Daily Readings - Mon Jun 05 2017
Mark
1And he began to speak to them in parables. "A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country.2When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard.3And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.4Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully.5And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed.6He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'7But those tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'8And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard.9What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others.10Have you not read this Scripture: "'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;11this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?"12And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on faith, perseverance, and the ultimate justice of God. In the first reading from Tobit, we encounter a man who, despite living in exile and hardship, remains steadfast in his commitment to God and His laws. Tobit’s actions—burying the dead, caring for his fellow exiles, and trusting in God’s providence—show us a life lived in faith and compassion, even in the face of suffering and criticism. His story reminds us that our faith is not just about belief but about how we live it out in concrete acts of love and mercy.
The Gospel parable from Mark offers a stark contrast to Tobit’s fidelity. The vineyard owner, who represents God, entrusts his land to tenants who repeatedly reject and harm those he sends, including his own son. This parable is a powerful allegory for Israel’s history and humanity’s tendency to reject God’s messengers. Yet, even in the face of such rejection, the parable assures us that God’s justice will prevail. The “stone rejected by the builders” becomes the cornerstone, a reference to Jesus, who is rejected by some but exalted by God. This reminds us that God’s ways are not our ways, and His plan is always greater than our limited understanding.
Together, these readings call us to live with unwavering faith and trust in God’s plan, even when the world around us seems to reject or oppose what is good. Like Tobit, we are called to act with compassion and integrity, even in difficult circumstances. And like the parable, we are reminded that our ultimate hope lies not in human approval but in God’s justice and mercy. Let us strive to be faithful stewards of the vineyard entrusted to us, trusting that God will bring His plan to fulfillment in His time.