Pastor’s Corner In the readings for the Mass on this, the 27thSunday of Ordinary time, the image of a vineyard is repeatedly presented to us. The audience that originally heard these prophesies, psalms and parables had an experiential connection to the concept of a vineyard. They knew personally about giving of oneself to the tilling, the planting, the watering, the tending, the protecting and hopefully the harvesting. That is why the ‘vineyard’- as an analogy for understanding what the Kingdom of God is like - was very beneficial to the early disciples. And, since we too have some form of understanding of the arduous process involved with agricultural production, the ‘vineyard’ example helps us grasp how good God is in embedding the seed of faith in us and nurturing it by word and sacrament so that we can have the chance to produce good fruit. The Church is God’s vineyard and we must constantly remind ourselves that He is the owner and master of the vineyard. If we are not open to receive the gift of faith; if we don’t allow the Sacred Scripture and the teaching of the Church to soak in to our minds and hearts; if we don’t accept the pain of pruning; then we will be barren at the harvest time – or worse yet – we will reap rotten fruit. Similarly, if the word of God is not proclaimed or proclaimed incorrectly; if the vineyard is flooded with false teaching; if the weeds of secularism, relativism and materialism are allowed to grow wildly, then the vineyard will not yield what the master planned. This Sunday in Rome, the Synod of Bishops convoked by Pope Francis will begin meeting concerning the topic of “The Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization.” For 15 days this assembly will discuss the challenges and circumstances of family life in the modern world. This meeting will call on the Spirit of the Lord to guide its discussions and deliberations concerning family life within the vineyard. The Synod will discuss three general themes using responses to a worldwide questionnaire: 1. The first part, devoted to the Gospel of the Family, treats the divine plan and the vocation of the person in Christ. Within this perspective, the section gives indications — positive as well as negative — of the faithful’s knowledge and acceptance of pertinent teachings on the family from the Bible and the documents of the Church’s Magisterium as well as the faithful’s understanding of the natural law. 2. The second part treats various challenges and actual situations related to the pastoral care of the family. 3. The third part is devoted to the topic of an openness to life and the responsibility of parents in the upbringing of their children — characteristic of marriage between a man and a woman — with particular reference to difficult pastoral situations. The Holy Father has asked all the faithful to pray for the members of the Synod and so we have added an intention to our weekly petitions and will conclude our General Intercessions with a prayer composed by the Pope himself. In this way we will be assured of God’s hand directing and tending this particular ‘vine’ in his field so that the fruit will be beneficial for all in the Church – according to Master’s design. Peace, Fr. Nick
Posted on: Tue, 07 Oct 2014 22:10:06 +0000
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