's care for His vineyard. He manifests His love with facts, so that we understand Him and can make that fruit that makes us similar to Him.
The multiplication of His gestures of goodness corresponds to a crescendo of our wickedness. We systematically beat and kill the prophets who call us to produce the desired fruit.
To the obstinacy of His Love corresponds the ever thicker wall of our rejection!
In the end, the Father sends the Son.
Right in front of Him, the intention that we were brooding over Him comes to the fore: to kill Him in order to kidnap His inheritance.
The listeners, questioned by Jesus, respond by saying that the crime is worthy of the most severe condemnation.
But the Lord gives another interpretation: the refusal of the leaders will be the beginning of a new people, and the discarded stone will be tested on the corner of the new temple.
The leaders of the people finally understand that there is talk about them, and they are going to do what Jesus has just said.
Jesus, the Son of man despised and killed outside the walls, is the discarded stone that becomes the cornerstone. It is the Son who gives us the inheritance, it is the Pontiff who unites the Father to the brothers and sisters and between them.
His Cross reveals the destructiveness of our violence and the strength of His Love.
This is the wonderful work of God:
Our misery brings out His mercy.