Radiant with Joy

The Fruits of the Sorrowful Mysteries

Jesus was led away, and carrying the cross by himself, went out to what is called the Place of the Skull. There, they crucified him.
John 9:17-18

I used to get distracted throughout the Rosary, and occasionally I still do. I announce the mystery, let my mind wander, and only remember which one I’m on when I pray the ninth or tenth Hail Mary. The things that help me to contemplate each mystery are the fruits of the mysteries. I ponder how the fruit applies to its respective mystery and I pray to embody that fruit in my own life. As you meditate on the fruits of the Sorrowful Mysteries, open your heart to receive the fruits and ask Jesus and Mary to reveal where you can grow in that fruit.

The First Sorrowful Mystery is the Agony in the Garden
The Fruit of the Mystery is Conformity to God’s Will
After the Last Supper, Jesus took Peter, James, and John to pray with him in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was anxious about his upcoming Passion, so he turned to his Father in prayer. Jesus knew that he had to suffer and die so that we could enter the Kingdom of Heaven. He did this out of love for us, but in his humanity, he was scared. Just like us, he asked God if he really had to do this. In the end, Jesus said “not as I will, but as you will.” Sometimes God asks us to do hard things. Naturally, we tend to feel afraid, question if we really have to do them, and look for a way out. In these moments, we can turn to Jesus in his agony and remember that he was there first. He accepted God’s will for him, and he can help us to want what God wants for us.

The Second Sorrowful Mystery is the Scourging at the Pillar
The Fruit of the Mystery is Mortification
When I meditate on this Sorrowful Mystery, I can’t help but picture how gruesome scourging is. It’s a sharp, stinging, bloody scene, and it hurts my heart to think of Jesus feeling that pain. It’s almost unbelievable that Jesus went through all of that for us. And then I turn around and assess my own life. I think of my attempts at fasting and mortifications and how I bargain and make excuses. I want to do penance for myself and for the world, but it’s difficult. I look to Jesus, bloody and exhausted from the Scourging at the Pillar, and remember what he endured for our sins, and I ask him to make me stronger so that I can share in his suffering.

The Third Sorrowful Mystery is the Crowning of Thorns
The Fruit of the Mystery is Courage
Jesus taught us to turn the other cheek, and he did this during the Crowning of Thorns. He didn’t fight back or run away. He didn’t have to stand and take the crowd’s mockery, but he did. Unfortunately, too many people still reject Jesus. The world still mocks and persecutes Jesus, and they do the same to us because we live for him. Regardless, we stand firm in Jesus. When we’re harassed and bullied because of him, we remember his courage. Jesus didn’t back down when he was taunted by the crowd, and the words and threats of those around us won’t shake our faith.

The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery is the Carrying of the Cross
The Fruit of the Mystery is Patience
Patience is a virtue that I’ve always struggled with. A few years ago, I learned that patience isn’t about waiting. It’s about keeping a good attitude while you wait. Jesus’ journey to Calvary wasn’t easy. As he carried his own cross and felt the stung of fresh wounds, thorns in his head, and words of spectators, he walked a painful road to the hill where he would die. He wasn’t exactly joyful, but not once did Jesus lose his temper or despair. He encouraged those around him and he showed love and kindness to the people he encountered on the Way of the Cross. In the tedious, difficult, and time-consuming tasks throughout our day, it’s easy to give in and allow ourselves to get irritated and frustrated. Instead, we can take our time. We can find ways to offer it up or to do little things with great love.

The Fifth Sorrowful Mystery is the Crucifixion
The Fruit of the Mystery is Forgiveness
By Jesus’ death, we were set free from sin. As he suffered and died on the cross, he took on a debt he didn’t owe. Jesus paid the debt that we couldn’t pay so that we could spend eternity in his Kingdom. We look to the cross to recognize God’s forgiveness as a free gift. There’s nothing we have to do to earn his forgiveness. All we have to do is accept it graciously. In the in the pain of suffering and the ugliness of death, we find the most perfect example of true love within the Crucifixion. The Crucifixion reminds us that there’s nothing that God won’t do to show us his love, so in all things, we can love him in return.

