27th Sunday A

Welcome to our Bible Study
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time A
8 October 2017
In preparation for this Sunday’s Liturgy
In aid of focusing our homilies and sharing
Prepared by Fr. Cielo R. Almazan, OFM

1st Reading: Isaiah 5:1-7
 1 Let me now sing of my friend, my friend's song concerning his
vineyard. My friend had a vineyard on a fertile hillside; 2 He
spaded it, cleared it of stones, and planted the choicest vines;
Within it he built a watchtower, and hewed out a wine press. Then
he looked for the crop of grapes, but what it yielded was wild
grapes. 3 Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge
between me and my vineyard: 4 What more was there to do for my
vineyard that I had not done? Why, when I looked for the crop of
grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes? 5 Now, I will let you know
what I mean to do to my vineyard: Take away its hedge, give it to
grazing, break through its wall, let it be trampled! 6 Yes, I will make
it a ruin: it shall not be pruned or hoed, but overgrown with thorns
and briers; I will command the clouds not to send rain upon it. 7
The vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the
men of Judah are his cherished plant; He looked for judgment, but
see, bloodshed! for justice, but hark, the outcry!
The focus is on the vineyard of the Lord.

Hardwork but no yield
 1 Let me now sing of my friend, my friend's song concerning his
vineyard. My friend had a vineyard on a fertile hillside; 2 He spaded
it, cleared it of stones, and planted the choicest vines; Within it he
built a watchtower, and hewed out a wine press. Then he looked for
the crop of grapes, but what it yielded was wild grapes.
What’s wrong?
 3 Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between
me and my vineyard: 4 What more was there to do for my vineyard
that I had not done? Why, when I looked for the crop of grapes, did it
bring forth wild grapes?
Demolition
 5 Now, I will let you know what I mean to do to my vineyard: Take
away its hedge, give it to grazing, break through its wall, let it be
trampled! 6 Yes, I will make it a ruin: it shall not be pruned or hoed,
but overgrown with thorns and briers; I will command the clouds not
to send rain upon it.
Vineyard to be destroyed = house of Israel
 7 The vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the
men of Judah are his cherished plant; He looked for judgment, but
see, bloodshed! for justice, but hark, the outcry!
A simple outline!

 1 Let me now sing of my friend, my friend's
song concerning his vineyard. My friend had a
vineyard on a fertile hillside; 2 He spaded it,
cleared it of stones, and planted the choicest
vines; Within it he built a watchtower, and
hewed out a wine press. Then he looked for
the crop of grapes, but what it yielded was wild
grapes.
What’s wrong?
 3 Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of
Judah, judge between me and my vineyard: 4
What more was there to do for my vineyard
that I had not done? Why, when I looked for
the crop of grapes, did it bring forth wild
grapes?
Demolition
 5 Now, I will let you know what I mean to do to
my vineyard: Take away its hedge, give it to
grazing, break through its wall, let it be
trampled! 6 Yes, I will make it a ruin: it shall
not be pruned or hoed, but overgrown with
thorns and briers; I will command the clouds
not to send rain upon it.
 7 The vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the
house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his
cherished plant; He looked for judgment, but
see, bloodshed! for justice, but hark, the
outcry!
Commentary
 The passage is entitled the
Parable of the Vineyard.
 V.1 indicates that the story is in
the form of a song, like a
ballad.
 Nobody knows its melody, like
any other song in the Bible.
 V.1 indicates that the vineyard
sits on a fertile ground.
 V.2 indicates how the vineyard
is prepared:
 Spaded, cleared of stones,
watchtower built, wine press
hewn
 The best vines are planted.
 Yet, to his friend’s surprise: it
yielded wild grapes.

