Vol. 38   No. 53            OCTOBER  02, 2011               Cycle A XXVII  SUNDAY OF THE YEAR God looks to us to produce the fruits of justice, holiness and peace  ENTRANCE ANTIPHON O Lord, you have given everything its place in the world, and no one can make it otherwise. For it is your creation, the heavens and the earth and the stars; you are the Lord of all. (Est 13:9,10-11) PENITENTIAL RITE The Old testament tells us that God cared for his people, as a good gardener cares for his vineyard, and yet they failed to produce the desired fruits. We are the new people of God, the vineyard planted and cared for by Christ. God looks to us to produce the fruits of justice, holiness and peace. This is a great privilege and challenge. Unfortunately, we often fail to yield the desired fruits. Let us be sorry for our sins, especially those of omission, and ask pardon from the Lord. (Pause) I confess... Glory to God... OPENING PRAYER Father, your love for us surpasses all our hopes and desires. Forgive our failings, keep us in your peace and lead us in the way of salvation. We ask this… FIRST READING (Israel is compared to a well-cared-for vineyard which fails to produce fruits.) A reading from the Book of Isaiah    (5:1-7) Let me sing for my beloved a love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He digged it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes but it yielded wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, between me and my vineyard. What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it? When I looked for it to yield grapes why did it yield wild grapes? And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and briers and thorns shall grow up; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, a cry! This is the Word of the Lord PSALM   (79) Response: The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel. You brought a vine out of Egypt; to plant it you drove out the nations. It stretched out it branches to the sea, to the Great River it stretched out its shoots. Then why have you broken down its walls? It is plucked by all who pass by. It is ravaged by the boar of the forest, devoured by the beasts of the field. God of hosts, turn again, we implore look down from heaven and see. Visit this vine and protect it, the vine your right hand has planted. And we shall never forsake you again: give us life that we may call upon your name. God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved. SECOND READING (St Paul warns the converts at Philippi against anxiety, and advises them as to how they should live in order to enjoy the peace of God.) A reading from the Letter of St Paul to the Philippians  (4:6-9) Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you. This is the Word of the Lord ACCLAMATION Alleluia, alleluia! Your word is truth, O Lord, sanctify us in the truth. Alleluia! (Jn 17:17) GOSPEL (The parable of the wicked tenants tells of God’s goodness to His people, and of their failure to respond to it. The parable is an allegory of God’s dealing with His people.) A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Matthew   (21:33-43) Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people, “Hear another parable. There was a householder who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country. When the season of fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants, to get his fruit; and the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first; and they did the same to them. Afterward he sent his son to them, saying, “They will respect my son.” But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance’. And they took him and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.” Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes’? “Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it.” This is the Gospel of the Lord I believe in God,/the Father Almighty,/ Creator of heaven and earth./ I believe in Jesus Christ,/his only Son, our Lord./ He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit/ and born of the Virgin Mary./He suffered under Pontius Pilate,/was crucified, died, and was buried./He descended to the dead./On the third day he rose again./He ascended into Heaven,/and is seated at the right hand of the Father./He will come again to judge the living and the dead./I believe in the Holy Spirit,/the Holy Catholic Church,/the communion of saints,/the forgiveness of sins,/the resurrection of the body,/and the life everlasting./ Amen. PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL Cel: Dear brothers and sisters, let us realize that life is a gift from God. He expects us to produce good fruits in our lives. Let us turn to the merciful and compassionate God and pray that he may help us to respond to his love and work sincerely for him: Response: Lord, graciously hear our prayer. 1. We pray that our Pope, bishops and priests may be motivated to work together in promoting the Kingdom of God in and through their pastoral ministry, and in collaboration with other Christian denominations. 2. We pray that all victims of injustice and ingratitude may look up to Jesus and be healed of their wounds. 3. We pray that Christians all over the world may work to yield the good fruits of justice, unity, peace and harmony in our troubled world. 4. We pray that all those in positions of leadership may be faithful in carrying out their duties and bear much fruit in their lives. 