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If you enjoyed these meditations with a focus on the fruits of the Sorrowful Mysteries, click here to read another set of meditations on the Sorrowful Mysteries. Check out reflections on the fruits of the Joyful mysteries, the fruits of the Luminous Mysteries, and the fruits of the Glorious Mysteries.

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This Sunday’s Gospel: October 25, 2020

Matthew 22:34-40

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,
they gathered together, and one of them,
a scholar of the law tested him by asking,
“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”
He said to him,
“You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

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The Ten Commandments that God gives us are built off of two basic laws that Jesus reminds us of in this Sunday’s Gospel reading. We must always love God above all things, making Him the center of our lives and our first priority. We have to love our neighbor as ourselves, giving them the care and kindness that we’d want to receive. This reading reminds me of a quote by St. Augustine which reads, “Love God and do as you will.” Don’t be mistaken and think this means that we can do whatever we want as long as we love. When we’re so deeply in love with God, we will what God wills. We don’t seek to do what we want for our lives, but what God wants. I think this can also be applied to our neighbors. When we truly love our brothers and sisters in Christ, we put their needs above ours. As we listen to Jesus’ commands in this Sunday’s Gospel, let’s truly take them to heart by loving the Lord more intentionally and living as an instrument of His love.

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The Fruits of the Luminous Mysteries

And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.
Matthew 17:2

I used to get distracted throughout the Rosary, and occasionally I still do. I announce the mystery, let my mind wander, and only remember which one I’m on when I pray the ninth or tenth Hail Mary. The things that help me to contemplate each mystery are the fruits of the mysteries. I ponder how the fruit applies to its respective mystery and I pray to embody that fruit in my own life. As you meditate on the fruits of the Luminous Mysteries, open your heart to receive the fruits and ask Jesus and Mary to reveal where you can grow in that fruit.

The Fruits of the Luminous Mysteries: Meditations on the fruits of the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary

The First Luminous Mystery is the Baptism in the Jordan
The Fruit of the Mystery is Openness to the Holy Spirit
At first, John the Baptist was hesitant to baptize Jesus. Feeling unworthy, he said that Jesus should baptize him. But Jesus gently persisted. When Jesus was baptized in the Jordan, the Holy Spirit descended on Him and His Heavenly Father was pleased. Similarly, our own baptisms are pleasing to God the Father. We receive the Holy Spirit for the first time and enter the Church as His beloved children. No matter when we were baptized, we have the grace of being open to the Holy Spirit. We can pray to stay open to the Holy Spirit and receive His gifts.

The Second Luminous Mystery is the Wedding at Cana
The Fruit of the Mystery is to Jesus through Mary
Jesus performed His first miracle at Mary’s prompting. Like the perfect mother that she is, Mary notices our needs and fulfills them through Jesus. When she realized that the bride and groom were out of wine at the wedding feast, she knew what to do. Mary’s last recorded words are found in the Wedding at Cana, “Do whatever he tells you.” She gave this loving command to the servants at the feast, and it still applies to us today. As we serve Jesus throughout our life, we look to Mary as an example of a perfect disciple. She truly did whatever He told her to, and so can we with her grace.

The Third Luminous Mystery is the Proclamation of the Kingdom
The Fruit of the Mystery is Repentance and Trust in God
Sometimes, we can meditate on this mystery as Jesus’ teaching as a whole. At first, I would meditate on the Beatitudes or other instances of Jesus preaching. I learned that the Proclamation of the Kingdom is specifically when Jesus sends 70 disciples out into the world. He sends them two by two into villages to call for conversions and proclaim that the Kingdom of God is at hand. This message still stirs up a call to action in us. We don’t know when the Kingdom of Heaven will be here, and it could come before we know it. We assess our own lives and see where we can repent and trust in God more, and we encourage those whom we encounter to do the same.

