Lenten Reflection

Friday, March 13, 2009

Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46

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

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."
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables,
they knew that he was speaking about them.
And although they were attempting to arrest him,
they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet.

Reflection
Christina Martone
Class of 2011

Hope. So small and so simple, this word can be so powerful and so frightening. We hope we will pass our exams. We hope we will lead happy and fulfilling lives. We hope we can overcome our doubts and worries. Many things in life we hope for, but we many not always get what we want. We may fail our exams, we may cross difficult paths in life and we may have struggles that seem virtually impossible to overcome. We may even stray away from God in these difficult times. There is one promise, however, that I can give you about hope. Hope for God's love and you will receive it. This parable, paralleled to God Himself, teaches us that God will never give up on us. He hopes for us every day. His hope lead His only son to be killed, but it was only then that His people could see the message Jesus was trying to give to us. Continuously God reaches out to us, and though we may not always respond the way we should, he will never abandon us. He will love us no matter what grade we get, decision we make, or obstacle we face because His love can get us through tough times. "The Kingdom of God will be taken away" from those who turn away from this truth. And so we must always remember to love the Lord and hope that one day, we may rest eternally in His presence.