What a warning from Jesus not to presume that we have ‘God under control, or to take God for granted’!
In the Gospel parable of today, the Jewish leaders did just that.
However, the warning against getting too smug is also given to us. We can tend to ‘tame’ God, ‘tame’ the Gospel.
We cannot just sit on the fence; we cannot just have business as usual and grow spiritually at the same time!
Always choosing what is comfortable and easy is not helpful to growth.
God loves us unconditionally and wants nothing but the best for us.
When we are ‘producing fruit’ we grow and be the person that we are meant to be. Jesus was rejected by the Jewish leaders. We can also expect to receive rejection by the values of this world. The Gospel message can be very challenging.
I remember Archbishop Hélder Câmara saying ‘When I feed the poor, they call me a Saint. When I ask why the poor are poor, they call me a communist’!
I heard people calling Pope Francis a Marxist recently because he was asking world leaders and countries at the United Nations to be less self-centred and more caring and sharing in a global way.
It is amazing how some can pick and choose from the Gospel. Of course, it is a temptation that we can all fall into.
The second reading invites us to fill our minds with everything that is noble, good, and pure; everything that we love and honour; and everything that can be thought virtuous and worthy of praise.
The practice of choosing good and not just what is easy, helps to build us up spiritually.
Seeking God’s Will in our lives, and trying to live by the Gospel, can develop good habits in our lives.
Our peace comes from choosing the good and being in harmony with God.
In the Gospel, self-contentedness and personal gain blinded the ‘bad’ tenants.
We find ourselves when we are generous when we love and give ourselves in loving service.
