The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to experience Presence and Peace in being in nature as our hemisphere transitions to winter restoration.
The Reading from the Prophet Isaiah is The Song of the Vineyard*
* [5:1–7] Vineyard: although the term is sometimes used in an erotic context (Sg 1:6; 8:12), “vineyard” or “vine” is used more frequently as a metaphor for God’s people (27:2; Ps 80:9, 14, 15; Jer 2:21; 12:10; Ez 17:7; Hos 10:1; Na 2:2). The terms translated “friend” (yadid) and “beloved” (dod) suggest the Lord’s favor (Dt 33:12; 2 Sm 12:25; Ps 127:2) and familial background rather than introducing the piece as a “love song,” as is sometimes suggested. The prophet disguises the real theme (the people’s infidelity) so that the hearers will participate in the unfavorable judgment called for (vv. 3–4). Cf. the reversal of this parable in 27:2–6.
* [5:5–6] Trampled…thorns and briers: this judgment is echoed in the description of the devastated land in 7:23–25.
* [5:7] Judgment…bloodshed…justice…outcry: in Hebrew there is an impressive play on words: mishpat parallels mispah, sedaqah parallels se‘aqah. See also the threefold “waited for” in vv. 2, 4, 7. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 80 is a community lament in time of military defeat.
* [Psalm 80] A community lament in time of military defeat. Using the familiar image of Israel as a vineyard, the people complain that God has broken down the wall protecting the once splendid vine brought from Egypt (Ps 80:9–14). They pray that God will again turn to them and use the Davidic king to lead them to victory (Ps 80:15–19).
* [80:9] A vine: a frequent metaphor for Israel, cf. Is 5:1–7; 27:2–5; Jer 2:21; Hos 10:1; Mt 21:33.
* [80:12] The sea: the Mediterranean. The river: the Euphrates, cf. Gn 15:18; 1 Kgs 5:1. The terms may also have a mythic nuance—the seas that surround the earth; sea and river are sometimes paralleled in poetry.
* [80:16] The Vulgate and Septuagint use “son of man.” (Psalms, PSALM 80 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Reading from the Letter of Paul to the Philippians exhorts us to Joy and Peace in our Christian community..
* [4:1–9] This series of ethical admonitions rests especially on the view of Christ and his coming (cf. Phil 4:5) in Phil 3:20–21. Paul’s instructions touch on unity within the congregation, joy, prayer, and the Christian outlook on life.
* [4:9] Cf. note on Phil 3:17. (Philippians, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus presents The Parable of the Tenants.
* [21:33] Planted a vineyard…a tower: cf. Is 5:1–2. The vineyard is defined in Is 5:7 as “the house of Israel.”
* [21:34–35] His servants: Matthew has two sendings of servants as against Mark’s three sendings of a single servant (Mk 12:2–5a) followed by a statement about the sending of “many others” (Mk 12:2, 5b). That these servants stand for the prophets sent by God to Israel is clearly implied but not made explicit here, but see Mt 23:37. His produce: cf. Mk 12:2 “some of the produce.” The produce is the good works demanded by God, and his claim to them is total.
* [21:38] Acquire his inheritance: if a Jewish proselyte died without heir, the tenants of his land would have final claim on it.
* [21:39] Threw him out…and killed him: the change in the Marcan order where the son is killed and his corpse then thrown out (Mk 12:8) was probably made because of the tradition that Jesus died outside the city of Jerusalem; see Jn 19:17; Heb 13:12.
* [21:41] They answered: in Mk 12:9 the question is answered by Jesus himself; here the leaders answer and so condemn themselves; cf. Mt 21:31. Matthew adds that the new tenants to whom the vineyard will be transferred will give the owner the produce at the proper times.
* [21:42] Cf. Ps 118:22–23. The psalm was used in the early church as a prophecy of Jesus’ resurrection; see Acts 4:11; 1 Pt 2:7. If, as some think, the original parable ended at Mt 21:39 it was thought necessary to complete it by a reference to Jesus’ vindication by God.
* [21:43] Peculiar to Matthew. Kingdom of God: see note on Mt 19:23–24. Its presence here instead of Matthew’s usual “kingdom of heaven” may indicate that the saying came from Matthew’s own traditional material. A people that will produce its fruit: believing Israelites and Gentiles, the church of Jesus. (Matthew, CHAPTER 21 | USCCB, n.d.)
