I will sing to my friend the song of his love for his vineyard. My friend had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stones, and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in the middle of it, and also hewed out a winepress in it. And he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes…
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
ISAIAH 5:1-7
I will sing to my friend the song of his love for his vineyard.
My friend had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stones, and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in the middle of it, and also hewed out a winepress in it. And he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.
Now then, inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard: What more could have been done for my vineyard that I have not done for it? I expected it to yield grapes. Why did it yield wild grapes?
Now, then, I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will remove its hedge, and it will be consumed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled. I will make it a wasteland; it will not be pruned or hoed, but briars and thorns will grow there. I will also command the clouds not to rain on it.
For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting. He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry.
It is exactly the same line of message as the Gospel. Let us just point out that Isaiah shows God’s work for his vineyard as a continuous act of love. And love is works, God’s works for his people. What God expects from his people is that they respond on the same plane, with the love of works.
But the people do not respond. We are in the times of King Jotham (739-734 BC), and in Israel there are terrible social injustices, exploitation of the poor by the rich, forgetfulness of the Law and of fidelity to Yahweh.
Isaiah’s preaching oscillates between the proclamation of God’s love for his people, the urgency of conversion, and the threat of the disasters that will befall the people.
PHILIPPIANS 4:6-9
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
A magnificent text that needs no explanation. We could repeat it over and over again as a vocal prayer, and commune with that desire for integral holiness that seems to animate the early communities.
José Enrique Galarreta, S.J.