The passage today from Isaiah is a tough one. Like Jesus’ parable,
it deals with corruption. Isaiah’s passage deals with the corruption of the
institution whereas Jesus’ parable deals with the corruption of people within
the institution. Isaiah’s passage and Jesus parable aren't about other people.
It’s about all of us and how corruption enters into the vineyard and how each
of us consciously or unconsciously participates in that corruption.
Religion and churches don’t start out corrupt, but, history
has shown over time that churches, synagogues, mosques and temples inevitably
have to deal with bad grapes. What causes a bad harvest? What causes corruption
in the institution? How is it that good
people do bad things?
Corruption enters the vineyard when people seek ways to
damage, hurt destroy and eventually kill anyone or anything that would threaten
their power base. Group behavior like
this is not surprising if we look at the behavior of spousal abusers. When an
abusive spouse feels that he or she has lost their grip on their victim, they
become even more cruel. Abusers will
attack not only their victims but also helpers.
They may even claim that they themselves are the real victims.
Isaiah’s “Song of the Vineyard” starts out with establishing
that the owner of the vineyard had given everything to build up his vineyard.
Clearing the desert land of rocks and putting up a watchtower indicates that
the owner is clearly interested in a return for his investment. Grapes require
patience because they don’t come up fast like wheat or corn. After years of
tilling the the soil and trimming the vine, the vineyard will produce a proper
harvest. Workers must be dedicated to the crop and successful vineyard owners
must treat their vineyard as a long-term investment and not just a job. Vineyard owner and worker must cooperate with one another in order to produce grapes.
The owner must treat the workers justly and the workers must realize that they
must do their job, not the owner’s job.
In the Middle East grapes were an important crop - they would
become wine which would provide some nourishment in the desert and raisins for
food in times of hunger. If wild grapes were all that were produced, the effort
of the owner would have been in vain. In
the original Hebrew, it is very clear that the word for wild grapes is equated
with that of a “bitter harvest.” Poorly aerated soil and poorly grafted vines
will result in wild or bitter grapes.
The word, “bitter harvest” is also used in the Bible to reference a
harvest of injustice and repression.
Thus, this particular song reminds us that the sweet harvest requires
that all of us do our jobs in the vineyard, being attentive to the task at
hand. God’s intent is not that we yield a bitter harvest of injustice and
repression because of neglect, but that we yield a harvest of love, compassion
and mercy because of fidelity.
In Jesus’ parable another dimension is added. Jesus addressed
the motivations of those who do violence. In Jesus’ parable the workers in the
vineyard thought that they were the owners and that because they worked in the
vineyard, they deserved the full harvest.
Now, let’s go back Isaiah’s song. The workers of the vineyard aren't the
owners. The vineyards’ workers didn't invest in the vineyard nor did they place
themselves at risk for the harvest…yet they demanded control of the harvest…and
they were ready to kill to take control.
Earlier this year, the parable of the Vineyard came up in a
daily mass reading. The Pope asked, “What happens when we want to become the
owners of the vineyard?”He continued saying that those who want “to take
possession of the vineyard…have lost the relationship with the Master of the
vineyard.” Those who would take possession of the vineyard, “think they
are strong, they think they are independent of God.” In effect, the
usurpers have severed themselves from the loving and patient intentions of the
owner of the vineyard. He said, “They
have become worshippers of themselves.” (http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-the-corrupt-harm-the-church-the-saint)
When the owner’s Son arrived, were they grateful to hand him
over the harvest or were they resentful?
A bitter harvest can happen in the offices of the Vatican or
any given parish in the world. When our theology, preaching and actions make
people dependent on US rather than dependent on God, we will for sure yield a
bitter harvest. Sure we can preach about
Jesus. We can utter his name a thousands times, but if the recitation of his
name and our words engender fear in people rather than make them confident in
God’s power, we are doing something horribly wrong. I believe in the attempts
Pope Francis is making to change the Church from being a dogmatic,
self-engrossed institution to being a gentle, outreaching, compassionate
presence in the world. That change won’t happen by fiat or command from the
top, but because priests and local bishops are doing what they can to be more
concerned about the well-being of others more than being concerned with
self-preservation.
When we put ourselves in the center rather than the one died
for our sins, we do no service to anyone. If our words and deeds do not reflect
grace and forgiveness, then who is being served? By preaching about fear and the terror of the
unknown, all we do is make people dependent on us, not God. Grace, on
the other hand, always points back to God. Preaching forgiveness always leads
to community. When we have community we
have the possibility for open-mindedness and when there is open-mindedness, we
have the possibility for service to others.
As workers we are obligated to be sure the vineyard is doing what it’s
supposed to do: produce good grapes of righteousness and justice.
The story of the vineyard in both Isaiah and Jesus’ parable -
reminds us that everything we have is due to God’s GRACE, not our merits. We
have been entrusted with an opportunity that we are called upon to care for:
the vineyard. We are called to share the
bounty of the vineyard with everyone - that no one hunger or thirst. As JOYFUL
workers in the vineyard, we do not use the tools of fear and repression scaring
people with hell or being captured by the clutches of the devil. We, above all,
are joyful. Christianity is about GOOD news, not threats or spiritual
torture.
So… we come to this Table with a spirit of thanksgiving. We
are extremely aware that the Eucharistic Harvest belongs to Christ, not us. We
are at best, workers in the vineyard - not the owners - and all we are doing is
what we were called to do in the first place: To act justly and to love
mercy and to walk humbly with our God.
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