News & Events
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Posted in News
October 4th 2026
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 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: That the stone rejected by the builders as become the
cornerstone and it is a marvel in our eyes. I tell you then that the
Kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will
produce its fruit.
——————————
Homily
My dear brothers and sisters, the readings for the Mass of this, the
27t Sunday of Ordinary Time, invite us to a serious reflection on
God’s intentions and actions in the world and humanity’s response. The
first reading from the prophet Isaiah using the imagery of the epoch
describes God’s action in the world as a man who planted a vineyard
with the best vines that he could find, cared for it in the best way
possible, and as he expected good fruit, built a wine press.
Unfortunately, after all his preparation his vineyard only produced
sour grapes, unfit for the special wine that he expected to produce.
The prophet then explains what the owner of the vineyard is going to
do. He is going to abandon his vineyard and let it be destroyed by
wild animals and shrubs which will in fact destroy the vineyard. The
people of Israel understood what the prophet was saying to them. God
had brought them out of slavery into freedom. God had given them the
ten commandments, which if they had accepted them and lived them would
have resulted in a return to the harmony which had been lost because
of the sin of our first parents. In spite of all that God had done for
them the Israelites would not wait on God. As soon as God took time
before answering their desires, they turned to foreign gods, made by
their own hands. This represents a significant departure from the
worship of Yahweh the one true God and is consistently condemned
throughout the sacred Scriptures. The practice of Idolatry is not only
a religious transgression but is also a violation of the covenant
relationship between God and is chosen people The practice of Idolatry
is very clearly articulated into the ten commandments given to the
newly freed Israelites. Unfortunately, despite the mercy of God the
practice of idolatry continued in various ways and various places.
Idolatry however was only one of the problems that affected the
relationship of God with his people.
The Deuteronomic code was an attempt to ensure that the social
structures of the Israelites proposed systems to ensure that all
people including the widows, the orphans, slaves and strangers could
live lives without hunger and with time to celebrate and worship
Yahweh. In spite of this code, however, there were still many
instances of injustice practiced by the Israelites. The cleansing of
the temple by Jesus is also proof that even the temple was not
accorded the respect that was its due.
The second reading from the letter of Paul to
the Philippians calls on this community, at the moment of need, to go
to Christ and to Yahweh God asking for what was needed with prayer and
thanksgiving. Paul’s words “Finally brothers and sisters, fill your
minds with everything that is true, everything that is noble,
everything that we love and honour and everything that can be thought
virtuous or worthy of praise. Keep doing all the things that you
learnt from me and have been taught by me and have heard or seen that
I do.” This prayer in the letter to the Philippians shows us the
apostles and disciples of Jesus working against the ancient practice
of seeking help from spirits which were not truly of God.
With the first and second readings as an introduction, we can
now examine what Jesus is teaching in this parable. Yahweh had
delivered his people from slavery in Egypt and was leading them to a
land rich in milk and honey. Unfortunately, sections of the people
could not wait on the time of God or on God’s preparation. They wanted
everything immediately and when that did not happen, they decided to
seek help from other gods that they had created with their own hands
and thus began a bad habit which lasted for many generations. The
prophets all leave as part of their teaching, the need to be faithful
to the God who brought them out of slavery in Egypt and brought to a
land flowing with milk and honey and food of every kind. God in fact,
using the imagery of the prophets, gave them a beautiful orchard but
God also gave them rules to ensure that the orchard was well
preserved. It was for this reason that the ten commandments were
promulgated, and the Deuteronomic code prescribed but in spite of
these developments, the social behaviors of the Israelites show signs
of degeneration. The prophets therefore call on the people to change
their ways but in vain. Jesus will ask them therefore which of the
prophets they had not killed. Two quotations of the prophet Isaah
reveal for us the degradation which was taking place among the people
whom God had chosen.
Your princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves:
everyone loves gifts [i.e., bribes], and follows rewards: they judge
not the fatherless, neither do the causes of the widow come unto them.
