Discussion Questions
First Reading 1
Isaiah 5:1-7
1. “What more was there to do for my vineyard that I had not done?” Could we have done anything to prevent discrimination? What could we have done to prevent global warming? What can we do now to rectify other wrongs? Might these crises be comparable to the “wild grapes” Isaiah sings about in his friend’s vineyard?
2. What are some things you could do if you discover that all the “grapes” in your spiritual garden were all turning out small or sickly?
Second Reading 2
Philippians 4:6-9
1. How do you feel about the God of peace standing guard over your mind and heart? What does St. Paul say takes the place of anxiety and the worries? Are his words true for you?
2. What would happen to anxieties in the world right now (e.g. global warming, gun violence, immigration, racial injustice) if all people embraced whatever is true, whatever is honorable, or just, or pure, or lovely, or gracious, … anything worthy of praise?
Gospel
Matthew 21:33-43
1. Who are God’s messengers right now? What changes in society do they advocate? How can you somehow be God’s envoy in your community, work, Church or the world? Will you move toward necessary changes in society?
2. What does Pope Francis say is the “new wine” in the Lord’s vineyard?
[My brothers and sisters, God does not avenge himself. God loves. … He waits for us to forgive us, to embrace us. Through the “rejected stones”—and Christ is the first stone that the builders rejected—through situations of weakness and sin, God continues to circulate “the new wine” of his vineyard, namely mercy. This is the new wine of the Lord’s vineyard: mercy. …
The urgency of replying with good fruits to the call of the Lord, who asks us to become his vineyard, helps us understand what is new and original about the Christian faith. It is not so much the sum of precepts and moral norms but rather, it is first and foremost a proposal of love which God makes through Jesus and continues to make with mankind. It is an invitation to enter into this love story, by becoming a lively and open vine, rich in fruits and hope for everyone. A closed vineyard can become wild and produce wild grapes. We are called to leave this vineyard to put ourselves at the service of our brothers and sisters who are not with us, in order to shake each other and encourage each other, to remind ourselves that we must be the Lord’s vineyard in every environment, even the more distant and challenging ones.
Angelus 27th Sun
Oct 8, 2017
Anne Osdieck
**From Saint Louis University