08 October 2023 – 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

by Fr Francis Anthony

Dear friends,

We have come here to pray, to adore God who is in our midst, to thank Him for all the blessings He has given us, to tell Him ‘sorry’ if we due to our carelessness have abandoned Him and given in to pride and anger and hatred and saying ‘yes’ to our own evil desires.

And today’s prayer tells us something which we do not often realise. In the Opening Prayer that we had, it says about God:
In the abundance of Your kindness (yes, in the abundance of Your kindness) that surpasses our merits, our desire to entreat You.

We think we are controlling God by the amount of merits we perform and gain through our prayer life, through our sacrifices. No. His kindness is more. And it goes on to say, we ask: Pour that mercy upon us. Yes. It is Your kindness, Your mercy pouring and to give what prayer does not dare to ask.

And in today’s readings, we see the guy in the First Reading making a very good vineyard with the wine press, with the tower, with the wall, hoping to have a good harvest. But it was sour grapes that came from the vineyard. And this is in line of what God has been doing to the people. He has delivered the Jewish people. He has brought them across the wilderness, taking care of their wellbeing and planted them in Israel for them to grow and to be able to develop themselves.

But what happened?

In the luxury of the land and the profits they were making with all the good harvest, they forgot God. Yes, and they started to worship the false gods. And this is what is referred. What is there I have not done for My people? I brought them, planted them, gave them all the opportunities to grow but they have abandoned me. The sour grapes is not just the grapes, it is the people.

And let us take seriously this and it is not just saying “It is referring to the Jewish people”. Just look into our own lives. Yes. In all the liturgical celebrations, it is a great concern of God with us and we with God.  How am I responding?

And in the last line of today’s Gospel, it is very frightening. If we are not turning to God, if we are not appreciative of His kindness, and trying to live the way He wants us, the text says:
That kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.

Yes. God gives us a lot of opportunities. Let us not abandon. Let us not take God’s goodness for granted.

And Saint Paul writing to the Philippians, he says:
Fill your minds with everything that is true, that is noble, everything that is good, pure, everything that we love and honour.

And that is what our liturgical prayers is asking us. The moment we come and surrender to God in prayer. And at the end of the Mass, the priest will say: The Mass is ended, that moment of prayer is over. Getting together, now you go out “Go in the peace of Christ” bringing God to the lives of the people whom we will meet.

And that is possible if we have filled our minds with truth, with noble plans, with desire, with kindness. So ask God to help us to be people who are always one with God and bringing God to others by our way of living, by our words, by our attitude. 

Click below to listen to homily and watch video:-

Click to live-stream Mass on 08 October 2023