Have you ever had someone entrust something precious to you? It could be a friend who asked you to watch his house while he was away on a trip, someone who let you borrow her car or a family member who lent you jewelry for a party you were going to.
How did you treat those precious articles which were entrusted to your care? Were you not even more careful with them than you would have been with your own property? When your friend came back from vacation, did you not make sure the house was even cleaner than when he left and the refrigerator was restocked with food? When you returned the car, did you not make sure it had a full tank of gas? And when you were done wearing the jewelry that you borrowed, did you not make sure to return it as soon as possible?
What would have happened if we did not take care of the things people lent us? What if the friend came home to find his house in disarray and furniture broken? What if we returned the car with dents in the fender and the gas needle on empty? What if we kept the expensive jewelry rather than return it? We would be showing our family and friends that we are not trustworthy. Not only would we ruin any possibility of being able to borrow those items again, but we would be damaging our relationships with those who are close to us. Our actions would show that we do not really value their friendship and have no respect for their property.
In today’s gospel, Jesus tells the parable of some men who were given something precious to take care of - a vineyard. Jesus goes into great detail describing the lengths to which the owner went to build the vineyard - not only planting the vines but putting a hedge around it, digging out a wine press and building a tower. However, those he lent it to did not show as much care. Rather than appreciate that they were simply managing it until the owner returned, they began to see the vineyard as their own property. They believed they had a right to the produce and did not have to share anything with the one who sacrificed to build the vineyard in the first place. Even worse, they killed all those who came to claim the vineyard and its produce from them. The actions of the tenants were a terrible insult to the landowner.
Jesus uses the parable to teach the religious leaders of His day a lesson. God had given them authority to teach the people the Law and to lead them in the ways of righteousness. However, they used that authority to create comfortable lives for themselves, to take advantage of others and to secure positions of power. Rather than serve the people, they served themselves. Now Jesus warns them that, unless they change, their authority will be taken away from them.
Jesus’ parable is not only meant for the religious leaders of His day, but for us who gather here to worship. What can we take away from His words? What has God entrusted to our care and how does He expect us to put it to use?
One gift we have all received from God is the gift of faith. We are here today because we believe. We have had an experience of the Heavenly Father’s love for us and His action in our lives. Faith is a pure gift. There is nothing we can do to earn it. All we can do is receive it with gratitude. However, this gift of faith is not given to us only so that we can have a comfortable life. Rather, it is given to us to share with others.
There are many in this world, including our family and friends, who do not have the light of faith to guide them. Rather than trust in God, they are consumed with fear and worry. Without the word of God to guide them, they are constantly making poor choices that ruin their relationships and their health. When they realize that they need to make a change in their lives, they have no idea whom to turn to for help. They are truly lost.
It is up to us who have this gift of faith to share it with others. We must always be willing to witness to them about what our faith means to us and how Jesus has changed our lives. It does not mean preaching to others about how wrong they are. Rather it is about showing through our kind words and actions that God has the power to change us for the better. It means putting away the fear that we will be judged or made fun of and sharing freely with others the power that comes when we put our lives in God’s hands.
Faith is a gift that God has entrusted to us, and He expects us to use it to help others.
Another gift we have received from our Heavenly Father is this parish community. Have you ever thought about our parish as a gift? We are here in this building today because of the sacrifices of generations of believers who came before us. They are the ones who donated their time to teach catechism. They are the people who sacrificed their savings to build this church brick by brick. We have inherited this beautiful parish from them. It has been entrusted to us to pass on to another generation of believers.
With this in mind we must ask ourselves, is our parish making a real and positive contribution to our neighborhood? Are we working hard to ensure that this vineyard which others have planted will continue to produce good fruit for years to come? Through our sacrifices, prayers and good works, will we be passing on a parish that is even more close knit, more faithful and stronger than the parish our parents entrusted to us? What can we do to make sure that happens?
We could go on and on describing all the gifts we have received from God and how He expects us to put them to use for His glory and for the good of those around us. God has given us the gift of faith and this parish community. He has entrusted them to our care. When He returns to collect them from us, what kind of shape will they be in? Will He find that we have put them to good use or will He find that we have neglected them? Will He find that we worked to serve others or that we used His gifts to make comfortable lives for ourselves? Those are questions we should be asking ourselves everyday if we want God’s continual blessings in our lives and if we want to be able to stand before Him on the day of our judgment secure that we will be returning in good shape what He lent to us.
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