Bearing the Right Kind of Fruit

10-08-2017Weekly Reflection

Today’s readings focus our attention on vineyards. Isaiah’s song concerning his friend’s vineyard begins with inspiring and poetic images of an idyllic vineyard where the choicest harvest is expected. Instead, the vineyard yields wild grapes, which causes the owner to abandon it.

The psalmist cries out to God, asking that God once again take care of the vineyard, which is the house of Israel. The parable told in today’s Gospel offers a stern warning that those who commit treachery in the hopes of attaining personal wealth will be “put...to a wretched death” (Matthew 21:41).Jesus warns his listeners not to act like the murderous tenants in the vineyard. Instead, he exhorts them to produce the kind of fruit that will leadthem to the kingdom of God.