20261004 GOD’S GRACIOUSNESS AND PATIENCE WITH US
04 October 2026, Sunday, 27th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Isaiah 5:1-7 |
Against the Lord’s vineyard
Let me sing to my friend
the song of his love for his vineyard.
My friend had a vineyard
on a fertile hillside.
He dug the soil, cleared it of stones
and planted choice vines in it.
In the middle he built a tower,
he dug a press there too.
He expected it to yield grapes,
but sour grapes were all that it gave.
And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem
and men of Judah,
I ask you to judge
between my vineyard and me.
What could I have done for my vineyard
that I have not done?
I expected it to yield grapes.
Why did it yield sour grapes instead?
Very well, I will tell you
what I am going to do to my vineyard:
I will take away its hedge for it to be grazed on,
and knock down its wall for it to be trampled on.
I will lay it waste, unpruned, undug;
overgrown by the briar and the thorn.
I will command the clouds
to rain no rain on it.
Yes, the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts
is the House of Israel,
and the men of Judah
that chosen plant.
He expected justice, but found bloodshed,
integrity, but only a cry of distress.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 79(80):9,12-16,19-20 |
The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
You brought a vine out of Egypt;
to plant it you drove out the nations.
It stretched out its branches to the sea,
to the Great River it stretched out its shoots.
The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
Then why have you broken down its walls?
It is plucked by all who pass by.
It is ravaged by the boar of the forest,
devoured by the beasts of the field.
The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
God of hosts, turn again, we implore,
look down from heaven and see.
Visit this vine and protect it,
the vine your right hand has planted.
The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
And we shall never forsake you again;
give us life that we may call upon your name.
God of hosts, bring us back;
let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.
The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
Second reading |
Philippians 4:6-9 |
If there is anything you need, pray for it.
There is no need to worry; but if there is anything you need, pray for it, asking God for it with prayer and thanksgiving, and that peace of God, which is so much greater than we can understand, will guard your hearts and your thoughts, in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, fill your minds with everything that is true, everything that is noble, everything that is good and pure, everything that we love and honour, and everything that can be thought virtuous or worthy of praise. Keep doing all the things that you learnt from me and have been taught by me and have heard or seen that I do. Then the God of peace will be with you.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn15:15 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I call you friends, says the Lord,
because I have made known to you
everything I have learnt from my Father.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 21:33-43 |
This is the landlord's heir: come, let us kill him
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people, ‘Listen to another parable. There was a man, a landowner, who planted a vineyard; he fenced it round, dug a winepress in it and built a tower; then he leased it to tenants and went abroad. When vintage time drew near he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his servants, thrashed one, killed another and stoned a third. Next he sent some more servants, this time a larger number, and they dealt with them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them. “They will respect my son” he said. But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, “This is the heir. Come on, let us kill him and take over his inheritance.” So they seized him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ They answered, ‘He will bring those wretches to a wretched end and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will deliver the produce to him when the season arrives.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the scriptures:
It was the stone rejected by the builders
that became the keystone.
This was the Lord’s doing
and it is wonderful to see?
‘I tell you, then, that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.’
GOD’S GRACIOUSNESS AND PATIENCE WITH US
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ISAIAH 5:1-7; PHILIPPIANS 4:6-9; MATTHEW 21:33-43]
The two parables in today’s scripture readings speak of God’s utter graciousness to humanity, even when we respond to His love and generosity with ingratitude.
In the first reading, God, in His kindness and graciousness, chose Israel to be in His vineyard. They were once slaves in Egypt and nomads in the desert. However, God gave them the Promised Land so that they could cultivate crops and prosper. God gave them the Covenant and the Law so that the nation would be united and the people would live in peace. They were supposed to be the exemplar of how God’s people should conduct themselves and thus be a light to the nations. It was indeed a great privilege.
In choosing Israel, God also demonstrated His trust in them by giving them the freedom to act responsibly. As the parable says, “He leased it to tenants and went abroad.” God entrusted His vineyard to them to cultivate, leaving them to manage it according to the talents, resources, and opportunities He provided. He did not micromanage them. God was not only gracious but also deeply trusting. Indeed, it is a great privilege to be trusted with responsibility.
Alas, instead of producing sweet and juicy grapes, the landowner was bitterly disappointed because “sour grapes were all that it gave.” The Lord asked, “What more could I have done for my vineyard that I have not done? I expected it to yield grapes. Why did it yield sour grapes instead?” The leaders and the people were supposed to develop the Promised Land, build up the People of God, and rule the country justly so that all could share in its bounty. Instead, corruption, oppression, injustice, and dishonesty weakened and divided the people internally. They received God’s grace in vain.
