Sunday, October 8, 2023 – Mt 21:33-43 – 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
“Care for Creation”
God has given each of us an amazing gift: our lives, our faith, and the beautiful world that is our common home. So today I ask: Where is your vineyard? That is, where are you planted as a disciple of Jesus Christ—and what fruit is your life bearing for God, for your neighbors, and for creation?
In today’s first reading, the prophet Isaiah describes God’s people as a vineyard. God has carefully tended it, hoping it would bear good fruit. But instead of justice and righteousness, the vineyard produces violence and cries of distress. The image invites us to ask whether our lives and communities are producing the fruits God desires. The vineyard belongs to God; it is not ours to exploit. You and I are entrusted with its care.
Pope Francis called for this Season on Care for Creation which we are in. hat care includes the earth itself. In the beginning, God entrusted the garden to humanity “to till and keep it”—to cultivate it and protect it. Care for creation is an integral part of living our Christian faith. It is because the world is God’s gift, and our choices affect our neighbors, especially the poor and vulnerable, and generations yet to come.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells of tenants who forget that the vineyard belongs to its owner. They act as though everything exists for their own benefit, and they reject the messengers sent to call them back to their responsibility. The parable speaks first of Israel’s leaders and their rejection of God’s messengers and, finally, of the Son. But it also asks something of us: Do we receive what God has entrusted to us with gratitude and responsibility, or do we use it only for ourselves? The vineyard can bear good fruit when we care for what is entrusted to us and offer its fruits in service of others.
As Christians, we stand for the dignity of all persons as we are a creation by God. Human dignity and care for creation belong together. We are to protect the earth while working for the dignity and well-being of all.
How do we begin? Saint Paul gives us a place to start in today’s second reading: prayer. He says, “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.” Prayer helps us see the world not merely as something useful to us, but as a gift that can lead our hearts to its Creator. Pope Leo has urged Christians to make time to contemplate creation and to let that contemplation lead to a renewed commitment to care for it.
A life of prayer should also lead to action. We might begin by giving thanks for the beauty of creation: the sunlight through the trees, the rain that nourishes the land, the food on our table. And then we can ask: What is one practical way I can care better for what God has entrusted to me? Perhaps it is wasting less, using resources more thoughtfully, caring for a garden or a local green space, or supporting efforts that protect people and the natural world. Small acts of care, joined to the efforts of others, can become seeds of justice and hope.
Let us respect the life God has given us, and let us care for the vineyard he has entrusted to us. Let us put God first through prayer, and let that prayer shape how we treat our neighbors and creation. May our lives bear good fruit: justice, gratitude, generosity, and care. Then we will help make the vineyard a place where all God’s children—and generations to come—can share in the gifts he has given. Amen.