(Isaiah 1:23) Ah, you who are heroes in drinking wine and valiant at
mixing drinks, who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the
innocent of their rights! (Isaiah 5:22–23)
Isaiah
must remind them of what God demands: He tells them “What to me is the
multitude of your sacrifices? Says the Lord. I have had enough burnt
offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts. I do not delight in the
blood of bulls or of lambs, or of he-goats……. Bring no more vain
offerings; incense is an abomination to me—new moon and sabbath and
the calling of assemblies—- I cannot endure iniquity and solemn
assembly………was yourselves, make yourselves clean; remove the evil of
your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good;
seek justice. Correct oppression; defend the orphan and the widow. “A
proper understanding of the prophets shows us a call to return to the
harmony which was there in the beginning, and which was lost because
our first parents accepted the lie of Satan that they could be like
God.
Unfortunately, this temptation is still
active and returns in different forms throughout the history of
humanity. The annexation of tribal lands and the genocide which so
often accompanies that annexation. The wars which force refugees to
flee their countries, the rulers of nations who enter into wars
without considering the emotional, physical and material damager to
thousands and the governments who assume the authority to destroy and
end life in assisted suicides and capital punishment. These all tell
us that human beings often take to themselves attitudes and
determinations which are not of God. The result is that the harmony
and beauty of Eden is not achieved. The parable of Jesus tells us that
the owner of the vineyard sent many servants to obtain its produce. We
can translate that to mean that in the beginning in is effort to
rebuild the world of harmony destroyed by the sin of Adam, God sent
many servants, in the beginning the prophets, to teach and call
humanity back to wat God had created for them, the Garden of Eden or
we can say, a world of harmonious living. History tells us of the
fathers of the faith whose words and actions spoke of a God of love.
History also tells us of God’s choice of a people whose way of life
was meant to show all people that rejecting satan, it is possible to
regain harmonious relationships. Unfortunately, the chosen people was
also unfaithful. God therefore sent is son, the Word, Jesus Christ,
who to remove the consequences of Adam’s sin, which was eating the
fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden which he was told not to
eat, gave his life on the tree of the cross. The consequences of that
offering of himself, after his resurrection and Ascension, were very
obvious. The believers in Jesus Christ, we are told, in the Acts of
the Apostles, immediately began to live lives of total harmony. Acts
2, 43 tells us: “And fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and
signs were done through the Apostles. And all who believed were
together and had all things in common, and they sold their possessions
and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need. And day by day
attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they
partook of food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having
favor with all the people. Yes, my dear sisters and brothers, the
stone rejected by the people to whom it was given has become the
cornerstone. The problem my dear sisters and brothers is whether we
are willing to be friends of Jesus and continue the work of building a
world of harmony and establishing the kingdom of Justice, of Peace and
of Love. This is extremely important because the Kingdom of Justice,
Peace and Love is in fact the vineyard of the Lord, and you and I are
the tenants whose task it is to produce fruit for the owner of the
vineyard. As in any vineyard, one must strategize to produce fruit.
This leaves us with some questions. The first is very simple, in our
section of the vineyard are we producing fruit. The second question is
also simple, If we are producing fruit, what type of fruit are we
producing and is this the fruit that the owner of the vineyard wants.
The final question is also important. If we are not producing fruit,
what is the reason? The answer to this last question is very simple.
The study of sacred scripture, of the fathers of the church, of the
encyclical letters of recent popes, all instruct us of the ways in
which we are meant to act to produce fruit and fruit that will last.
May all of us who consider ourselves friends and disciples of Jesus
take the necessary steps to produce fruit and help others, especially
family and friends to do so as well. Our eternal future depends on our
fulfillment of this demand.
Prayer.
All powerful and ever-loving God, you are still
the owner of the vineyard which You planted in the beginning. You
still expect fruit from it, but many whom you placed to care for it,
did not do their jobs. They wanted to be the owners and betrayed you.
You have called us now and entrusted to us the task of producing fruit
and fruit that will last. We need to be good workers, workers who
think not of gaining riches for themselves but of making the vineyard
produce the fruit that You wish it to produce. Help us to understand
that your vineyard is the kingdom of Justice, of Peace and of Love.
Help us to recognize that the fruit of the Spirit is what you want
from the vineyard. This is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness,
Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-control. We ask that You
give us the strength and stamina to produce this through the
intercession of Mary, our Mother and Jesus, your son and our brother.