song concerning his vineyard. My friend
had a vineyard on a fertile hillside; 2 He
spaded it, cleared it of stones, and planted
the choicest vines; Within it he built a
watchtower, and hewed out a wine press.
Then he looked for the crop of grapes, but
what it yielded was wild grapes.
What’s wrong?
 3 Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and men
of Judah, judge between me and my
vineyard: 4 What more was there to do for
my vineyard that I had not done? Why,
when I looked for the crop of grapes, did it
Demolition
 5 Now, I will let you know what I mean to
do to my vineyard: Take away its hedge,
give it to grazing, break through its wall, let
it be trampled! 6 Yes, I will make it a ruin:
it shall not be pruned or hoed, but
overgrown with thorns and briers; I will
command the clouds not to send rain upon
it.
house of Israel, and the men of Judah are
his cherished plant; He looked for
judgment, but see, bloodshed! for justice,
but hark, the outcry!
 In v.3, the prophet solicits opinion
from his audience (the dwellers in
Jerusalem and Judah).
 He expects them to give a correct
opinion, or, take proper action to
address his concern. V.3
 In spite of the fertile ground and
following the proper procedures in
planting, his vineyard has not
yielded the desired result. The
owner wonders what he missed.
What more could have been done?
V.4
 V.5 shows the owner’s frustration,
and reveals his plan (judgment).
 To demolish everything
 To remove its protection
 Not to waste time cultivating and
pruning it
 To allow thorns and weeds to grow
 Not to send rain upon it.

song concerning his vineyard. My friend
had a vineyard on a fertile hillside; 2 He
spaded it, cleared it of stones, and planted
the choicest vines; Within it he built a
watchtower, and hewed out a wine press.
Then he looked for the crop of grapes, but
what it yielded was wild grapes.
What’s wrong?
 3 Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and men
of Judah, judge between me and my
vineyard: 4 What more was there to do for
my vineyard that I had not done? Why,
when I looked for the crop of grapes, did it
Demolition
 5 Now, I will let you know what I mean to
do to my vineyard: Take away its hedge,
give it to grazing, break through its wall, let
it be trampled! 6 Yes, I will make it a ruin:
it shall not be pruned or hoed, but
overgrown with thorns and briers; I will
command the clouds not to send rain upon
it.
house of Israel, and the men of Judah are
his cherished plant; He looked for
judgment, but see, bloodshed! for justice,
but hark, the outcry!
 The purpose is to destroy it.
 God, the owner, is so disappointed
with his vineyard.
 His investment and efforts went
down the drain.
 V.7 reveals the author’s concrete
addressees:
 The house of Israel = the fertile
ground
 The men of Judah = cherished
plant
 They are God’s chosen people.
 The desired product of this people:
 Judgment (justice), not
bloodshed
 Justice, not outcry…

Reflections on the 1st reading
 God has taken good care of us.
 He has made us capable of being productive.
 God expects us to be productive.
 There is no reason why we should not be
productive (bear fruit).
 To be unproductive (producing nothing for the
good of the community) is unacceptable to God.
 It earns the ire (judgment) of God.

Reflections, con’t
 Seemingly, the parable is problematic. Why would God
do violence to his people? This is hard to understand.
Has God run out of patience and love?
 The author wants to show the efforts of God and the
gravity of the sin of the people.
 The people Israel has failed to appreciate God’s love for
her and continued doing whatever she wanted.
 God does not allow such a hardheadedness.
 The prophetic words serve as a warning to us, who are
not responsive to God’s prodding.

Resp. Ps 80:9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20
 R. (Is 5:7a) The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
 9 A vine from Egypt you transplanted;
you drove away the nations and planted it.
12 It put forth its foliage to the Sea,
its shoots as far as the River.
 13 Why have you broken down its walls,
so that every passer-by plucks its fruit,
14 The boar from the forest lays it waste,
and the beasts of the field feed upon it?
 15 Once again, O LORD of hosts,
look down from heaven, and see;
take care of this vine,
16 and protect what your right hand has planted
the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
 19 Then we will no more withdraw from you;
give us new life, and we will call upon your name.
20 O LORD, God of hosts, restore us;
if your face shine upon us, then we shall be saved.

