Today we hear about vineyards. Many people I know drink wine. But have you ever seen how wine is produced? You can watch a very humorous clip of Lucille Ball stomping grapes in Italy. While more modern methods of production are used, to produce a quality bottle of wine takes effort, time, and patience. They say good things come to those who wait and that is especially true with wine.
In ancient times, wine was a staple of life and even today people drink wine on special occasions (as well as daily). Wine represents a relationship and in Jesus’ parable, a very important connection between the owner and the workers. The vineyard must have been vast and quite productive because it required people to care for the harvest. The produce must have been abundant and financially profitable. But it also represented a connection between the workers and the owner. He cared for them and paid them a salary, but in the story they got greedy and figured that they could cut out the middleman (the son, the heir) so to speak and then get more money by becoming the heirs. In other words, they wanted to have the money without the work. They were not content with their station in life.
It is not a sin to be ambitious or desire more things; however, it is sinful to think that we can just take without the work. God gives us many wonderful things, but we also need to work for them. We are invited to participate in the vineyard of the Lord by doing the things that are asked of us.
And what are those things? The letter to the Philippians reminds us to think about those things that are worthy of praise and to do what we have learned and received and heard from the Lord.
This week reflect on the gifts you have received from God. How have you used them wisely?
Please keep the pilgrims going to the Holy Land in your prayers this week.
Msgr. John
