Bearing Fruit in God's Vineyard: Exploring the Parable's Message for Today's Catholics

Welcome to Your Catholic corner. I'm your show host, Julie South. Your Catholic Corner helps Catholics spiritually prepare for each Sunday's Mass starting on Thursdays each week, you can listen to your Catholic Corner@yourcatholiccorner.com. If you want to follow along with me, you can do this@yourcatholiccorner.com as well. Today we're uncovering the biblical gems hidden in the book of the Prophet Isaiah. Some more from Paul's letter to the Philippians and Matthew's gospel from the 20 eigth Sunday of Ordinary Time in Year A. But before that, a quick word about your Catholic Corner, just in case. This is your first time here.

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Regardless of where you are on your spiritual journey, whether you've only just heard of that man called Jesus, you're new to Catholicism or you're a cradle Catholic.

My prayer is that Your Catholic corner will help bring God's word to life in your heart through insights, reflections, and practical applications that help deepen your relationship with God. Every Thursday, we'll start preparing for Mass by uncovering the richness hidden in each Sunday's Bible readings from Old Testament prophecies to gospel parables. I invite you to join me and the parishioners of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Hamilton, New Zealand, sponsors of your Catholic Corner, so that together we can hear God's word and echo samuel. Speak, Lord. Your servant is listening. Now let's get back to today's show. Remember, when two or more are gathered in his name, like we are now with you and me, jesus is here.

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Peace be with you. Today we have a reading from the book of the Prophet Isaiah, verse 25, chapters six through ten, where the Lord speaks of preparing a feast for all people, a banquet of rich food and the finest wines.

We hear that God will destroy death forever, wipe away the tears from all faces, and remove the disgrace from his people. In Philippians, chapter four, verse twelve through 14, and then 19 and 20, Paul talks about knowing how to be content in any circumstance, whether in abundance or in need. He acknowledges the support he receives from the Philippians and assures them that God will supply all their needs according to his riches in glory in Jesus Christ.

And then in Matthew, chapter 22, verses one through to 14, this wedding parable speaks of a king who prepares a wedding banquet for his son. Those initially invited refuse to come, so the king then extends the invitation to everyone, sinners included. However, we're told to be prepared.

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This is in the form of one of the guests who isn't dressed appropriately for the wedding, and he ends up being thrown out. So why these three passages on this specific Sunday?

What is a connecting message if this is your first time listening to this podcast? In the Catholic tradition, there's always a theme, a message that connects the Old Testament reading with the New Testament Gospel reading.

And sometimes there's a commonality between all three. Now, today, across these three passages, we have the consistent themes being of God's abundant provision, the importance of readiness and preparedness and gratitude, and the invitation to partake in the blessings and feasts that God prepares for everyone.

Therefore, whether it's the promise of a rich banquet, whatever that represents for you, the gratitude you have for all of God's blessings, or the need to be prepared for the divine invitation, these three Scripture passages collectively underscore the notion of God's generous and allencompassing love for his people. However, with this generous invitation from God comes his expectation that we're going to be prepared after all.

We don't want to receive the invitation and then find ourselves not wearing the right clothes to be fully able to participate in God's divine gifts. Let's focus today on the prophet Isaiah, the first reading.

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Why do some prophets have their own books in the Jewish Bible or, as we know it, the Old Testament?

Well, that's because they acted as intermediaries between God and the people, conveying messages and guiding the nation in both spiritual and at times, political matters. Back then, specifically in the 8th century BC.

Which is where we are on this, the 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time, prophets like Isaiah held important and multifaceted roles in ancient Israelite society. As divine messengers, prophets were primarily seen as messengers of God.

They received divine revelations and then conveyed those messages to the people, to the kings or the religious or and or the religious leaders.

These messages ranged from warnings of impending disaster due to disobedience through to promises of blessings if the nation returned to God's ways. They also served as the moral compass of society.

Prophets were known to criticize social injustices, corrupt practices among leaders, and deviations from the covenantal relationship with God.

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They called for justice, for righteousness and care for the vulnerable members of society, for example, such as widows, orphans and the poor.

Seen as wise, prophets provided context and interpreted current events, especially in their relationship with God.

For example, they might interpret military defeat as the result of the nation's disobedience to God.

Although they stood outside the official political structure, prophets were influencers.

They advised, they warned, and sometimes even challenged kings and leaders based on the divine messages that they received as prophets. In their own way, they were instrumental in guiding political decisions, especially in situations where prophets influenced matters of war, allegiances, alliances and national repentance.

Prophets were also heavily involved in preserving and teaching the traditions and laws of the Israelites.

They emphasised the importance of adhering to Mosaic law.

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They often reminded people of what their ancestors had done and then how God intervened or responded when they disobeyed God's instructions. While the term prophet and I use that in air quotes, prophet is often associated with predicting the future in the Hebrew Bible.

