This vineyard: How God sees his people

		Living the Scriptures  with St. Paul University  Catholic Center  Christine Morales

Many of us have asked the question, "How do others see me?"

I remember how that question changed for me during my sophomore year of college as I went through RCIA/College Confirmation. I began to see the important question wasn't "How do others see me?" but "How does God see me?" Today's readings offer an eternal window in which we are able to see ourselves through God's eyes.

This vineyard, planted in fertile soil, represents how God sees his people. Clearly, we are not a second-rate production; we were carefully designed to be gorgeous, well-cared-for, and capable of bearing fruit that is exquisitely valued.

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Oct. 2, 2005) Is 5:1-7 Ps 80:9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20 Phil 4:6-9 Mt 21:33-43

It seems appropriate to look to the image of the vineyard and to recognize in the intertwined branches that we all are interconnected. Even now children are dying of hunger because they live in less developed parts of the world.

Today, on Respect Life Sunday, we remember the unborn infants, elderly or terminally ill patients, condemned prisoners, and victims of war - those whose deaths are deemed acceptable under law in these United States. So as a society, we have agreed to sanction bloodshed under some circumstances in which it makes our own lives easier and more comfortable.

Jesus offers his own viewpoint on the vine in today's Gospel. Instead of focusing on the failure of the vine itself to yield good fruit, he speaks of its human caretakers. To Jesus, the story is all about the relationship between the vineyard's tenants and its master gardener.

The sharecroppers decide to keep the profits from the land; they show this by killing those who represent the landowner. Christ's version of Isaiah's popular love song ends when the tenants kill the owner's only son, expecting that this will end all question of their obedience to him.

This foreshadows Christ's own death. If the son in today's parable is taken to represent Christ, we get a glimpse of the mindset that eventually led to the decision to crucify him. Whenever we see Christ coming into our lives to take possession of our hearts, we can choose to turn away with the same attitude: "No, thank you, I'd rather be Lord of my own life."

Often, the Church asks her people to make some difficult sacrifices. When we are asked to choose to make an effort to help the most vulnerable among us, we know that we are really doing it for Jesus Christ (Matthew 25:31-46).

We began by asking, "How does God see us?" Today's readings show us that, just as in any relationship, God sees us as beautiful and is intensely interested in how our actions reflect our feelings toward him.

To guide our thoughts and guard our hearts through tough decisions, St. Paul recommends, "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."

May we be thus strengthened to face the challenges of our day, responding with justice in an attitude of trust that God will take care of us both now and forever.

Christine Morales graduated this past May from the chemistry program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is now pursuing postdoctoral studies in her hometown of Honolulu, Hawaii.

St. Paul's Web site is www.stpaulscc.org

Faith Alive!

In a Nutshell The Twelve Apostles were a sign of a new future for God's people. "Apostle" means "one who is sent." Catholics call the connection between the Twelve Apostles and the college of bishops "apostolic succession." Before the Twelve were apostles, they were disciples. There is something so human about these disciples. They witness to the fact that God does extraordinary things through ordinary people. Catholic News Service 3211 Fourth St NE Washington DC 20017 202.541.3250 cns@catholicnews.com	Food for Thought   After the mother of James and John, known as the sons of Zebedee, asked Jesus to assure that her sons would sit, "one at your right and the other at your left" in God's kingdom, Jesus called the apostles together and said: "Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant. ... The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve." In what we read about the New Testament's cast of characters -- about the Twelve, for example -- a lot is happening. First, we're learning about these unique people, what they were like, the questions they raised and challenges they faced. Astonishingly, these people who lived so long ago are so like us! But these people of the New Testament also serve to bring Jesus into focus. Through their relationships and encounters with Jesus, we discover more of what he was like, what he taught, what he was about. In the case of the sons of Zebedee, one of the basics of faith comes forward: that being a follower of Jesus is not an entitlement to status or importance but is a call to generous service and self-giving. full story   What kind of heroes were the Twelve? By Edward P. Hahnenberg Catholic News Service What I love about the movie "The Apostle" is the same thing my wife hates: The hero is hard to like. Robert Duvall plays Sonny, a Pentecostal preacher. In a drunken fit of rage, he kills a man with a baseball bat. Sonny runs from the law but not from the Lord. He adopts a new name -- The Apostle E.F. -- and takes his ministry to a Louisiana backwater. full story  Why God does extraordinary things through ordinary people By Marcellino D'Ambrosio Catholic News Service Four were fishermen. One was a tax collector. We don't know the occupations of the rest, but we can assume that business and family responsibilities absorbed them as they absorb us. When the prophet from Nazareth came walking along the shore, however, suddenly everything changed. John and James, Peter and Andrew, two sets of brothers operating family businesses, were invited to follow him. They abruptly dropped their nets and abandoned their boats. Matthew's world changed from a band of sinful outcasts to an entirely different group of fledgling saints. full story  What life was like for the apostles By Father Lawrence Boadt, CSP Catholic News Service The Gospels are not as clear about who the Twelve Apostles were as we would like. The various lists do not even agree on their names; few are mentioned again in the Bible after being listed. But some information about them stands out. Peter, clearly in a leadership position, always is named first. full story
	Faith in the Marketplace   This Week's Discussion Point: As you see it, what is most challenging about being a follower of Jesus?     Selected Response From Readers:
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