The Vineyard

 

The Vineyard

Most of us have driven past a vineyard at some time. Here in Australia, we are blessed with many of them, and with winemakers who really know the land. They look at the slope of the hill, the amount of sun, the soil and the kind of grape that will grow best there. It takes knowledge, certainly, but it also takes patience. You cannot hurry a vine. You plant it carefully, tend it faithfully and wait for it to bear fruit.

God’s Loving Care

That is the picture Isaiah gives us in the first reading. God prepares a vineyard for his people. He chooses good ground, clears away the stones and plants the finest vines. In other words, God does everything he can for the vineyard to flourish. He gives it every chance to produce good fruit.

But what happens? Instead of good grapes, the vineyard produces sour ones. We all know that reaction: one taste, a quick wince, and the glass goes back on the table. Something is not right. Isaiah is asking us to look at our own lives in the same honest way. God has given us so much—his love, his mercy, his word and one another. So, what kind of fruit are we producing?

A Gift, Not a Possession

Jesus takes the image a step further. A landowner entrusts his vineyard to tenants. He gives them a place to work, a crop to care for and a harvest to share. But little by little, they forget that the vineyard is a gift. They begin to behave as though it belongs entirely to them. They mistreat the owner’s servants and finally reject his son. When Jesus asks what should happen, the crowd gives a severe answer—and then realises that the story is about them. It is about us too. Everything we have is entrusted to us. Jesus wants us to receive those gifts gratefully, care for them faithfully and use them to bear good fruit.

What Are We Giving Our Attention To?

Saint Paul then gives us some very practical advice: “Do not worry.” Now, that does not mean our troubles are imaginary or that life is always easy. Paul is saying: bring it all to God. Bring the worry, the disappointment, the family concern, the uncertainty—bring everything to God in prayer. And then, he says, turn your attention towards what is true, good, just, pure, loving and worthy of praise. Because what fills our minds will gradually shape our hearts, and what shapes our hearts will shape the way we live.

Listening for the Right Voice

On Tuesday, we had the opportunity to meet Dom Christopher Jamison, a Benedictine monk. He spoke about the three Benedictine vows: stability, obedience and conversatio morum, which means the daily conversion of life. He also spoke about what is sometimes called the “attention economy”. So many voices are competing for our attention—the phone, the news, advertising, social media and all the noise around us. That raises an important question: whose voice are we listening to? What words are shaping us? The Christian life is not simply about occupying a place in the world. It is about becoming the people God calls us to be and bearing good fruit where he has planted us. That happens through prayer, through listening to God’s word and through honest conversations with the people around us.

A Question for the Week Ahead

So here is a question we might carry with us this week: What am I giving my attention to, and what kind of fruit is it producing in me? Each of us has a little patch of the vineyard to care for—our home, our family, our parish, our friendships and the ordinary responsibilities of each day. Let us ask the Lord for the grace to listen to his voice, to care well for what he has entrusted to us and to bear fruit that others can recognise as goodness, peace and love.