This Sermon is prepared by
Rev.Fr.Peter Jayakanthan sss
Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament
Corpus Christi Catholic Church,
Houston, Texas, US
27th Sunday of Ordinary TimeRejected will be ……Raised!!Is5:1-7; Phil 2:6-9; Mt21:33-43Dear Sisters, Brothers and Children, I welcome you all to another Lord’s Day celebration of Eucharist. This week is very important for the church, because, hundreds of bishops and special representatives all over the world have gathered in the Vatican and will participate in the extraordinary Synod on the family. We lift them in our prayers that they may speak out and reflect on the challenges of families in the mission of evangelization.There was no Communion last week in the last 2000 years of Christianity in Nineveh, Northern Iraq. All the churches are closed. All the people ran away. No more presence of Christians in major cities. The few who remained there are living in poverty and immobility. The Islamic state conquered Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq. The end could be well near for Christianity in Iraq, where thousands are killed brutally. The survivors literally live in deserts and streets. Christians are openly rejected in Islamic nations. It is severe in Iraq….. Last week, hundreds of Iraqi Christians found shelter in St. Mary’s Church, Amman. They were asked to convert, leave or die…… Allen Henning a British volunteer was beheaded this Friday 3rd October 14?….. Rejecting people, rejecting particular Christian faith is rejecting the Lord our Master. People experience rejection in our families…. Children experience rejection during the divorce crisis of parents…….. Persons under substance abuse become aware that is due to moments in their childhood rejection….. Rejection is very painful and fearful. It gives an unwanted feeling, leaving the person in darkness. The readings invite us to see the realities of rejection and look for the days to rise above it. We have been provided with the example of the vineyard for the past three weeks, which was the life of the people of Palestine. In the first reading we have Prophet Isaiah expressing the warning of Yahweh, about their division as two different kingdoms due to idolatry and immorality. The Northern Kingdom of Israel with Samaria as the capital was dominated by an Assyrian ruler. The other side, the Southern kingdom of Judah with Jerusalem as its capital, both rejected God of Yahweh, said no to Him while saying yes to all the other false practices. They remain as wild grapes without any taste. ‘What else can I do for you’ was the expression of Yahweh to His people. The Vineyard refers to the chosen people of Israel whom God liberated, protected and guided always with the chosen leaders, prophets and kings. But they denied, rejected and had forgotten Yahweh because of division, Idolatry, immorality and political pleasures. The prophet Isaiah was preparing them to accept the king and the Messiah who would unite and unify them as one people in one vineyard. This is a great clarion call to all the divisions in Christianity. The parable also challenges us to ask the following questions: Do we recognize the call of God or reject the call of God? How do we treat the prophets of our time? Over the centuries, how many prophets in our Christian communities have been rejected, abused and even killed? How did we treat Joan of Arc, Thomas More, and Oliver Plunkett. In our own times, Bishop Oscar Romero, Martin Luther King, the countless victims of violence in Africa, Central and South America -- not to mention Northern Ireland. The sad fact is that they were killed not by pagans but by fellow-Christians, all tenants in the Lord's vineyard. We may have a few questions after listening to the Gospel of Matthew today. First, why do the tenants behave rudely with anger and vengeance? In the 1st century A.D. large parcels of land belonged to liberal foreigners who rented land in groups. The renting agreement provided that part of the harvest would go to the owner, who carried out his right by sending stewards to collect his share. In such a situation one can understand that the feelings of peasants were sorely tried: they felt greatly disheartened and this sometimes led to revolt. The tenants became wicked when they started the slogan, “land for a farmer”. They thought the stewards remained as blocks or hurdles between them and the land owners who were mostly away touring different places. How is the rejection of the steward expressed by the wicked tenants? They were beaten (thrashed), killed and stoned. This explains how the stewards were cruelly rejected. Rejecting one of God’s representatives is rejecting God. We know how prophets or stewards of God’s Word were beaten, killed and stoned. People in ministry experience this rejection in the Church today in different ways, in the ministry of evangelization. Who is the vineyard, who is the Land owner and who are the wicked tenants? The Church, the people of God is the vineyard. Our Lord is our land owner. The verbs, planted... fenced... dug... built... leased, reveal the ever-caring and loving approach of Jesus Our Lord. The Jewish Christians and the new Christians, become wicked tenants by rejecting the call and care of Jesus our master. Here Matthew gives the words of Jesus; ‘when you reject me, you reject God the Father and reject the gentiles. The gentiles who were rejected will become the corner-stone. They will be given the vineyard from your hand.’ Blessed Mother Teresa said every abortion is a rejection of Jesus. Her words are inscribed in their first home, “Now today the most horrible disease is not leprosy or tuberculosis, it is the feeling to be undesirable, rejected and abandoned by all”. It was told that once a 9 year old boy knocked on one of Mother Teresa’s convents; when the sister responded to that call asked him, “what can I do for you?” The boy replied, “no one wants me, do you want me?” The response of the nun was, “we want you and Jesus likes and loves you.” The assurance of Yahweh to the people of Israel during their slavery and exile were, ‘I will deliver you, I am there for you, I am your God, you are my people and I will never forget you.’ But they rejected the love of Yahweh every time. Jesus assured the same words to his believers and disciples, “I will not leave you as orphans, do not be afraid…I am with you.” Some questions for reflection are: How can we heal our moments of rejection? How can we build a community of compassion to others, becoming the corner-stone over and over again as stewards of God’s word to build His Kingdom? Who can we reach out to… embracing those who are rejected, outcast, lonely, or become a listener to their struggles, helping them to find light? Do we reject anyone in our community, family or society for various reasons? We pray that the synod of families may heal all the wounds caused by rejection in the family relationships-Amen. 
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