Parable Of The Tenants

MARCH 01, 2024 - FRIDAY
Friday of the Second Week of Lent (Violet)
Lectionary: 234
CYCLE B - YEAR II

Reading 1
Gn 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a

Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons,
for he was the child of his old age;
and he had made him a long tunic.
When his brothers saw that their father loved him best of all his sons,
they hated him so much that they would not even greet him.
One day, when his brothers had gone
to pasture their father's flocks at Shechem,
Israel said to Joseph,
"Your brothers, you know, are tending our flocks at Shechem.
Get ready; I will send you to them."
So Joseph went after his brothers and caught up with them in Dothan.
They noticed him from a distance,
and before he came up to them, they plotted to kill him.
They said to one another: "Here comes that master dreamer!
Come on, let us kill him and throw him into one of the cisterns here;
we could say that a wild beast devoured him.
We shall then see what comes of his dreams."
When Reuben heard this,
he tried to save him from their hands, saying,
"We must not take his life.
Instead of shedding blood," he continued,
"just throw him into that cistern there in the desert;
but do not kill him outright."
His purpose was to rescue him from their hands
and return him to his father.
So when Joseph came up to them,
they stripped him of the long tunic he had on;
then they took him and threw him into the cistern,
which was empty and dry.
They then sat down to their meal.
Looking up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead,
their camels laden with gum, balm and resin
to be taken down to Egypt.
Judah said to his brothers:
"What is to be gained by killing our brother and concealing his blood?
Rather, let us sell him to these Ishmaelites,
instead of doing away with him ourselves.
After all, he is our brother, our own flesh."
His brothers agreed.
They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 105:16-17, 18-19, 20-21

R. (5a) Remember the marvels the Lord has done.

When the LORD called down a famine on the land
and ruined the crop that sustained them,
He sent a man before them,
Joseph, sold as a slave.

R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.

They had weighed him down with fetters,
and he was bound with chains,
Till his prediction came to pass
and the word of the LORD proved him true.

R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.

The king sent and released him,
the ruler of the peoples set him free.
He made him lord of his house
and ruler of all his possessions.

R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.

Verse Before the Gospel
Jn 3:16

God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son;
so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.

Gospel
Mt 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: 

We are the tenants in the parable. We are provided by God with everything we need to make our vineyard prosper. God gives us the freedom to run the vineyard as we choose – but it is God’s. We need to be sensitive to what God desires of us. This is what prayer is about – coming to know the mind of God about our lives.

PRAYER:

Jesus, you were thrown out and killed. But you took no revenge. Instead you excused your torturers and by your love you reconciled everyone with God. You showed what divine love is like. You love me totally, no matter what I do. May I always wish others well, and pray for them instead of taking revenge on them when they hurt me.

The Parable Of The Tenants

JUNE 05, 2023 MONDAY
Memorial of Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr (Red)
CYCLE A - YEAR I
Lectionary: 353

Reading 1
Tb 1:3; 2:1a-8

I, Tobit, have walked all the days of my life
on the paths of truth and righteousness.
I performed many charitable works for my kinsmen and my people
who had been deported with me to Nineveh, in Assyria.
On our festival of Pentecost, the feast of Weeks,
a fine dinner was prepared for me, and I reclined to eat.
The table was set for me,
and when many different dishes were placed before me,
I said to my son Tobiah: "My son,
go out and try to find a poor man
from among our kinsmen exiled here in Nineveh.
If he is a sincere worshiper of God, bring him back with you,
so that he can share this meal with me.
Indeed, son, I shall wait for you to come back."
Tobiah went out to look for some poor kinsman of ours.
When he returned he exclaimed, "Father!"
I said to him, "What is it, son?"
He answered, "Father, one of our people has been murdered!
His body lies in the market place where he was just strangled!"
I sprang to my feet, leaving the dinner untouched;
and I carried the dead man from the street
and put him in one of the rooms,
so that I might bury him after sunset.
Returning to my own quarters, I washed myself
and ate my food in sorrow.
I was reminded of the oracle
pronounced by the prophet Amos against Bethel:
"All your festivals shall be turned into mourning,
and all your songs into lamentation."
And I wept.
Then at sunset I went out, dug a grave, and buried him.
The neighbors mocked me, saying to one another:
"He is still not afraid!
Once before he was hunted down for execution
because of this very thing;
yet now that he has scarcely escaped,
here he is again burying the dead!"

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 112:1b-2, 3b-4, 5-6

R. (1b) Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Blessed the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commands.
His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;
the upright generation shall be blessed.

R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.

His generosity shall endure forever.
Light shines through the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious and merciful and just.

R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Well for the man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice;
He shall never be moved;
the just man shall be in everlasting remembrance.

