The vineyard is God’s people Israel.

The owner is God. The tenants are Israel’s leaders.

The servants are the prophets. And the owner’s “beloved son” is Jesus.

The Romans captured Jerusalem and destroyed the temple.

The present evil age that God will destroy and replace with

a new world in which all things manifest God’s purposes . 

 

 St. Charles Lwanga and companions, martyrs

 ＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊    

2 Peter 1:2-7

May grace and peace abound in you,

Through the knowledge of God and of Jesus, our Lord.

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and piety. First, the knowledge of the One who called us through his own glory and Might, by which we were given the most extraordinary and precious promises. Through them, you share in the divine nature, after repelling the corruption and evil desires of this world.

 

So, strive with the greatest determination, and increase your faith, with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with moderation, moderation with constancy, constancy with piety, piety with mutual affection, mutual affection with charity.

 

Ps 91:1-2, 14-15b, 15c-16 In you, my God, I place my trust.

 

＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊      

Mark 12:1-12

Using parables, Jesus went on to say, "A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a hole for the wine press and built a watch tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenants and went abroad.

In due time, he sent a servant to receive from the tenants the fruit of the vineyard. But they seized the servant, struck him and sent him back empty-handed. Again, the man sent another servant. They also struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. He sent another, and they killed him. In the same way they treated many others: some they beat up and others they killed. One was still left, his beloved son. And so, last of all, he sent him to the tenants, for he said, 'They will respect my son.'

 

But those tenants said to one another, 'This is the one who is to inherit the vineyard. Let's kill him and the property will be ours. So they seized him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. Now, what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others."

 

And Jesus added, "Have you not read this text of the Scriptures: The stone which the builders rejected has become the keystone; this is the Lord's doing, and we marvel at it?"

They wanted to arrest him, for they realized that Jesus meant this parable for them, but they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away.

 

Gospel Reflection ：

"The One sent by the Father."

Mark's Gospel presents Jesus to be the Messiah who offered himself for the salvation of the world. However, the people surrounding Jesus, including those in his inner circle, did not know this. Consequently, there would be those who rejected Jesus' offer of redemption. In today's Gospel, Jesus narrated a parable – the parable of the wicked tenants.

 

The parable tells of a man who planted a vineyard and then leased it to tenants. But the tenants did not want to share the fruits of the vineyard when harvest time came. The wicked tenants shamed, struck, killed the servants sent by the owner of the vineyard. They also killed the son of the owner whom the owner also sent to take the fruits of the vineyard.

 

The son in Jesus' parable refers to himself as the one sent by the Father and whom the wicked tenants rejected. Jesus further explained that the stone rejected by the builders would become the keystone, and it is the Lord who did such a marvelous thing. We are merely tenants of the life entrusted to us. Whatever fruits our present life might produce must be given back to God. To do so is to accept Jesus' offer of redemption.