DEATH UNVEILS ITS UGLY FACE.

TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME. YEAR A.
October 5, 2008.
(First reading: Isaiah 5:1-7) (Psalm 80:9, 12-20)
(Second reading: Philippians 4:6-9) (Gospel reading: Matthew 21:33-43)


DEATH UNVEILS
ITS UGLY FACE.

The gospel today depicts the horrors of death, the killings perpetrated by those who are intent on appropriating for themselves the "vineyard" and its "product":

"When vintage time drew near [the owner of the vineyard] sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his product. But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned... They treated [other servants, more numerous that the first ones] in the same way. Finally... they killed [the Son of the owner of the vineyard]" (Matthew 21:34-39).

The tenants are the people who have been given the task of administering the vineyard of humanity so that it may produce fruits of peace, justice, unity and respect for human life.

When the tenants fail to live up to such task, the Lord sends his people to restore peace and justice, unity and respect for human life. But the tenants respond by seizing and killing the Lord's people. Thus, unveiling the ugly face of death.

The vineyard "will be taken away from [the murderous tenants] and given to a people that will produce its fruit". (Matthew 21:43)
In the Book of the Prophet Isaiah the Lord makes it clear that he builds his "vineyard" (our world) to be a place of peace, justice and unity: "What more was there to do for my vineyard that I had not done?" ( Isaiah 5:4); but when the Lord "looked for judgment, he saw bloodshed!", when he looked "for justice, [he saw] iniquity" (Isaiah 5:7).

Saint Paul in his Letter to the Philippians encourages us with these words: "Make your requests [for peace and justice] known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus... Then the God of peace will be with you" (Phi 4:6, 7, 9).

Today, we need to say with Psalm 80:15-16, Lord, "attend to this vine, the vine your right hand has planted", for we must rebuild our world to make it a place of peace, justice and unity among all human beings; for we must rebuild our world to make it a place where the ugly face of death is no more.