Amen
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 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: That the stone rejected by the builders as become the
cornerstone and it is a marvel in our eyes. I tell you then that the
Kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will
produce its fruit.
——————————
Homily
My dear brothers and sisters, the readings for the Mass of this, the
27t Sunday of Ordinary Time, invite us to a serious reflection on
God’s intentions and actions in the world and humanity’s response. The
first reading from the prophet Isaiah using the imagery of the epoch
describes God’s action in the world as a man who planted a vineyard
with the best vines that he could find, cared for it in the best way
possible, and as he expected good fruit, built a wine press.
Unfortunately, after all his preparation his vineyard only produced
sour grapes, unfit for the special wine that he expected to produce.
The prophet then explains what the owner of the vineyard is going to
do. He is going to abandon his vineyard and let it be destroyed by
wild animals and shrubs which will in fact destroy the vineyard. The
people of Israel understood what the prophet was saying to them. God
had brought them out of slavery into freedom. God had given them the
ten commandments, which if they had accepted them and lived them would
have resulted in a return to the harmony which had been lost because
of the sin of our first parents. In spite of all that God had done for
them the Israelites would not wait on God. As soon as God took time
before answering their desires, they turned to foreign gods, made by
their own hands. This represents a significant departure from the
worship of Yahweh the one true God and is consistently condemned
throughout the sacred Scriptures. The practice of Idolatry is not only
a religious transgression but is also a violation of the covenant
relationship between God and is chosen people The practice of Idolatry
is very clearly articulated into the ten commandments given to the
newly freed Israelites. Unfortunately, despite the mercy of God the
practice of idolatry continued in various ways and various places.
Idolatry however was only one of the problems that affected the
relationship of God with his people.
The Deuteronomic code was an attempt to ensure that the social
structures of the Israelites proposed systems to ensure that all
people including the widows, the orphans, slaves and strangers could
live lives without hunger and with time to celebrate and worship
Yahweh. In spite of this code, however, there were still many
instances of injustice practiced by the Israelites. The cleansing of
the temple by Jesus is also proof that even the temple was not
accorded the respect that was its due.
The second reading from the letter of Paul to
the Philippians calls on this community, at the moment of need, to go
to Christ and to Yahweh God asking for what was needed with prayer and
thanksgiving. Paul’s words “Finally brothers and sisters, fill your
minds with everything that is true, everything that is noble,
everything that we love and honour and everything that can be thought
virtuous or worthy of praise. Keep doing all the things that you
learnt from me and have been taught by me and have heard or seen that
I do.” This prayer in the letter to the Philippians shows us the
apostles and disciples of Jesus working against the ancient practice
of seeking help from spirits which were not truly of God.
With the first and second readings as an introduction, we can
now examine what Jesus is teaching in this parable. Yahweh had
delivered his people from slavery in Egypt and was leading them to a
land rich in milk and honey. Unfortunately, sections of the people
could not wait on the time of God or on God’s preparation. They wanted
everything immediately and when that did not happen, they decided to
seek help from other gods that they had created with their own hands
and thus began a bad habit which lasted for many generations. The
prophets all leave as part of their teaching, the need to be faithful
to the God who brought them out of slavery in Egypt and brought to a
land flowing with milk and honey and food of every kind. God in fact,
using the imagery of the prophets, gave them a beautiful orchard but
God also gave them rules to ensure that the orchard was well
preserved. It was for this reason that the ten commandments were
promulgated, and the Deuteronomic code prescribed but in spite of
these developments, the social behaviors of the Israelites show signs
of degeneration. The prophets therefore call on the people to change
their ways but in vain. Jesus will ask them therefore which of the
prophets they had not killed. Two quotations of the prophet Isaah
reveal for us the degradation which was taking place among the people
whom God had chosen.
Your princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves:
everyone loves gifts [i.e., bribes], and follows rewards: they judge
not the fatherless, neither do the causes of the widow come unto them.
