REFLECTIONS TODAY
Our readings today contain two stories on envy and greed. In the First Reading, the 11 brothers were envious of Joseph being their father’s favorite and so threw him in a cistern and then sold him to the Midianite traders. This caused their father Jacob so much sorrow.
In the Gospel parable, the tenants killed the landowner’s servants, and even his son and heir to acquire his inheritance. Why do we envy? We envy, not because this is natural to us, but because we want to seize what we actually do not have. We think that acquiring so much increases our satisfaction. Despite God’s overflowing grace, we still desire more until we are already vying to become gods ourselves.
Our Responsorial Psalm (105 ) says, “Remember the marvels the Lord has done.”
If we just open our hearts, there is no need to be envious of others. We need only to appreciate the small and great things God provides for us. Let us avoid greed which is an excessive desire to acquire or possess more than what we need or deserve.
Gospel • Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46
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.”
Source: “365 Days with the Lord 2025,” St. Paul’s, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; E-mail: publishing@stpauls.ph; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.