A Lover’s Complaint

 (Homily for Sunday, October 8^th 2023)

The fact that we are sinners does not mean that we are excused from beings saints. Today’s readings are a reminder of that. We are the Lord’s vineyard and we are meant to produce fruit, fruit of repentance and fruit of good works. The Lord expects fruit from His vineyard.

1.  We are sinners. “Father, I do not usually commit mortal sins.” This does not mean that you are not a sinner. We all are sinners, first of all, because we have sinned in the past; second, because our sins have left in us a tendency to sin, they have left in us a certain weakness and we will always have to be careful; third, because of the little sins which we may often commit. In this sense, it is said that the just man, the saint, sins seven times a day (cf. Proverbs 24:12).

2.  From us sinners, however, God expects good works, works of justice and holiness. The Lord is pretty angry at his vineyard for not having produced fruit. He did everything he could possibly do to obtain fruit and did not obtain it (cf. Isaiah 5:3-7). How could someone not be upset at that? The prophet says (cf. Isaiah 5:1-2):

-  “My friend had a vineyard on a fertile hillside.” Our heart, insofar as it has been created by God, is well made. Our freedom is capable of choosing the right thing and doing good. In that sense, our heart is like “a fertile hillside,” capable of producing fruits of good works.

-  Now, in order to do that, we need some instruction, and this is why “he spaded it,” that is, He prepared our heart with instruction. We also need certain obstacles to be taken away and this is why He also “cleared it of stones.” From a natural point of view, a person needs instruction from his or her parents about what is good; the natural obstacles which need to be removed are for example environments of extreme poverty, violence or corruption, which make so difficult to grow in virtue. From a supernatural point of view, this instruction is the first catechetical instruction we have received and the obstacle cleared out is sin, which is taken away only by grace and through the sacraments of baptism and penance.

-  Now, because all of this is not enough in order to give God the sweet fruit of divine love, He planted this divine love in our human hearts by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and through baptism. This is why, the prophet continues, the Lord “planted the choicest vines,” that is, He planted the seed of the Gospel, the Word of God and His divine grace into our hearts. So that this seed may be protected from the enemy, he left the shepherds of the Church to watch the Church’s doctrine: “within [the vineyard] he built a watchtower.”

-  The Lord also “hewed out a wine press.” It is a sign that God desires to enjoy the fruit we produce, but for him to enjoy it, the fruit needs to pass through the winepress. This winepress is our communion with the suffering of Jesus through the sacraments, it is also our communion with Jesus through our own sufferings, and it is ultimately our own death, through which we pass from being fruit of God to become His wine in Heaven, where He rejoices with us and we also rejoice with Him (cf. Revelation 3:20). In heaven, God will be our own wine, “our portion and our cup” (cf. Psalm 16:5).

3.  We have considered each of the gifts God has given us and how much God desires to obtain the fruit of our love. We can now reflect and ask ourselves how have we used those gifts and how we can use them better. God gave us freedom, a heart capable of doing good by free choice and not simply by necessity or by fear. Why do I do the right thing? God gave us instruction about what is good through our conscience, through our parents and/or through our catechists, in such a way that we know what is the right thing to do and what is the evil we should avoid. Have we obeyed our conscience? God cleared out so many obstacles: God has never allowed us to be tempted beyond our strength, as St. Paul says (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:13). Do we recognize God’s hand in our lives? Do we thank Him for His protection? Most importantly, God forgave our sins: He turned our hearts back to Him and made us able to do works of holiness by planting in us His divine love. He left us priests to forgive our sins time and again and recover God’s grace when we lose it. He left the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, to give us strength to do the right thing and carry the cross... Do we take advantage of the sacraments? Could we take more advantage of them? He left a Church to teach us the right doctrine, He gave us the hope of eternal life with Him...

4.  God complains that His vineyard did not give Him fruit, not as the businessman who did not succeed in his business, but as the lover who has not been corresponded. All God wants is our love. All those gifts were for you, so that you could love Him and He could rejoice with you on earth and in Heaven. It is not simply that God wants to be loved: God gave you all those gifts because He wants to be loved by you, in particular.

What is God expecting from you? When will you give it to Him?