This Sunday I found the lectionary readings to be very powerful, challenging and beautiful.  The first reading from Isaiah chapter 5 is the song of the vineyard and it prepares us for the gospel parable that Jesus tells about the tenants of the master’s vineyard.  The first element of these readings that struck me was: how are we to understand the vineyard, what and where is this vineyard that the Lord has planted?  The gospel parable seems to relate the vineyard to the Kingdom of God (after the dialogue about the parable, Jesus says that “the kingdom of God will be taken away from you”).  Often when we think about the kingdom of God we think of a far away kingdom in some other world, most likely heaven.  Jesus has told us in the beginning of his ministry that there is a need for repentance and preparation because the kingdom of God is at hand.  The kingdom of God is near, even now among us, even within our own hearts.  We are also told by Isaiah that the vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.  The vineyard is composed of those who believe and follow the Lord.  The vineyard is the community of believers, the Church.

There are two movements offered in our reflection upon the vineyard.  The first movement is the movement of God’s grace and gifts.  God has created a beautiful vineyard that has everything we need to produce the finest fruit that can become the finest wine.  The vines have been planted and all the elements of a wonderful vineyard have been provided.  How marvelous is the work of God’s grace in our lives!  Now, we can’t make the fruit grow or affect its sweet taste but what we are called to do is to cultivate the vineyard.  Our second movement is the work that we do to produce good fruit in the vineyard.  The work that is entrusted to us is the work of cultivation.  If we cultivate the vines and provide a favorable environment for them to thrive then they will grow and will yield their fruit.  We need to cultivate the gifts that God has given to us and allow them to bear fruit.  Within the Church community we need to cultivate good relationships among all people and be good stewards of God’s gifts.

I think that the vineyard of the Lord can be seen also as the “domestic church”, our marriages and our families are vineyards that are gifts of God’s grace and that need to be cultivated.  Our own interior life is also a vineyard, a grace filled place, a dwelling place of God’s Spirit, that needs to be cultivated.  The work of cultivation extends to all of these areas in our lives.

Our reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians (4:6-9) instructs us on methods of cultivating the interior vineyard of our hearts and minds.  The first challenge is to “Have no anxiety at all.”  Anxiety destroys the good fruit of our lives and replaces it with “sour grapes”.  We are called through prayer and petitions, with thanksgiving, to make our requests known to God.  In our interior lives we need to cultivate a deep sense of peace.  The hedge that surrounds the vineyard and protects us is the peace of God.  “The peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”  The hedge of peace will guard us from anxiety, fear and despair.  How beautiful it would be to surround ourselves with the peace of God!  Paul goes on to give us more methods of cultivation: “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.”  We cultivate the vineyard of the Lord by thinking of good, true and beautiful things.

God has blessed and graced us with beautiful things in our lives.  We need to cultivate these beautiful gifts so that they bear fruit.  Most importantly we need to cultivate the good relationships in our lives – our family ties and the friendships that nourish us.  If we take the time and discipline to train our minds and hearts to think of good things and be grateful then we will bear good fruit in our lives, the fruit of a deep, interior peace.  If we neglect the vineyards of our lives or if we choose to think about vicious, vengeful, selfish, self-serving things, ways in which we are entitled and what is owed to us then we will bear the sour grapes of wrath, violence and division in our lives.

Lord, help me to cultivate the gifts of grace that you have blessed me with in the beautiful vineyard of my priestly vocation.  Help me to cultivate an interior peace and trust you with the difficult and challenging events of my life.  Guard my heart and mind with your peaceful Spirit.  May my life bear good fruit and become a fine wine of delight that glorifies you.  May I rejoice always in your love and presence and may this joy be a compelling witness of faith.