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A Note From

Rev. Joe Koyickal

The Call to be Faithful Bearing Fruit

In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus tells us the parable of the vineyard. The landowner plants the vineyard, puts a hedge around it, digs a wine press, builds a tower, and leases it to tenants. The landowner has done everything possible and needed for the Vinyard to be a fruitful one and entrusts it to the tenants expecting them to take care and bear fruit. This imagery clearly expresses God’s love, care and concern for us and reminds us also of our responsibility to bear fruit for Him.

Now the question is: What will we do with what God has entrusted to us?

We have received much from God: faith, family, parish community, the Eucharist, the Scriptures, our abilities, our time, and our opportunities to serve. These gifts and blessings are not given to us to keep it for ourselves, but to serve God’s purpose, to bear fruit for Him. He has a plan and purpose for each one of us. As the gospel says: The landowner carefully prepares the vineyard and entrusts it to tenants. And when the time comes, he looks for the fruit that the vineyard should produce.

This parable reminds us that God has entrusted his vineyard to us in trust that we may be His faithful stewards and bear fruit. We are not the owners, but stewards of what has been placed in our hands. What matters, therefore, is not simply that we belong to God’s vineyard, but that our lives produce good fruit.

In the light of this parable, we can ask ourselves: what are the gifts and blessings that God has blessed us with? Am I grateful for those blessings? And what kind of fruit does God find in our lives? Is there love, kindness, forgiveness, generosity, patience, compassion, and a willingness to serve? Does our faith make a difference in the way we treat our family, our neighbors, our fellow parishioners, and those who are in need? And what can I do to be a faithful steward of His blessings in my life?

As we gather as a parish family this weekend, let us remember that we are all working in the same vineyard of the Lord. Each of us has a part to play. Some may serve publicly, while others serve quietly in ways that only God sees. Every act of love, kindness and service can become good fruit for God’s Kingdom. This is the way we contribute our own share in bringing about God’s kingdom in our families, in our relationships, in our parish, our community and the world at large.

Let us ask the Lord to help us be faithful stewards: grateful for what we have received, generous in what we give, and fruitful in the way we live our faith.

Blessings of Peace and joy always!

Fr. Joe