R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Alleluia
See Rv 1:5ab

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus Christ, you are the faithful witness,
the firstborn of the dead;
you have loved us and freed us from our sins by your Blood.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Mk 12:1-12

Jesus began to speak to the chief priests, the scribes,
and the elders in parables.
"A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it,
dug a wine press, and built a tower.
Then he leased it to tenant farmers and left on a journey.
At the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants
to obtain from them some of the produce of the vineyard.
But they seized him, beat him,
and sent him away empty-handed.
Again he sent them another servant.
And that one they beat over the head and treated shamefully.
He sent yet another whom they killed.
So, too, many others; some they beat, others they killed.
He had one other to send, a beloved son.
He sent him to them last of all, thinking, 'They will respect my son.'
But those tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir.
Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'
So they seized him and killed him,
and threw him out of the vineyard.
What then will the owner of the vineyard do?
He will come, put the tenants to death,
and give the vineyard to others.
Have you not read this Scripture passage:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes?"
They were seeking to arrest him, but they feared the crowd,
for they realized that he had addressed the parable to them.
So they left him and went away.

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

Jesus, yours is an inside-out, upside-down kingdom, that is not of this world. You came to challenge the status quo and show us a better, different way to live. Not everybody welcomes your message readily.

PRAYER:

Lord, do I see you where you really are, in the rejected, persecuted, discarded and dismissed of society? Those considered to have little worth? Do I welcome your values or do I harbour violence, a lust for power and dominance in my heart? Heal my blindness and open my eyes to see the “amazing” things you have done; most of all, your coming in your Son Jesus to be with us in all our human foibles and weaknesses, in every experience of our lives. Thank you, Lord, for this priceless gift, and for being our cornerstone.

Parable Of The Tenants

MARCH 10, 2023 FRIDAY

Friday of the Second Week of Lent (Violet)

CYCLE A - YEAR I

Lectionary: 234

Reading 1

Gn 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a

Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons,

for he was the child of his old age;

and he had made him a long tunic.

When his brothers saw that their father loved him best of all his sons,

they hated him so much that they would not even greet him.

One day, when his brothers had gone

to pasture their father's flocks at Shechem,

Israel said to Joseph,

"Your brothers, you know, are tending our flocks at Shechem.

Get ready; I will send you to them."

So Joseph went after his brothers and caught up with them in Dothan.

They noticed him from a distance,

and before he came up to them, they plotted to kill him.

They said to one another: "Here comes that master dreamer!

Come on, let us kill him and throw him into one of the cisterns here;

we could say that a wild beast devoured him.

We shall then see what comes of his dreams."

When Reuben heard this,

he tried to save him from their hands, saying,

"We must not take his life.

Instead of shedding blood," he continued,

"just throw him into that cistern there in the desert;

but do not kill him outright."

His purpose was to rescue him from their hands

and return him to his father.

So when Joseph came up to them,

they stripped him of the long tunic he had on;

then they took him and threw him into the cistern,

which was empty and dry.

They then sat down to their meal.

Looking up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead,

their camels laden with gum, balm and resin

to be taken down to Egypt.

Judah said to his brothers:

"What is to be gained by killing our brother and concealing his blood?

Rather, let us sell him to these Ishmaelites,

instead of doing away with him ourselves.

After all, he is our brother, our own flesh."

His brothers agreed.

They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 105:16-17, 18-19, 20-21

R. (5a) Remember the marvels the Lord has done.

When the LORD called down a famine on the land

and ruined the crop that sustained them,

He sent a man before them,

Joseph, sold as a slave.

R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.

They had weighed him down with fetters,

and he was bound with chains,

Till his prediction came to pass

and the word of the LORD proved him true.

R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.

The king sent and released him,

the ruler of the peoples set him free.

He made him lord of his house

and ruler of all his possessions.

R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.

Verse Before the Gospel

Jn 3:16

God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son;

so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.

Gospel

Mt 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.

GOSPEL REFLECTION: 

We are the tenants in the parable. We are provided by God with everything we need to make our vineyard prosper. God gives us the freedom to run the vineyard as we choose – but it is God’s. We need to be sensitive to what God desires of us. This is what prayer is about – coming to know the mind of God about our lives.

PRAYER:

Jesus, you were thrown out and killed. But you took no revenge. Instead you excused your torturers and by your love you reconciled everyone with God. You showed what divine love is like. You love me totally, no matter what I do. May I always wish others well, and pray for them instead of taking revenge on them when they hurt me.

Parable of the Wicked Tenants

March 05, 2021, Friday
Friday of the Second Week of Lent (Violet)
CYCLE B - YEAR I
RDGS: GN 37:3-4. 12-13. 17-28/ PS 105:16-17. 18-19. 20-21
GOSPEL: MT 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 winepress 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.

GOSPEL REFLECTION: 

We are the tenants in the parable. We are provided by God with everything we need to make our vineyard prosper. God gives us the freedom to run the vineyard as we choose – but it is God’s. We need to be sensitive to what God desires of us. This is what prayer is about – coming to know the mind of God about our lives.

PRAYER:

Jesus, you were thrown out and killed. But you took no revenge. Instead, you excused your torturers and by your love, you reconciled everyone with God. You showed what divine love is like. You love me totally, no matter what I do. May I always wish others well, and pray for them instead of taking revenge on them when they hurt me.