27th Sunday in Ordinary Time October 8, 2023

Fr. Rick’s Two-Minute Homily for 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 8, 2023, Matthew 21:33-43
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/100823.cfm

The Head or the Heart.

Has your life, like mine, become so busy doing stuff, answering the phone, taking care of emergencies people have “every day,” even every hour? They need something you can do for them. I can easily lose focus when doing dishes with Martha in the kitchen, which becomes more important than sitting with Jesus.

The story of the vineyard is Martha and Mary all over again. The owner provided everything the tenants needed to produce a good harvest. The fruit he wanted them to return wasn’t in the ground but in their hearts. He longed for their friendship more than the fruit they provided.

These “servants” failed to experience the love and care of the owner. Over time, everything they had was not a gift but earned. So, the vineyard became their vineyard, and they did everything to make it their own. They killed all the servants and even the owner’s son. Nothing and no one was getting in their way.

When Jesus isn’t your best friend “cornerstone,” you can rationalize anything.

Jesus referred to hearts that lose their relationship with Him as stony hearts. “The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.” Jesus can become a ‘stone’ among other stones to me and not my ‘cornerstone.’

Whenever any of us try to fix someone or something, even make right something we have done without Jesus, it never turns out right. Isaiah, in the first reading, called these adventures on our own “sour grapes.” They are good for no one. Nor can they satisfy us.

I like to think that when I venture out on my own without turning to Jesus and our Heavenly Father “first,” I believe that I can deliver my tiny resource better than He wants to provide through His infinite Divine Providence.

We all need to get out of our heads with our plans and into our hearts and start relating with God as a son or daughter.

If your mind is busy with many things, go within yourself and witness what you are feeling in your heart. In the calm of our Father’s Presence, we hear Him say without words, “Welcome, my son, my daughter, in whom I am well pleased. This is the first fruit we give our Father (the owner): the surrender of ourselves.

Gospel Challenge:
Go to your Father in your heart. He will help you make Jesus your Cornerstone and remove your stony heart that loves only yourself. Jesus is waiting there to give you His Heart full of mercy and affection. It’s a decision we can only make for ourselves. Learn to live with Jesus in your heart.

Ignite the Fire!

Fr. Rick Pilger, I.C.
www.pastor@bscchurch.com

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