WORD ALIVE
In the gospel of this 27th Sunday (Matthew 21,33-43), we read Jesus' parable how the heir of the vineyard was badly treated by the tenants.
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The parable refers to the servants as the earlier prophets sent by the vineyard owner (God) to collect the harvest. But they were not only rejected but even killed. Then he sent the heir, referring to Jesus, but was also mistreated and executed outside the vineyard (referring to Jesus’ crucifixion outside Jerusalem).
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Jesus’ parable is a thinly-veiled attack against the Jewish leaders who were then plotting to kill him.
We Filipinos may not be rejecting the heir (Jesus) as evidenced by our Sunday Mass going, our prayers, and pious practices but are we “bearing fruit that yields a rich harvest?”
We can and do reject him when we do not follow his moral teachings as summed up in the 10 Commandments.
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There’s a story about a priest who was delivering a homily on the 10 commandments with much vigor and enthusiasm. “Thou shalt not kill!,” he boomed.
A charismatic parishioner, sitting in the front row, exclaimed, “Amen, Father, amen.”
“Thou shalt not steal!” the priest fulminated again. “Amen!” The parishioner practically shouted.
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With the tension rising, the preacher paused and declared, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”
“Ops, ops,” said the parishioner. “Padre hindi ka na nangangaral. Nakikialam ka na sa buhay ko!” (Father, you’ve stopped preaching. You are now meddling with my personal life!).
It’s easy to accept the commands of Christ as long as they don't contradict our will. In effect, such obedience is selective.
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To be true Christians, Jesus says in today’s gospel, “You should bear fruits of good works.”
John the Baptist, Christ messenger, said in response to the people who asked for guidance: “What must we do (Lk 3,10).
In very concrete terms, he replied, “Whoever has two shirts must give one to the man who has none, and whoever has food must share it.”
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To the tax collectors: “Don't collect more than what is legal.” To the soldiers: “No extortion; do not bully, no false charges. Be content with your pay” (read Lk 3,11).
Interestingly, these words were taught for over 20,000 years ago but deplorably they have not been put into practice.
May it not be said of us, “These people honor with their lips but their hearts are far from me.”
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This Sunday is Indigenous or Tribal Peoples’ Day. The Church invites us to become more aware of our brethren living mostly on the fringes of society — the Aetas, Igorots, Manobos, Mangyans, Tagbanuas, to mention some. We should respect their cultures and traditions, and learn from their values.
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Fr. Ewald Dinter, a German SVD missionary who has dedicated the longest part of his life working with the Mangyans in Or. Mindoro. He said that when the word “tribal” is mentioned, what is often conjured are images of illiterate, primitive people wearing G-strings.
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People do not know that in fostering their pride and human dignity, a good number of indigenous have gradually advanced in life becoming lawyers, nurses, accountants, priests, and bishops, Fr. Dinter adds.
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We are expected to remember and pray for them, the original inhabitants of the Philippines. We are also exhorted to recognize and respect their rights and to love them as our brothers and sisters.
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Generous readers. It's very inspiring how generous our readers in contributing to our “Adopt-A-Seminarian” scholarship fund. This is Christian love in action.
Seminarians are very important. Without them, we cannot have priests, missionaries, and bishops who are substituting the retiring clergymen.
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Let’s continue to help our seminarians by sharing your financial assistance. ([email protected])