5. We pray that all of us present in this holy assembly, may cherish the faith with which we have been blessed, and sincerely strive to be agents of change, wherever we are. (Pray for local and personal needs) Cel: Almighty God, watch over your Church with unfailing compassion. Left to ourselves we are prone to evil. By your grace turn us away from all that is wrong, and direct us into the way that is right. Help us to yield the good fruits that You rightly expect. We ask this... PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS Father, receive these gifts which our Lord Jesus Christ has asked us to offer in his memory. May our obedient service bring us to the fullness of your redemption. PREFACE  (P 32) Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord. By his birth we are reborn. In his suffering we are freed from sin. By his rising from the dead we rise to everlasting life. In his return to you in glory we enter into your heavenly kingdom. And so, we join the angels and the saints as they sing their unending hymn of praise: All: Holy, holy, holy… COMMUNION ANTIPHON The Lord is good to those who hope in him, to those who are searching for his love. (Lam 3:25) PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Almighty God, let the Eucharist we share fill us with your life. May the love of Christ which we celebrate here touch our lives and lead us to you. We ask this…   LITURGY AND LIFE Many people tried in vain to change South Africa’s iniquitous apartheid system. Finally, Nelson Mandela appeared on the scene. He too tried to bring about reforms. But like reformers before him, he was rejected. Worse, he was hounded by the government, and ended up spending twenty-seven years in prison. However, he not only survived imprison-ment, but came out of it, earning the respect of his enemies and of the entire world. Furthermore, he came out without bitterness. In fact, he came out smiling, and immediately sought reconciliation with the leaders of the regime, that kept him in prison all those years. But even greater things were to follow. The man, once rejected, was to become the President of a new multi-racial South Africa. The stone which the builders rejected, became the cornerstone of a new and better building. Nelson Mandela’s marvellous story is one of the great stories of the twentieth century. What makes it so great, is the fact that in it, good finally triumphs over evil. His only crime was to seek justice for his brothers and sisters. What was done to Mandela was evil. But in the end, good came out of this evil. A new free society emerged. Mandela’s story helps us to understand Jesus’ story of the wicked tenants in the vineyard. In the Gospel of today we have the story of wicked tenants and a good landlord. The parable is an allegory of God’s dealing with his people. The landowner is God. The vineyard is Israel. The wicked tenants are the people of Israel, but more especially the religious leaders, who had been given charge of the vineyard, by God. God had bestowed on his people, the sort of love and care which a dedicated vine dresser bestows on a vineyard. But the vineyard failed to produce the fruits of right living. God sent the prophets as his messengers one after the other. But far from listening to them, the people abused some of them and killed others. Finally He sent His Son and Heir—Jesus. But the tenants killed him, in the hope of taking over the vineyard themselves. What the tenants did was ugly and sinful. Yet God did not abandon or destroy the vineyard. He handed it over to others, who would produce fruit, thus a new building came into being—the new people of God. Jesus, the one they rejected and killed, is the cornerstone of this new building (the Church). God was not vindictive in taking the vineyard from the Jews and giving it to the Gentiles. The tenants brought it on themselves. God never gave up on his people. Just as the rain ensures that the earth become fruitful, so God persists until he gets a response. The parable shows us that there is only one way to overcome evil, and that is with good. God does not allow evil to have the last say. In the end good triumphs. No one can say that Jesus didn’t live in the real world. He did. He experienced its ugliness himself. But he did not answer it with more ugliness. He triumphed over evil. He has become a model for all those who suffer unjustly for the cause of right. And he challenges us, his followers, the tenants of the new vineyard (the Church), to produce the fruits of justice, love and peace. Are we as disciples and as a Church fulfilling our obligations today? What kind of harvest are we bringing forth? If we are fulfilling our mission as Jesus wants us to, why are we losing so many members, especially so many of the younger ones? What God wants of us as a Church today is a growing awareness of a world in need of Christ. God wants us to know that we are a people on a mission, that of showing forth Christ in our lives and attitudes. The Church is a Sacrament of God’s love to the whole world, and each one of us is a Sacrament as well. —Flor McCarthy, sdb    October  2011              READINGS  OF  THE  WEEK              Psalter Week  3 03 Mon (G) Jon 1:1 – 2:1-2. 11/ Jon 2:3.4.5.8/ Lk 10:25-37 04 Tue (W) St Francis of Assisi, (Brotherhood Day) Jon 3:1-10/ Ps 130:1b-2.3-4ab.7-8/ Lk 10:38-42 05 Wed (W) St Faustina Kowalska, Jon 4:1-11/ Ps 86:3-4 5-6. 9-10/ Lk 11:1-4 06 Thu (W) St Bruno, Mal 3:13-20b/ Ps 1:1-2.3.4 and 6/ Lk 11:5-13 07 Fri (W) Our Lady of the Rosary, Jl 1:13-15;2:1-2/ Ps 9:2-3.6.16.8-9/ Lk 11:15-26 08 Sat (G) Joel 4:12-21/ Ps 97:1-2. 5-6. 11-12/ Lk 11:27-28