Resp. Ps 80:9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20
 R. (Is 5:7a) The vineyard of the Lord is
the house of Israel.
 9 A vine from Egypt you transplanted;
you drove away the nations and planted it.
12 It put forth its foliage to the Sea,
its shoots as far as the River.
 13 Why have you broken down its walls,
so that every passer-by plucks its fruit,
14 The boar from the forest lays it waste,
and the beasts of the field feed upon it?
 15 Once again, O LORD of hosts,
look down from heaven, and see;
take care of this vine,
16 and protect what your right hand has
planted the son of man whom you yourself
made strong.
 19 Then we will no more withdraw from
you;
give us new life, and we will call upon your
name.
20 O LORD, God of hosts, restore us;
if your face shine upon us, then we shall be
saved.
Commentary
 V.9 describes what God has done to
Israel. He transported it to the
promised land by driving away its
occupants.
 V.12 indicates the extent of the
vineyard, Israel’s territory (from Red
Sea or Meditarranean Sea to
Mesopotamia).
 In v.13, the psalmist asks God
 a question , “Why has God removed
its protection?” Now it is vulnerable.
 As a result, anybody can just come
in and get its fruits; the wild animals
destroy it.
 In vv.15-16, the psalmist prays to
God to intervene and to take care of
his vineyard (Israel).
 In v.19, the psalmist promises that
the community will do better.
 In v.20, the psalmist prays that God
may restore (protect) the Israelites.

2nd Reading: Philippians 4:6-9
 6 Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to
God.
 7 Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will
guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
 8 Finally, brothers, 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. 9 Keep on doing what you have learned
and received and heard and seen in me.
 Then the God of peace will be with you.
The focus is on exhibiting proper Christian behavior.

First set of imperatives (pray)
 6 Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to
God.
 7 Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will
guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Second set of imperatives (do what is right)
 8 Finally, brothers, 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. 9 Keep on doing what you have learned
and received and heard and seen in me.
 Then the God of peace will be with you.
A simple outline!

First set of imperatives
 6 Have no anxiety at all, but in
everything, by prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving, make
your requests known to God.
 7 Then the peace of God that
surpasses all understanding will
guard your hearts and minds in
Christ Jesus.
Second set of imperatives
 8 Finally, brothers, 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. 9 Keep on
doing what you have learned and
received and heard and seen in
me.
 Then the God of peace will be
with you.
Commentary
 In v.6, Paul exhorts Christians to
be free from anxiety (not to worry).
Instead they should take recourse
by praying to God.
 V.7 tells us what happens if we
obey Paul’s recommendation.
 The peace of God will guard….
think (ponder, reflect) on whatever
is true, honorable, just, pure,
lovely…
be consistent in doing what they
have learned from him.
 V.9b tells the consequence:
 The God of peace will be with
you.

Reflections on the second reading
 We can put away anxiety if we approach God for our needs.
 We continue doing good to calm our hearts. We reflect on / do…
 whatever is true (sincere, not deceptive)
 whatever is honorable (respectable, according to our dignity as
human beings)
 whatever is just (responds to the needs of others, fair, fraternal)
 whatever is pure (does not lead you to sin, does not desire evil)
 whatever is lovely (admirable, laudable, delectable)
 whatever is gracious (inspiring, generous, touching hearts)
 if there is any excellence (not mediocre, hard work, focused)
 if there is anything worthy of praise (not shameful)
 In other words, we must live virtuous lives.
 Result: the God of peace will be with us (no more anxiety).

Reflections, con’t
 We can avoid unnecessary anxiety when we
take recourse to God. Do you believe that?
 We have less worries if we do the right thing
always. Do you believe that?
 If we put ourselves into precarious situations, or
do what is wrong, then we have reasons to
worry.

Gospel: Matthew 21:33-43
 Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: 33 "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. 34 When vintage time drew
near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. 35 But
the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed,
and a third they stoned. 36 Again he sent other servants, more
numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way.
37 Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, 'They will respect my son.'
38 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.' 39 They
seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40 What will
the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?" 41
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." 42 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'? 43 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.

 Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: 33 "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. 34 When vintage time drew
near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. 35 But
the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed,
and a third they stoned. 36 Again he sent other servants, more
numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way.
37 Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, 'They will respect my son.'
38 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.' 39 They
seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40 What will
the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?" 41
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." 42 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'? 43 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.
The focus is on the vineyard of the Lord.

The Parable of the Vineyard
 Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: 33 "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.
First attempt to get the share
 34 When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his
produce. 35 But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed,
and a third they stoned.
Second attempt
 36 Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated
them in the same way. 37 Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, 'They will respect my
son.'
Third and last attempt
 38 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.' 39 They seized him, threw him out of the
vineyard, and killed him.
Punishment
 40 What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?" 41 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." 42 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'? 43 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.
A simple outline!

Commentary
 The story is addressed to the chief priests and
the elders of the people (religious and political
leaders of Israel, those who hold power over the people).
 The characters of the story are the landowner
(God), the tenants (chief priests and elders), the
servants (apostles, disciples), and the son (Jesus).
 The setting of the story is the vineyard.
 The landowner plants a vineyard and lease it to
tenants, who refuse to submit the produce and
kill the servants, including his Son.

 The landowner eliminates the tenants and entrusts his
vineyard to others.
 What happens to the son is the climax of the story.
 He is not spared of violence from the hands of the
powers-that-be.
 It is a pre-figuration of his impending death and
resurrection.
 His violent death means rejection (rejected stone) by those
leaders.
 But God makes him the cornerstone, “wonderful to behold.”
Jesus is highly acceptable to God. God will raise him up.

Reflections on the gospel reading
 There is no use struggling with God.
 God will always have the upper hand.
 Don’t deprive God of his rights.
 Otherwise, he will come and get you.
 Stop playing games with God.
 You can’t outsmart him.
 He will push through with his plan to establish
his kingdom in our midst.

Tying the 3 readings and the Psalm
 God expects us to produce good fruit. (1st reading)
 We pray to God that he may protect us. (Psalm)
 We enjoy the peace of God (or the God of peace) if we
continue doing good. (2nd reading)
 God expects us to give what is due to him and to follow
his Son. (gospel reading)

How to develop your homily/sharing
 Is your life productive?
 How can you be productive?
 We are supposed to render back to God
what is his, by being productive and just.

 In the first reading, God expects us to produce
the desired fruit.
 We must realize how much he has cared for us.
 There should be no reason why we should bear
bad fruit.
 We do not ingratiate ourselves to God.
 We must be appreciative of God’s effort with us,
by responding according to his design.

 The second reading teaches us to live prayerful
and virtuous lives.
 If we want to be free from worries and anxieties,
we must be keen on espousing what is good.
 We make proper choices (God’s choice).
 We avoid anything that is unbecoming to our
dignity as children of God.
 We live and bear fruit according to our faith.

 The gospel reading teaches us to give God his due.
 To give him justice and to accept his Son.
 What happens if we do the opposite and not bear fruit?
 God will come to get us. He will demolish us, his
vineyard. (1st reading)
 We will never have peace of mind, we will always be
anxious and worrisome. (2nd reading)
 God will exterminate us, his workers, and pass on the
responsibility to others. (gospel reading)

 The eucharist is a sacrament that makes us
productive.
 In the eucharist, we submit ourselves to Christ.
 In the eucharist, we rest our worries and
anxieties to him.

Our Context of Sin and Grace
 Unproductive
 Nothing to contribute in the
family or society
 Anxiety attack
 Panic attack
 Worrying too much
 Unfair practices
 Violence
 Appropriation of what is not
ours (greed)
 Rejection of Jesus’ teachings
 Saints
 Respect for human
rights and God’s rights
 Justice and peace,
fairness
 Spirituality of
Stewardship
 Desire for change
 Fear of the Lord

Suggested Songs
 When We Eat
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2PB-2sLAEU
 Theme of Life
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NiqOkXYY0A

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