VIGÉSIMO SÉPTIMO DOMINGO DEL TIEMPO ORDINARIO 2026

Mis queridos hermanos y hermanas: las lecturas de este domingo nos presentan una hermosa imagen: la viña del Señor.

En la primera lectura, el profeta Isaías nos habla del Señor preparando cuidadosamente su viña. En el Evangelio, Jesús nos cuenta la parábola de un propietario que planta una viña, la cuida y la confía a unos trabajadores. En ambas lecturas, la viña representa al pueblo de Dios.

Y hoy, queridos hermanos y hermanas, nosotros somos esa viña.

Dios ha confiado su viña a cada uno de nosotros. Nos ha dado la vida, la fe, la familia, nuestros talentos, nuestro tiempo y tantas bendiciones. Él espera que usemos estos dones para producir buenos frutos.

Por eso, preguntémonos:

Si Jesús mirara hoy nuestra vida, ¿estaría contento con lo que ve?

¿Qué clase de frutos estamos produciendo?

¿Estamos produciendo amor, perdón, compasión, paciencia, justicia y paz? ¿O estamos produciendo enojo, egoísmo, resentimiento, celos y división?

Los trabajadores de la parábola cometieron el error de olvidar que solamente eran administradores. Comenzaron a actuar como si la viña les perteneciera.

Nosotros podemos cometer el mismo error. A veces olvidamos que nuestra vida no nos pertenece completamente. Todo lo que tenemos es, en última instancia, un regalo de Dios. No somos los dueños; somos sus administradores.

Y un día, el Señor nos preguntará qué hemos hecho con todo lo que Él nos confió.

San Pablo, en la segunda lectura, nos da un consejo muy concreto. Nos invita a orar, a no vivir preocupados y a buscar todo lo que es verdadero, honorable, justo, puro, amable y digno de alabanza. También nos anima a seguir buenos ejemplos.

Esto es especialmente importante en nuestros tiempos. El mundo necesita personas que no solamente se quejen de lo que está mal, sino que produzcan buenos frutos con sus vidas.

Nuestras familias los necesitan. Nuestra Iglesia los necesita. Nuestras comunidades los necesitan.

Mis queridos hermanos y hermanas, Dios ha confiado una viña a cada uno de nosotros. Tal vez nuestra viña sea nuestra familia, nuestro matrimonio, nuestro trabajo, nuestro ministerio o las personas que encontramos cada día.

Cuidemos esa viña con amor. Alimentémosla con la oración. Protejámosla con la fe. Y produzcamos los frutos que Dios espera de nosotros.

No olvidemos nunca:

La viña pertenece al Señor. Nosotros somos sus administradores.

Que el Señor encuentre en cada uno de nosotros abundantes frutos de fe, amor, perdón, compasión y paz.

Amén.

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TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 2026

My dear brothers and sisters, this Sunday’s readings give us a beautiful image: the vineyard of the Lord.

In the first reading, the Prophet Isaiah speaks of the Lord carefully preparing His vineyard. In the Gospel, Jesus tells us about a landowner who plants a vineyard, cares for it, and entrusts it to tenants. In both readings, the vineyard represents God’s people.

And today, my dear brothers and sisters, we are that vineyard.

God has entrusted His vineyard to each one of us. He has given us life, faith, family, talents, time, and many blessings. He expects us to use these gifts to produce good fruit.

So let us ask ourselves:

If Jesus looked at my life today, would He be pleased with what He sees?

What kind of fruit am I producing?

Am I producing love, forgiveness, compassion, patience, justice, and peace? Or am I producing anger, selfishness, violence, resentment, jealousy, and division?

The tenants in Jesus’ parable made the mistake of forgetting that they were only tenants. They began to act as though the vineyard belonged to them.

We can make the same mistake. Sometimes we forget that our life does not belong entirely to us. Everything we have is ultimately a gift from God. We are not the owners; we are stewards.

And one day, the Lord will ask us what we have done with what He entrusted to us.

Saint Paul, in today’s second reading, gives us practical advice. He tells us to pray, not to be anxious, and to seek what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and worthy of praise. He also encourages us to follow good examples.

That is especially important today. The world needs people who do not simply complain about what is wrong, but who produce good fruit through their lives.

Our families need it. Our Church needs it. Our communities need it.

My dear brothers and sisters, God has entrusted a vineyard to each of us. Perhaps your vineyard is your family, your marriage, your work, your ministry, or the people you encounter each day.

Let us care for that vineyard with love. Let us nourish it with prayer. Let us protect it with faith. And let us produce the fruits that God expects from us.

Let us never forget:

The vineyard belongs to the Lord. We are His stewards.

May the Lord find in each of us abundant fruits of faith, love, forgiveness, compassion, and peace.

Amen.

27th Sunday – Cycle A 2026

My friends, our Gospel today is a continuation of last week’s Gospel with Jesus telling the Chief Priests and Elders of the people another parable.  Today’s parable may be 2,000 years old but it still rings true today.  It’s a story that's relevant for all ages and religions, including our Pope, Bishops and Priests.

Also, today’s parable is a reminder that the Kingdom of God goes beyond religion and beyond leadership.  It’s a reminder that no religion “owns” God.  Jesus' parable is for everyone. 

To help us understand this parable is a description of the Characters: 

1. The vineyard is Israel.

2. The vineyard owner is God.

3. The tenants are the religious leaders.

4. The servants of the vineyard owner (those who were beaten and killed) were the Prophets who came before Jesus to announce the Kingdom of God.

5. Finally, the vineyard owner's son is Jesus.

The vineyard owner was gracious and giving.  He provided everything needed for a successful, fruitful vineyard:

• He planted the vines.

•  Put a hedge around the vineyard to keep out unwanted people and critters.

•  He built a wine press to use when the grapes were ripe.

• Finally he built a watch tower, which had a dual purpose:

1. To watch out for sabotage and theft.

2. The tower also provided lodging for the vineyard workers.

The symbolism and depth in today's gospel is immense. But the crux of this story is concise:

God owns the vineyard, not us.  And, we are expected to produce good fruit as God’s tenants and care takers.  We are stewards of God’s vineyard, the earth.

That's the point that Jesus was making when he told the Chief Priests and Elders of the people:

"The Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce fruit."

My friends, recently we saw the fruits for the Kingdom of God in a very real, concrete way.  We saw the kindness, compassion, and love of neighbor during the horrendous earthquakes in Columbia and Venezuela , and flooding in Nepal. 

Men and women putting others’ safety and well-being before their own.  They didn’t stop to consider what nationality or ethnicity or color of skin or religion.  They saw strangers in need and they did something to help them.  

Right here in our own community there are men and women who produce good fruit by visiting the sick, the elderly, and the homebound.  Sometimes there are lonely people who have no visitors, no one to talk to, no one to spend some time with.  Thankfully, there are good tenants who do this good work.

Every day we are called to do good – some days in small ways and other days in life-changing ways. 

The good that we do can literally change someone’s life and perhaps, our life as well.