(Isaiah 1:23) Ah, you who are heroes in drinking wine and valiant at
mixing drinks, who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the
innocent of their rights! (Isaiah 5:22–23)
Isaiah
must remind them of what God demands: He tells them “What to me is the
multitude of your sacrifices? Says the Lord. I have had enough burnt
offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts. I do not delight in the
blood of bulls or of lambs, or of he-goats……. Bring no more vain
offerings; incense is an abomination to me—new moon and sabbath and
the calling of assemblies—- I cannot endure iniquity and solemn
assembly………was yourselves, make yourselves clean; remove the evil of
your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good;
seek justice. Correct oppression; defend the orphan and the widow. “A
proper understanding of the prophets shows us a call to return to the
harmony which was there in the beginning, and which was lost because
our first parents accepted the lie of Satan that they could be like
God.
Unfortunately, this temptation is still
active and returns in different forms throughout the history of
humanity. The annexation of tribal lands and the genocide which so
often accompanies that annexation. The wars which force refugees to
flee their countries, the rulers of nations who enter into wars
without considering the emotional, physical and material damager to
thousands and the governments who assume the authority to destroy and
end life in assisted suicides and capital punishment. These all tell
us that human beings often take to themselves attitudes and
determinations which are not of God. The result is that the harmony
and beauty of Eden is not achieved. The parable of Jesus tells us that
the owner of the vineyard sent many servants to obtain its produce. We
can translate that to mean that in the beginning in is effort to
rebuild the world of harmony destroyed by the sin of Adam, God sent
many servants, in the beginning the prophets, to teach and call
humanity back to wat God had created for them, the Garden of Eden or
we can say, a world of harmonious living. History tells us of the
fathers of the faith whose words and actions spoke of a God of love.
History also tells us of God’s choice of a people whose way of life
was meant to show all people that rejecting satan, it is possible to
regain harmonious relationships. Unfortunately, the chosen people was
also unfaithful. God therefore sent is son, the Word, Jesus Christ,
who to remove the consequences of Adam’s sin, which was eating the
fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden which he was told not to
eat, gave his life on the tree of the cross. The consequences of that
offering of himself, after his resurrection and Ascension, were very
obvious. The believers in Jesus Christ, we are told, in the Acts of
the Apostles, immediately began to live lives of total harmony. Acts
2, 43 tells us: “And fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and
signs were done through the Apostles. And all who believed were
together and had all things in common, and they sold their possessions
and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need. And day by day
attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they
partook of food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having
favor with all the people. Yes, my dear sisters and brothers, the
stone rejected by the people to whom it was given has become the
cornerstone. The problem my dear sisters and brothers is whether we
are willing to be friends of Jesus and continue the work of building a
world of harmony and establishing the kingdom of Justice, of Peace and
of Love. This is extremely important because the Kingdom of Justice,
Peace and Love is in fact the vineyard of the Lord, and you and I are
the tenants whose task it is to produce fruit for the owner of the
vineyard. As in any vineyard, one must strategize to produce fruit.
This leaves us with some questions. The first is very simple, in our
section of the vineyard are we producing fruit. The second question is
also simple, If we are producing fruit, what type of fruit are we
producing and is this the fruit that the owner of the vineyard wants.
The final question is also important. If we are not producing fruit,
what is the reason? The answer to this last question is very simple.
The study of sacred scripture, of the fathers of the church, of the
encyclical letters of recent popes, all instruct us of the ways in
which we are meant to act to produce fruit and fruit that will last.
May all of us who consider ourselves friends and disciples of Jesus
take the necessary steps to produce fruit and help others, especially
family and friends to do so as well. Our eternal future depends on our
fulfillment of this demand.
Prayer.
All powerful and ever-loving God, you are still
the owner of the vineyard which You planted in the beginning. You
still expect fruit from it, but many whom you placed to care for it,
did not do their jobs. They wanted to be the owners and betrayed you.
You have called us now and entrusted to us the task of producing fruit
and fruit that will last. We need to be good workers, workers who
think not of gaining riches for themselves but of making the vineyard
produce the fruit that You wish it to produce. Help us to understand
that your vineyard is the kingdom of Justice, of Peace and of Love.
Help us to recognize that the fruit of the Spirit is what you want
from the vineyard. This is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness,
Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-control. We ask that You
give us the strength and stamina to produce this through the
intercession of Mary, our Mother and Jesus, your son and our brother.
Amen
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