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HOMILIES

My name is Cletus Chukwudi Imo. I hail from Ahiara, Imo State, Nigeria. I was ordained for Ahiara Diocese on July 13, 1991 by Bishop Victor Chikwe of Ahiara Diocese. As a priest, I have served in the Diocese as a pastor in some parishes, teacher and formator in the Seminary, Vocation Director, Religious Education Director and Chaplain of Catechists' Association.

Presently, I am a Student of Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, and I am resident at St. Peter and St. Paul Church, Alta Loma in San Bernardino Diocese. As one who believes in the Gospel "as the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith" (Romans 1:16), I give the Bible a special place in my homilies as a faith instrument for a good quality of Christian life.

HOMILY FOR THE TWENTY SEVENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR A THE PARABLE OF THE VINEYARD

The parable about the vineyard has something to tell us about the Jews, whom Isaiah calls the vineyard of the Lord. “The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel” (Isaiah 5:7). The vineyard stories from Isaiah and the gospel have something in common. In Isaiah, it is the vineyard itself that produces “wild grapes” instead of the crop the owner dreamed of and worked for. So it will be ‘trampled’ and ‘overgrown’ with thorns. In the gospel, those to whom the owner leased the vineyard destroyed the dream. So the owner will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants. In both passages the right or reward of the owner was not met and consequently the failed vineyard in Isaiah and evildoers in the gospel came to a bad end.

As a matter of fact, the two passages refer first and foremost to the Jews. As a nation God prospered them, singled them out as a great and theocratic nation among all the nations of the world. He built his protection around them and made them the light of the Nations and unbeatable in wars. But unfortunately they took all these for granted and enjoyed their blessings in disobedience to God’s commandments, exhibited lack of appreciation and accountability. When God sent them prophets to remind them of his covenant with them, they killed them. This is what Jesus meant when he recalled during his ministry: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets, and stones those who are sent to her! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!” (Matt 23:37). Finally when God sent his only son, Jesus Christ, they did not respect him but killed him by crucifiction.

From the passage we can summarize the sins of this people to be failure to bear the right fruits (make progress) and lack of accountability for the pastoral and prophetic efforts put in to transform and save them; and ingratitude to God for the life and salvation given them which they showed by killing the mesengers of God who came to harvest their response to establishing the Kingdom of God on earth. According to Isaiah the owner of the vineyard looked for judgment, but see bloodshed! For justice, but hark, the outcry!” (Is 5:7). The message here is that it is not enough to be a child of God but a functional and progressive one. Relationship with God abhors redundancy and unfruitfulness. God wants us to be fruitful and this is what he means when he says “Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance” (Matt 3:8). It is the fruits we bear that distinguish us from one to another as saints and sinners, as practicing and non-practicing Christians, as either cold or hot.

Again, as we observed, the tenants did not exhibit any sense of accountability. But God wants us to be responsible and accountable. He wants us to be able to give account of all that he has given to us in life. No one has right to live his or her life anyhow. This is what he means when he says in the gospel passage that “when vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce” but the tenants were not able to give account. Instead, they killed those sent to them and doubled their crimes.

We too, as people created in the image of God, endowed with gifts and talents and redeemed with the death of Jesus on the Cross, are expected to be appreciative, bear good fruits and be responsible and accountable. Unfortunately some of us abuse our privileges by using our God given gifts and talents to fight one another, live in sin and disobedience to God’s commandments and lack appreciation.

The Church wants us to be conscious of the fact that in the vineyard stories from Isaiah and the gospel, the evildoers came to a bad end for failing to live up to expectation.

This will be the lot of all who fail to obey God and respect his will; those who fail to show appreciation and to bear fruit that befits their identity as Christians. As Paul puts it in the second reading, let us be up and doing in good work, then the God of peace will be with us (Phil 4:9).