Susan Naatz comments that, in today’s gospel, Jesus invites us into the life of a vineyard owner who becomes a victim of extreme betrayal and violence. He, his employees and his family are profoundly rejected. It is a deeply troubling story. But in the end, Jesus reminds his disciples and us: “Did you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone?’”
The Eucharist is a cornerstone of our Catholic faith. Bread and wine become the body and blood of Jesus Christ, who is our primary cornerstone. As we eat the bread and lift the cup, we become connected with our essence which is faith, Jesus Christ and one another.
We are a complex people. I believe that Jesus knew what he was doing when he chose the elements of our Eucharistic table. He invites us to place our lives upon this cornerstone each time we participate in the Eucharist. We then become the fruit of that table so beautifully described in today’s second reading from Paul’s letter to the Philippians as we go out to seek: “…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious… Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you.” (Naatz, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Life through death,” by Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Unless the Word of God had first assumed our mortal flesh He could not have died for us. Only in that way was the immortal God able to die and to give life to mortal humans. Therefore, by this double sharing He brought about a wonderful exchange. We made death possible for Him, and He made life possible for us." (excerpt from Sermon 218C, 1) (Schwager, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winker comments on the texts for today. In the text from Isaiah, the chosen people of God are likened to a vineyard that fails to produce good fruit. The theme is continued in the Gospel of Matthew. Israel has been unfaithful and turned against God as the Keeper of the Vineyard. The Letter of Paul to Philippians is a parenesis, a series of instructions, that exhorts Paul’s audience to choose gratitude over anxiety. Paul, writing from prison, expresses gratitude for blessings and a full life with virtues. This passage may be an examination of conscience for us like 1 Corinthians 13. If we surround ourselves with good, we are likely to be good. Time spent with superficial things will not bring true joy, The tenants in Matthew’s Gospel mistreat the only son who is thrown out of the vineyard and murdered. The Israelites have rejected God’s Son. The Son rejected is Jesus. Friar Jude notes the physical connection to Jesus at Golgotha. The Cross was anchored in a rock, shaped like a skull, that had been rejected by builders to restore the temple in Jerusalem.
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 21:33-43 comments that our heavenly Father holds nothing back in his attempts to bring his people back to himself. His love is relentless! When they produced only “wild grapes,” he sent Isaiah to call them back to him. Then, over time, he sent Jeremiah and Ezekiel and more and more prophets to speak his word to them. No matter what happened, the Lord never gave up on them.
God never gives up on us, either. He cares for us even when we ignore him, even when we reject him, even when we are not fruitful. He is always extending mercy to us and giving us another chance. So welcome him in today. Let his love sweep you off your feet. Let it inspire you to respond with faith and trust to his invitation to return.
“Lord, help me to love you and bear fruit for you and your kingdom.” (Meditation on Matthew 21:33-43, 2026)
Father Richard Rohr, OFM, explains how Saint Francis of Assisi (1182–1226) experienced the natural world as filled with God’s presence. Daily cosmic events in the sky and on the earth are the reality above our heads and beneath our feet every minute of our lives: a continuous sacrament. I find that a preoccupation with religious rituals tends to increase the more we remain untouched by Reality Itself—to which the best rituals can only point.
Jesus himself commonly points to things like the red sky, a hen, lilies, the fig tree, a donkey caught in a pit, the birds of the air, the grass in the field, the Temple animals (which he released from their cages), and on and on. He was clearly looking at the seemingly “nonreligious” world, ordinary things all around him, and he appeared to do most of his teaching outside.
In the five-day Men’s Rites of Passage that was a focus of my work for fifteen years, many men discovered that prayers and rituals inside of human-scale buildings made with artificial materials also came to seem very domesticated and controlled. They often perceived that the salvation offered there was also “small” and churchy. Almost without exception, the greatest breakthroughs for the men occurred during extended times of silence in nature, where the human and the merely verbal were not in control—or during rituals that were raw and earthy. (Rohr, n.d.)
We implore the Spirit to remind us to STOP, (Stop, Take a Breath, Observe, Proceed) as we communicate with Creation during the glorious season of preparation for the necessary requiem of winter.
References
Isaiah, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/5?
Matthew, CHAPTER 21 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/21?33
Meditation on Matthew 21:33-43. (2026, October 4). The Word Among Us. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/10/04/1687059/
Naatz, S. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-october-4-2026
Philippians, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/philippians/4?
Psalms, PSALM 80 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/80?9
Rohr, R. (n.d.). God’s Resting Place. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/gods-resting-place/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). The Stone Which the Builders Rejected. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/
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