HOMILY OF 9TH MONDAY IN ORDINARY TIME — YEAR A
HOMILY OF 9TH MONDAY IN ORDINARY TIME — YEAR A
HOMILY THEME: THE UNGRATEFUL SERVANTS
BY: Fr. Mike Lagrimas
2 Pet. 1: 2-7, Ps. 91, Mark 12: 1-12
Jesus began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and left on a journey. At the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants to obtain from them some of the produce of the vineyard. But they seized him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent them another servant. And that one they beat over the head and treated shamefully. He sent yet another whom they killed. So, too, many others; some they beat, others they killed. He had one other to send, a beloved son. He sent him to them last of all, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they seized him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. What [then] will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come, put the tenants to death, and give the vineyard to others.”
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The Jews were the Chosen People of God. They were the favorites of God. God cared for them with love. He is the owner of the vineyard who made sure it is being cared for. So He appointed tenants to take care of the vineyard, the people of Israel. These tenants were the leaders of the Jewish people: the priests, Pharisees and the scribes. But these tenants were not faithful to God. They did not listen to the messengers sent by God, the prophets. In fact, all the prophets were killed. Finally, God sent the final messenger, His own Son, Jesus. But they also killed Him on the cross. As a result, the vineyard was taken away from the unfaithful tenants and given to others.
This parable is a concise account of the history of God’s People. The first Chosen People were the Jews. They lost favor with God. They are not anymore God’s favorites. They lost their Temple, and they were scattered all over the world without any nation. They came back to re-establish their country, but it is not the same Jewish nation anymore. The real Israel has been obliterated from the map of the world. God has taken away all their privileges as a Chosen People because they have not been faithful to the covenant, and even rejected and killed the Son of God.
We belong to the Church established by Jesus on the foundation of the Apostles. We are now the New People of God. But what happened to the Jews should serve as a strong warning to us. Let us not follow their mistakes. Rather, with sincere humility and gratitude, let us fulfill our duties and follow God’s commandments faithfully. This will make us, not only members of His People, but also inheritors of His Kingdom.
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