The Old Testament predictions were just one aspect of their role. When they did make predictions, it was usually to illustrate the consequences of current actions or to offer hope during dire times. Some prophets performed miracles or had extraordinary experiences to validate their messages or show God's power.

These acts were signs. They were genuinely chosen by God and weren't speaking on their own accord, that they were speaking or acting on behalf of God. For example, when Moses told Aaron to throw down his staff, and then it miraculously turned into a snake.

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If you're new to the Bible, check out Exodus, chapter seven, verse eight, for that account. When it comes to religious rituals, while the primary responsibility for these is with priests, some prophets, like Samuel and Elijah, were sometimes involved in sacrificial rituals and other religious ceremonies.

Isaiah first reading today was a significant prophet during a very tumultuous period in Judah's history.

Isaiah's messages recorded in the Book of Isaiah, which we're reading from for the first reading, spanned warnings about the impending Assyrian threat, calls for repentance promises of messianic future, and visions of a new heaven and a new earth.

Isaiah's role went beyond mere prediction, though he also provided guidance, hope, and somewhat serious spiritual perspective during those challenging times for the nation of Judah.

Now, with all of that as the backdrop, let's attempt to get an even better appreciation for what God was saying to the people of Judah, and therefore to us today. And therefore to us today by looking at what being alive at that time might have been like.

Imagine living, say, in the next town or village over from Isaiah, how might you have heard about his prophecies? There was no social media, no Twitter or X, no Instagram, no YouTube, where you could have gone online to watch a man called Isaiah talking about God.

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How might Isaiah's prophecies have reached you? There was no Morse Code. Even that was still a few thousand years away from being invented.

Let's rewind the geopolitical clock a few thousand years to help us understand the historical context.

The heart of the kingdom of Judah, Jerusalem, was a city of stone and mud. Brick buildings, wells, systems, and springs served as primary water sources.

They were communal, a bit like the water corner in offices today. Women caught up with each other at the wells. Roads were unpaved.

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There was no sewage or waste disposal systems. We're accustomed to today long drop toilets. If you've ever heard of those, ever used one of those, they were still a few thousand years or so away from invention.

So you can probably imagine the stench in some of the streets, especially in summer. Men often engaged in agriculture, artisan, crafts, or even served as soldiers.

Women managed households, gathered water, and had roles in weaving and pottery. Everything was manual and dictated by sunlight. Between sunrise and sunset, there were very limited tools available to do anything.

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The only batteries that went flat were human batteries from exhaustion, malnutrition, and sickness. Societal structures were rigid, with distinct roles for men and women.

Men held public and religious offices, participated in governance, and engaged in warfare. If you were a woman, you would probably have been responsible for all things domestic.

If you were a widow, life would have been very hard for you without a man to protect you, imagine without Twitter, YouTube, blogs, or Instagram reels. Messages would have to have been relayed through runners or written on scrolls.

Oral proclamations were made in public spaces or places of worship. Communication was slow and limited, and of course, anything written meant that you had to be educated to understand it.

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With very limited understanding of disease transmission and or control, rudimentary medical knowledge, and the absence of a formal sewage system, health challenges were frequent.

At the same time, the Mosaic Law was very strict about personal cleanliness and ritual purification. Education was oral, with traditions, religious teachings, and skills passed down through generations. Formal education, if any, was reserved for the elite or the religious scholars. Religion was central to daily life.

There was unlikely to have been atheists or agnostics secularism, as we have it today, if that's such a word, was not a thing, because religion was very strong. Religion in many different guises was pivotal. Rituals, festivals, and laws defined morality and societal structures.

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The Temple in Jerusalem was a focal point of religious and communal activities.

If you had time and the financial means for entertainment, you wouldn't have binge watched something on Netflix or wasted hours at a time watching TikTok videos. Instead, you would have enjoyed music, storytelling or dance as your primary source of entertainment. Social gatherings revolved around religious festivals, harvests or communal events.

Now, with all of that as the backdrop, let's now listen to God's word.

According to the Prophet Isaiah, paul's letter to the Philippians, and the Gospel of Matthew on this mountain, the Lord of hosts will prepare for all peoples a banquet of rich food. A banquet of fine wines of food rich and juicy, of fine, strained wines.

On this mountain, he will remove the morning veil covering all peoples, and the shroud enveloping all nations.

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He will destroy death forever. The Lord will wipe away the tears from every cheek. He will take away his people's shame everywhere on earth, for the Lord has said so. That day it will be said, see, this is our God in whom we hoped for salvation. The Lord is the One in whom we hoped. We exalt, and we rejoice that he has saved us. For the hand of the Lord rests on this mountain. The word of the Lord.

