Sunday Homily, October 5, 2014, 27th Ordinary Time
Readings:
Isaiah 5, 1-7, Let me now sing of my friend, my friend’s song concerning his vineyard.
Psalm 80, The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
Philippians 4, 6-9, Have no anxiety at all.
Matthew 21, 33-43, There was a landowner who planted a vineyard.
Isaiah observations–
What: My favorite prophet again. When you note this is Isaiah, chapter 5, you can make some pretty educated guesses, like the following 3:
1. This is Isaiah 1, the first of the three major composers. Chapter 1-39 are Isaiah 1.
2. This Isaiah is writing before the Babylonian Captivity, which took place around 555 before Christ.
3. You might guess correcty, then, that he is criticising the Israelite people for their bad behavior.
Our passage: In fact, he is highly critical. He uses the metaphor or symbol of a vineyard. Just so you know ahead of time, the vineyard is the people. Watch what he says happens to the vineyard and why. This, of course, is setting the stage for the gospel, which is about, you guessed it, another vineyard. Even the responsorial Psalm is about the vineyard.
Guess what I just might talk about during the homily.
We, The Vineyard
Folks, Rosemary & I have been to the vineyard of the Lord. In fact, I have been twice during the month of September, Yosemite and now our boat trip on the Danube.
I am still so influenced by my years as a Jesuit and the desire to live a simple life that I am embarrassed to talk about this cruise. It cost money. And I feel squeamish about spending.
However, this trip was one of, if not the best of all the trips we have taken. Let me mention three aspects, the natural beauty, the beauty of the staff, and the beauty of the group of people we randomly formed up with.
The natural beauty. We certainly did travel through a section of Germany celebrated for its gorgeous vistas and its vineyards. We visited some of the villages.
However, for me it was the Danube. Especially at night. We would open the curtains of our room and the sliding glass door. 6 feet below me was the Danube moving by, quiet with the exception of the swish of water as we powered up stream. I would get up to visit the bathroom and return to just gaze.
Secondly, the staff. There were two in particular, the program director, Stein, and the concierge, Radi, a young woman with personality and glorious black hair. But also, the staff down to the girl, Carmen, who watched over our room. From the beginning when we walked on board and were welcomed with glasses of mimosas, to the end when there was a Viking agent waiting to help us at the Nuremburg airport at 3:45 A.M. Great cordiality and hospitality.
Thirdly, the people and especially our group. On perhaps the 4th night I noticed around 2:00 A.M. we were simply sitting in the river, not moving. Turned out, a barge ahead of us had troubles and was blocking our entrance into a lock. We spent that night and the next morning anchored in the river with other tour boats lined up behind us. Not one complaint from the group. In fact, we had a good time.
That good time was enhanced by the charm and cordiality of the group we ended up meeting and putting together, four couples. Chicago, Philadelphia, Ontario, and Dallas When it was discovered I was a former Jesuit priest, that led to many interesting conversations.
Isaiah says that the vineyard of the Lord is the House of Israel. The cruise ship the Viking Njord was the vineyard of the Lord. You, We are the vineyard.
I can see it. Can you see it?
Apologies to everyone and to John for putting into last Sunday's blog the wrong homily from John's Mass, September 28. Here is the correct homily, Download Cade Homily 9-28-14