Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: "Hear another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey. When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned. Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way. Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.' They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?" They answered him, "He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times." Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes?
Therefore, I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit." When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them. And although they were attempting to arrest him, they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet.
Dawg's thought:
Today's prayer intention is for Pope John Paul II's heath. He received a tracheotomy yesterday.
"Therefore, I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit."
There is a sense of urgency in Christ's words as He knew that He was about to be crucified. Scripture applies to all of us, and today's reading has the same sense of urgency.
We know of the evils that handed Christ over to be crucified, but the same tragedy is there when we sin. We hand Christ over and turn our faces from Our Lord when we sin. Lent is a great time of conversion, and especially a great time hand over those things that enable us to "hand Our Lord over" for the sake of our own greed and pride. During this time of conversion, really take a look at what is holding us back from being fruitful and in there, you may see what is truly holding us to sin. Take care and God Bless.
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