From our Pastor’s Desk

Dear Family:

The readings this weekend remind us that everything we have is a gift entrusted to us by God. The question is not only what we have received, but what fruit we are producing with what God has placed in our hands.

In the first reading the prophet Isaiah speaks to the people of Judah in the eighth century BC, at a time when God’s people had received much, yet were failing to live faithfully. Through the beautiful image of a vineyard, Isaiah describes God’s relationship with Israel. The owner carefully prepares the vineyard, plants the best vines, protects them, and provides everything they need. Yet, at harvest, it produces only wild grapes. The vineyard represents Israel, and God is the owner. God had given his people everything they needed to flourish, but they failed to produce the fruit he expected. And what fruit was God looking for? Isaiah gives the answer: justice and righteousness. Instead, God found bloodshed and heard the cries of people who were suffering. Their relationship with God had become disconnected from the way they treated others. This passage makes us ask an uncomfortable question: What kind of fruit is my life producing? God has given each of us gifts, opportunities, relationships and countless blessings. But what does he find when he looks at our lives? Does he find kindness, forgiveness, generosity and concern for those who are struggling? Or does he find selfishness, indifference and resentment? God does not bless us simply so that we can enjoy his blessings. He blesses us so that our lives can become a blessing to others. God looks not only at what we believe, but also at what our lives produce.

In the second reading St. Paul writes to the Christians at Philippi while he himself is facing difficulties and uncertainty. Yet instead of allowing fear to control him, Paul encourages the community to trust God, pray, and live with peace. Paul begins with a simple instruction: “Have no anxiety at all.” He is not saying that Christians will never have problems or worries. Rather, he tells us what to do when anxiety comes: “but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.” We can speak to God honestly about our fears, needs, relationships and struggles. Prayer does not always change the situation immediately, but it changes the way we face the situation. Paul then promises that “the peace of God that surpasses all understanding,” will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. This peace is not the absence of problems. It is the confidence that, even in difficult moments, we are not alone. Paul also reminds us to pay attention to what we allow into our minds: whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely and gracious. What we repeatedly think about shapes the way we live. The passage therefore gives us a simple pattern: pray instead of worrying, trust instead of fearing, and focus on what is good instead of what is negative. Perhaps today we can ask ourselves: What worry am I carrying that I need to place into God's hands?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the vineyard and its tenants. He is speaking directly to the chief priests and elders, the religious leaders who had questioned his authority. The vineyard reminds them of God’s people, and the tenants represent those entrusted with caring for them. The owner sends servants to collect the fruits, but the tenants beat, stone and kill them. These servants can be understood in the light of Israel’s history as the prophets whom God repeatedly sent to call his people back to faithfulness. Finally, the owner sends his son, but the tenants reject and kill him. Jesus is pointing towards his own rejection and death. The important question is: What happened to the fruit? The problem was not that God had failed to care for his vineyard. The problem was that those entrusted with it forgot that it did not belong to them. Sometimes we make the same mistake with what God has entrusted to us. We begin to think that our position, our family, our talents, our ministry or even the people we serve belong to us. The Gospel reminds us: we are stewards, not owners. We cannot treat stewardship as ownership. The Gospel reminds us that whatever responsibility God gives us is ultimately for his purposes, not our personal power or prestige.

This Gospel therefore speaks not only to priests and religious leaders, but to anyone who has been entrusted with others: parents, teachers, catechists, leaders and all who have responsibility for others. We may ask ourselves: Am I truly serving the people entrusted to me? Am I listening when God corrects me? Or have I become like the tenants, refusing to listen because I want to remain in control? If God were to inspect my vineyard today, what fruit would he find? Is there justice? Is there compassion? Is there forgiveness? Is there generosity? Is there humility? Is there love? God has entrusted each of us with a little part of his vineyard. May we never forget that we are stewards, not owners. And when God sends someone to challenge us, correct us or call us back to him, may we have the humility to listen. The vineyard belongs to God. The gifts are from God. The responsibility is entrusted to us. And one day, God will ask us: “What fruit did you produce?”

One way to produce fruit is being part of a ministry within our parish. Ministries in the Catholic Church are transformative realities. These are not mere positions or functions but gifts of the Holy Spirit to build up the Christian community and bring Christ’s message to the world. In a time when faith seems to be diluted by modern trends, understanding what ministries are, their origin, their history, and their current significance is essential to revitalizing our spiritual lives and our mission as baptized believers.

Today, I invite you all to be part of a ministry in our parish. May this understanding inspire us to live our ministry with humility, generosity, and love, knowing that in serving others, we serve Christ himself. May Mary, the handmaid of the Lord, guide us on this path of dedication and faithfulness. Working in God’s vineyard, we become One Body, One Spirit, One Family!

Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Katharine Drexel, Saint Michael the Archangel, St. José Gregorio Hernández, Pope Saint Pius X, St. Teresa of Avila, and St. Charbel, pray for us.

Yours in Christ!
Fr. Omar