This same drama plays out in our own lives as well. We, too, have received many graces from God. How often do we take for granted the comforts of our lives–our homes, food, health, education, jobs, loved ones, friends, and our faith? Unfortunately, we frequently forget that all of these are gifts from God. Many parents can easily identify with Yahweh’s frustration. We hear countless stories of children who are ungrateful for their parents’ love and sacrifice. Parents work tirelessly to provide a comfortable life and a good education for their children. Yet, instead of using these resources to build character, some children squander them on reckless and unhealthy pursuits.
Even worse is when ingrates return evil for kindness. These individuals do greater damage than those who merely abuse their privileges; they bite the very hand that feeds them. In the second parable, instead of settling their dues and showing gratitude, the wicked tenants murdered the landowner’s servants, messengers, and eventually his own son. This was the pinnacle of greed and ingratitude. Naturally, this parable was directed at the Jewish leaders who considered themselves God’s chosen vineyard. Instead of remaining grateful to God, they became self-righteous, blinded by pride and selfishness. They rejected every prophet God sent to them, including His only Son.
We, too, can easily see reflections of ourselves in those Jewish leaders. The people we have loved or nurtured–those we have supported financially, materially, and emotionally–can sometimes be the very ones who turn against us, slandering and plotting our downfall. Indeed, I have encountered numerous tragic cases where parents were driven out of their own homes after giving their children their life savings. Instead of being grateful to their parents for funding their education or helping them purchase a home, these children made life unbearable for them and ultimately evicted them. Such heart-breaking stories repeat themselves.
In the face of such deep ingratitude, what is the appropriate response? Our instinctive reaction is to retaliate; “an eye for an eye” is the principle by which many people live. That is why unrequited love can turn people vicious–sometimes to the point of plotting to destroy those they once loved. Retaliation, however, is never the way to resolve conflict or bring healing. Vindictiveness and revenge only breed greater misery and are ultimately self-defeating. Reacting impulsively to such situations makes us slaves to the actions of others.
In the Gospel, we are reminded that despite our negligence and ingratitude, God–like the Father of the Prodigal Son–remains generous, merciful, patient, and forgiving. Just as He continuously sent prophet after prophet to urge Israel to awaken from their sinfulness and repent, God also sends us messengers today. Through our friends, colleagues, superiors, and even through our failures and sufferings, He prompts us to use His graces responsibly. God was not content to send only His servants, the prophets; He sent His only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. We are called to act in the same spirit. But how do we find the capacity to be so gracious?
St. Paul instructs us not to worry, but to seek the peace of God. This peace, “which surpasses all understanding,” will guard our hearts and minds. What is this peace of God? It is the inner assurance that comes from knowing we have done our best to fulfil our duty. Before God, we can maintain a clear conscience, even when others are unhappy with us, slander us, or reject our kindness. We must not harbour or nurse grudges in our hearts; we must let them go. We find inner peace by acquiring the mind and heart of Christ–by filling our minds with “whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or worthy of praise.” This is how we attain God’s peace in a wicked and ungrateful world. Unless we possess this divine peace within ourselves, a truly Christian response is impossible. When we are consumed by hurt, we cannot love.
How do we cultivate this peace? St. Paul tells us to pray with petition and thanksgiving. Only in prayer can we gain deeper self-understanding and see our challenges from God’s perspective. Furthermore, we must pray with a thankful heart. Only a grateful person can view life objectively. Grateful individuals are able to see goodness in every situation, even during painful events. Through thanksgiving, we learn to appreciate what we already have and recognise trial as an opportunity to grow stronger and more loving. When we pray, we trust that His grace is at work.
Ultimately, we must not take matters into our own hands. If ungrateful people refuse to change their selfish ways, they will ultimately harm only themselves. We must realise that when God calls us to respond to His love by living a good, holy, loving, and righteous life, it is not for His benefit, but for ours. Without justice, love, and peace, we cannot experience true happiness. When we fail to respond to God’s love and be transformed into His likeness, we only hurt and destroy ourselves.
This is precisely the warning presented in the first reading and the Gospel. When Jesus says, “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end and lease the vineyard to other tenants,” it should be understood not as a malicious threat, but as a sobering warning. If we do not appreciate what we have, or if we misuse our privileges, those blessings will eventually be taken away, and we will destroy our own lives. We will have no one to blame but ourselves, nor can we blame those who withdraw those privileges, for love cannot be forced.
For our part, we must continue to offer love, even to those who are ungrateful. We must take our cue from God Himself. He allowed His Son to suffer a tragic death so that His sacrifice could bring redemption. God knows that the only way to conquer evil and selfishness is through love unto death. Unconditional love is the cornerstone by which God wins us over. Only a love that is forgiving, patient, unconditional, and long-suffering has the power to transform wounded hearts and restore broken lives.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
