Sunday - October 08, 2017
"The greatest method of praying
is to pray the Rosary."
~~St. Francis de Sales
TODAY'S READINGS
October 8, 2017
Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 139
Reading 1IS 5:1-7
Let me now sing of my friend,my friend's song concerning his vineyard.
My friend had a vineyard
on a fertile hillside;
he spaded it, cleared it of stones,
and planted the choicest vines;
within it he built a watchtower,
and hewed out a wine press.
Then he looked for the crop of grapes,
but what it yielded was wild grapes.
Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard:
What more was there to do for my vineyard
that I had not done?
Why, when I looked for the crop of grapes,
did it bring forth wild grapes?
Now, I will let you know
what I mean to do with my vineyard:
take away its hedge, give it to grazing,
break through its wall, let it be trampled!
Yes, I will make it a ruin:
it shall not be pruned or hoed,
but overgrown with thorns and briers;
I will command the clouds
not to send rain upon it.
The vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel,
and the people of Judah are his cherished plant;
he looked for judgment, but see, bloodshed!
for justice, but hark, the outcry!
Responsorial PsalmPS 80:9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20
R. (Is 5:7a) The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.A vine from Egypt you transplanted;
you drove away the nations and planted it.
It put forth its foliage to the Sea,
its shoots as far as the River.
R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
Why have you broken down its walls,
so that every passer-by plucks its fruit,
The boar from the forest lays it waste,
and the beasts of the field feed upon it?
R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
Once again, O LORD of hosts,
look down from heaven, and see;
take care of this vine,
and protect what your right hand has planted
the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
Then we will no more withdraw from you;
give us new life, and we will call upon your name.
O LORD, God of hosts, restore us;
if your face shine upon us, then we shall be saved.
R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
Reading 2PHIL 4:6-9
Brothers and sisters:Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters,
whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is just, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious,
if there is any excellence
and if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things.
Keep on doing what you have learned and received
and heard and seen in me.
Then the God of peace will be with you.
AlleluiaCF. JN 15:16
R. Alleluia, alleluia.I have chosen you from the world, says the Lord,
to go and bear fruit that will remain.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 21:33-43
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:"Hear another parable.
There was a landowner who planted a vineyard,
put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower.
Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.
When vintage time drew near,
he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.
But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat,
another they killed, and a third they stoned.
Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones,
but they treated them in the same way.
Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking,
'They will respect my son.'
But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another,
'This is the heir.
Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.'
They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?"
They answered him,
"He will put those wretched men to a wretched death
and lease his vineyard to other tenants
who will give him the produce at the proper times."
Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes?
Therefore, I say to you,
the kingdom of God will be taken away from you
and given to a people that will produce its fruit."
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The Fruits of Heaven in Our Lives Today
"The kingdom of God is given to those who produce its fruit." That's the moral of the story that Jesus gives us in this Sunday's Gospel reading. And what is this kingdom of God, given to us while we're still on earth? What are its fruits, which we produce during our earthly lives?
Anything we do in imitation of Christ is a fruit that has grown as a result of following Christ on our journey toward heaven. If we love as he loves, forgive as he forgives, minister to others, teach the truth, and heal the hurting, we are living in the kingdom of God now.
When I ask Catholics if they believe they're going to heaven, most feel very uncertain, either because they're afraid they might lose their salvation through some future grave sin, or because they're afraid it's not humble enough to answer with a firm "yes."
Granted, we do not imitate Christ perfectly. Most of us will need to spend time in Purgatory being purged of whatever is unheavenly about us, but when the purging is finished, we'll be fully alive in the wonderfulness of God. If we make it to Purgatory, of course we'll reach the glories of heaven. And if our desire to be Christ-like is genuine, then of course our sins will never be so "grave" that we turn completely away from Christ. Of course we'll gladly embrace him when he comes for us at the moment of our death.
Whatever you do because of Christ and out of love for Christ, this is evidence that you are living in and will eternally live in God's kingdom.
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God Bless You.....
Rosary Family
The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that,
“one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
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