“Let me sing to my friend the song of his love for his vineyard.”- Isaiah 5:1 “There was a man who planted a vineyard…” – Matthew 21:33 These last three Gospels of the past two Sundays as well as today place us once again by way of parable in the setting of a vineyard. “Better Homes and Gardens” has nothing compared to the Gospels.😁 In the Old Testament, the vineyard represents Israel and its inhabitants, a nation meant to flourish under the protection of the one true God! What is the importance of a field upon which grapevines are planted, nurtured and cultivated? In the Old Testament reading for today, Isaiah gives us a “song of his love for his vineyard.” He joyful sings out, “My friend has a vineyard on a fertile hillside…He expected it to yield grapes; but sour grapes were all that it gave.” 🎶 The metaphor that comes forth reveals that God is the vine dresser. He clears away the stones, chooses the finest vines to plant, and builds a watchtower. Isaiah describes everything as being in place in anticipation of sweet grapes. What sadly happens? SOUR GRAPES! Why?? By way of response, the failure of the vineyard in bringing forth sweet grapes is not the fault of the vine dresser (God), but of the vines themselves (us!) Here we have a noteworthy lesson in our spiritual life: The vineyard symbolises Divine providence, supernatural charity, and human responsibility! God gives us the necessary means for holiness; but we must do our part in cooperating with Him to bear good fruit. In the New Testament Jesus will personify this imagery: “I am the vine; and My Father is the vine dresser… I am the vine; you are the branches.” – John 15:15 The Old Testament vineyard symbolising Israel is turned into the New Testament vineyard being the Mystical Body of Christ, His Church! In other words, we are not only working in the vineyard; but WE ARE ALSO THE VINEYARD ITSELF!🙏, living only because we remain attached to Jesus Christ. To be separated from the vine is to wither and die; to be united to the vine is to bear fruit thar will last! This is the Catholic understanding of Grace. Our good deeds are not our own achievements; rather they are the fruit of the vine flowing through the branches. Very importantly, the vineyard gives us the Eucharist. The fruit of the vineyard, the sweetest of grapes, becomes the Most Precious Blood of Christ! The “Words of Consecration” changes the wine of the vineyard into the Precious Blood of the Last Supper, perpetuated daily in our Altars. This thought alone should remind us of THE INFINITE VALUE OF THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS! Saint Thomas Aquinas teaches: “The celebration of Holy Mass is as valuable as the death of Jesus on the cross.” Truly did Our Lord “save the best wine until last.” “If we really understood the Mass, we would die of joy!” –