Weekly Catholic Bible Study

Oratory of Divine Love Reflection 800: Good Fruit for the Kingdom (Isaiah 5 : 1-7 ;  Philippians 4: 6-9 ; Mathew 21 : 33-34)

 

[Isaiah]

Thus says the LORD: You say, "The LORD's way is not fair!" Hear now, house of Israel: Is it my way that is unfair, Let me now sing of my friend, my friend's song concerning his vineyard. My friend had a vineyard on a fertile hillside; he spaded it, cleared it of stones, and planted the choicest vines; within it he built a watchtower, and hewed out a wine press. Then he looked for the crop of grapes, but what it yielded was wild grapes.

Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard: What more was there to do for my vineyard that I had not done? Why, when I looked for the crop of grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes? Now, I will let you know what I mean to do with my vineyard: take away its hedge, give it to grazing, break through its wall, let it be trampled! Yes, I will make it a ruin: it shall not be pruned or hoed, but overgrown with thorns and briers; I will command the clouds not to send rain upon it. The vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel,
and the people of Judah are his cherished plant; he looked for judgment, but see, bloodshed! for justice, but hark, the outcry! 

 

[Philippians]

Brothers and sisters: Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you.

 

[Matthew]

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."

 

Reflection

 

Fellow pilgrims, the readings speak about vineyards and laborers in the vineyard, which reminds us of the members of God’s kingdom, and their care of the kingdom. Many times, in the Scriptures, God’s people are figuratively referred to as the Lord’s vineyard, the fig tree, the vine in the garden, the tree planted in the vineyard, the seed, or as persons like the tenants, the workers in the vineyard, the servants waiting for their master, the bride waiting for the

bridegroom, etc. Now, this idea is demonstrated in today’s readings. For instance, the Psalm said that the vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel, whom the Lord transplanted from Egypt and drove out the nations to plant it (Ps 80). Again, we see this in the 1st reading that says: “Now let me sing of my friend, my beloved’s song about his vineyard. My friend had a vineyard on a fertile hillside… The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, the people of Judah, his cherished plant…!” (Isa 5:1-7). Equally, it is seen in Jesus’ parable about the vineyard leased to

some tenants to care for (Matt 21:33-43). 

 

Let us remember that the owner already cared for the vineyard in all possible ways: “he spaded it, cleared it of stones, and planted the choicest vines; within it he built a watchtower, and hewed out a wine press. Then he waited for the crop of grapes, but it yielded rotten grapes” (Isa 5:2). As also seen in the gospel, the owner of the vineyard prepared and equipped the vineyard which he leased to the tenants with all necessary tools and favorable conditions (Mt 21:33). However, in spite of all the care, the vineyard only bore bad fruits and not the required good fruits (Isa 5:4), as seen in the tenants negative response: “When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. But the tenants seized the servants... Again, he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way” (Matt 21: 34-36). Even when he sent his son, the tenants also killed him (Matt 21:37-39). Certainly then, the culprits are not the vine or the vineyard but the vinedressers or the tenants, as the readings expressed.

 

Now, the vine’s unproductiveness and the tenants’ inability to produce the required fruits point to all the wasted graces of God that we misused. It is like when parents have given all to their children and made tremendous sacrifices for them with regards to finances, education, health, career support, and the children waste the opportunities or ignore all the cares and end up as losers. We have received the kind and gratuitous graces of being Christians; having the Word of God, the Sacraments, the daily graces we receive from God, blessings of wonderful family, good job, formative education, special talents, good health, supportive friends and colleagues, etc. Yet,

what have we made out of these? Are we able to produce good fruits of the kingdom with the graces and gifts that God has given us out of his love to us as “new Israel”; and the vineyard of the Lord (Isa 5:7), or do we produce nothing or bitter fruits that do not help in building up God’s kingdom?

 

To help us, we must turn to God daily in prayer and petition with sincerity and trust, as St Paul said: “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God…” (Phil 4:6-7). We are also to pray for God’s grace with a thankful heart, and fill our minds with what is good, pure, lovely, right, noble and honorable (Phil 4:8-9). God will help us gain the strength to bear good fruits, and to live life marked with love and respect, in order to avoid the sad and devastating fate of the unproductive vineyard (Isa 5:5-6); or that of the wicked tenants (Matt 21: 41-43). As we know, the Lord has chosen us Christians to go and bear fruits that will remain (Jn 15:16), which is part of the commission in the 1st book of the Bible to till and care for the earth, to increase and multiply until the end (Gen 1:27-28; 2:15), when those who listened to the words of the Spirit will be allowed to eat the fruit of God’s Garden, as the last book of the Bible tells us (Rev 2:7). Thus, it is clear that the true members of God’s kingdom are those that bear the required good fruits as symbolized by the good soil, the productive fig tree, the productive vineyard, the good vine, and the responsible servants and tenants. Peace!

 

Fr. Francis Chukwuma

 

Prayer: “O Heavenly Father… help me to bear the kind of fruit that glorifies Your name… Let me bear the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance… Purify my motives and intentions; mold me into a fruit‑bearing tree that reflects Your goodness and mercy.”

 

Quote from a Saint: “Nothing whatever pertaining to godliness and real holiness can be accomplished without grace ” -- Saint Augustine

 

Questions for reflection:

1. Do you ever feel like you waste or misuse the graces that God has given you?

2. Have you ever experienced having done all of the right things only for your efforts to not yield good fruit?

3. What kind of fruit has your life produced?

4. In what ways have you produced good fruits for the kingdom?

5. Who have you seen in your Church community that has produced good fruits for the kingdom of God?

6. Do you turn to God daily in prayer?

7. Do you work to “fill our minds with what is good, pure, lovely, right, noble and honorable (Phil 4:8-9)”?

-Benjamin and Kristen Rinaldo, CfP