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The letter of Paul to the Philippians I know how to be poor, and I know how to be rich, too. I have been through my initiation, and now I am ready for anything anywhere. Full stomach or empty stomach, poverty or plenty. There is nothing I cannot master with the help of the One who gives me strength. All the same, it was good of you to share with me in my hardships. In return, my God will fulfill all your needs in Christ Jesus as lavishly as only God can. Glory to God our Father, forever and ever. Amen.

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The word of the Lord. The holy gospel according to Matthew. Jesus began to speak to the chief priests and elders of the people in Parables, the kingdom of heaven. Mary be compared to a king who gave a feast for his son's wedding. He sent his servants to call those who had been invited but they would not come. Next he sent some more servants. Tell those who have been invited, he said, that I have my banquet all prepared. My oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered.

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Everything is ready. Come to the wedding. But they were not interested. One went off to his farm, another to his business and the rest seized his servants, maltreated them and killed them. The king was furious. He dispatched his troops, destroyed those murderers and burnt their town. Then he said to his servants the wedding is ready. But as those who were invited proved to be unworthy go to the crossroads in the town and invite everyone you can find to the weddings.

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So these servants went out onto the roads and collected together everyone they could find, bad and good alike. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. When the king came in to look at the guests he noticed one man who was not wearing a wedding garment and said to him how did you get in here, my friend, without a wedding garment? And the man was silent. Then the king said to the attendants bind him hand and foot and throw him out into the dark where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen. The gospel of the Lord. What was God saying to you? Of course, that depends on what you've got going on in your life right now. Today you may hear one message and tomorrow a different one.

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Here's what I picked up. Sometimes you don't have to look too far in the news to read or watch how some part of our world is divided. With our general election coming up in New Zealand, not too far away all political parties are trying to create some kind of divide so that people will take sides. They're banking on side, taking equaling a vote for their party. This division exclusion and discrimination is completely opposite to what we heard in both Isaiah's passage and Matthew's Gospel where all are invited at the same time. Matthew talks about divine inclusivity. A world where everyone, regardless of race, creed, background are treated with dignity and respect. Imagine imagine if we could emulate that in our little part of the world.

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What a difference that would make. Divine inclusivity? That would be just amazing. We're also asked to be prepared to make sure we're wearing the right garments. But what else could that mean? What metaphor could we have going on here? Perhaps today it could mean that when we addressed appropriately, it relates to our spirituality, to our faith, that we live with integrity, that we tell the truth, that we live as Jesus and God want us to live. Imagine someone perhaps seeing our spiritual clothing and want what we have. Would they want to be dressed the same way spiritually as well? Are we inspiring others to wear the same clothes? How about the promise of comfort and hope? How often do we let God wipe away our tears during our own trying times? Perhaps our own divided times, given the global challenges we face today? We've got climate change, floods, droughts, fires. We have wars around the world, plus we have our own personal struggles. The promise of a future feast or gathering where sorrows are no more is a comforting notion.

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We also have the vision of community, and togetherness we live in a digital age. But yet, contrary to the concept of connectedness, we are anything but. More people feel alone and abandoned than ever before. Is God inviting you to reach out and connect with someone? Perhaps it's time for you for me to extend an invitation. Or maybe it's time for you to rejoin a community, maybe your parish community, especially if you're one of those that we are so missing at Mass on Sundays. In a world full of noise, distractions, and competing priorities, the idea of responding to a call or an invitation, like the wedding guests in Matthew, it speaks of purpose. Maybe God is nudging you to prioritize what's truly important. Perhaps a significant invitation.

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Maybe, just maybe, you're listening to this but haven't been to a Mass in a while. Maybe you haven't fully returned to your parish after all the lockdowns that we had one weekend. You tell yourself you'll get around to it, but you haven't yet. Maybe this is God's invitation for you this weekend. Or maybe your feeling the pull to find out more about this man called Jesus and this thing called Catholicism, but don't know quite where to start. If this is what you're hearing from God today, then pick up the phone or go online and get in touch with your nearest Catholic church. I promise there'll be someone only too willing to share a cup of tea or a cup of coffee with you. Thank you for spending the last 25 30 minutes or so of your life with God and me today.

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Wherever you are, I pray that God's glass of love overflows in your heart and your life. I pray also that you're ready to accept God's invitation to you this week. Also, I pray that you'll be able to hear Samuel's words and say, speak, Lord. Your servant is listening. And finally, I'd like to say thank you to the parishioners of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who helped me bring this podcast to you today. If you enjoyed today's show. I have a huge favour to ask. Please help me share God's word through your Catholic corner.

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Please tell your friends and family about this show so they can hopefully benefit as well. All you have to do is direct them to yourcatholiccorner.com. Thank you. This is Julie South signing off until next week. Peace be with you. God bless.