The Fourth Luminous Mystery is the Transfiguration
The Fruit of the Mystery is Desire for Holiness
Jesus chooses Peter, James, and John to witness His Transfiguration. On a mountain, He revealed His glory to them. They’ve seen His human appearance, but Jesus gave them the gift of beholding His divinity. He became radiant, as white as snow, and appeared with Moses and Elijah. Meditating on the Transfiguration gives us hope to share in His glory. This mystery inspires us to allow Jesus to transfigure us so that we might be pure and holy like Him.

The Fifth Luminous Mystery is the Institution of the Eucharist
The Fruit of the Mystery is Adoration
During the Last Supper, Jesus celebrated the first Mass with the twelve Apostles. On that night, He gave us the most beautiful gift, the Eucharist. In the humble form of bread and wine, Jesus offers us the gift of His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. In other words, the God of the Universe not only died for us so that we can spend eternity with Him. He also continuously comes to us. He willingly makes himself small and vulnerable so that we can be in communion with Him. The Eucharist is the greatest love story. As we contemplate the Institution of the Eucharist, we deepen our devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. In receiving Jesus’ Body and Blood and adoring it during Eucharistic Adoration, we spend time with Jesus personally and grow closer to our Savior in the most perfect way.

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If you enjoyed these meditations with a focus on the fruits of the Luminous mysteries, click here to read another set of meditations on the Luminous Mysteries. Check out reflections on the fruits of the Joyful Mysteries, the fruits of the Sorrowful Mysteries, and the fruits of the Glorious Mysteries.

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According to Luke

Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
Luke 23:42

When I think of Jesus, I see His loving gaze and feel His heart on fire with love. I picture His arms outstretched, ready to embrace me. As I pray, I visualize myself holding His hands or wrapped in His arms. Resting in His presence, I pour my heart out to Him. He meets me where I am and lets me rest in Him, constantly reassuring me that He loves me.

While we read the Gospel of Luke, we always hear of Jesus encountering and loving everyone He meets. He heals the sick and forgives sinners. He stops to talk to the outcasts of society. My image of a compassionate Jesus comes from Luke’s Gospel because of the beautiful ways that he describes Him.

According to Luke: Understanding St. Luke and his Gospel account

Luke wrote his Gospel account, as well as the Acts of the Apostles, as a convert to Christianity. Because of this, his writing expressed that Jesus came for everyone. The Gospel of Luke was written for Gentiles, or non-Christians, to show them that Jesus gathers them to Him too. Luke illustrates our Savior as compassionate, loving, and caring toward all whom he encounters. Throughout the Gospel of Luke, Jesus meets and speaks with Gentiles, Samaritans, sinners, and the poor to show that anyone can inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.

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In reading the Gospel of Luke, we learn that Jesus doesn’t deny His love or mercy to anyone who comes to Him with a contrite heart. He showed kindness to everyone, especially the poor and vulnerable, and cared deeply for them. As we read Luke’s Gospel, we can learn from his depiction of Jesus. We can imitate Jesus and show His love and compassion to our brothers and sisters. We can show them that we’re here for them and we love them by spending time with them, giving words of encouragement, or wrapping them in a hug.

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This Sunday’s Gospel: October 18, 2020

Matthew 22:15-21

The Pharisees went off
and plotted how they might entrap Jesus in speech.
They sent their disciples to him, with the Herodians, saying,
“Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man
and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.
And you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion,
for you do not regard a person’s status.
Tell us, then, what is your opinion:
Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?”
Knowing their malice, Jesus said,
“Why are you testing me, you hypocrites?
Show me the coin that pays the census tax.”
Then they handed him the Roman coin.
He said to them, “Whose image is this and whose inscription?”
They replied, “Caesar’s.”
At that he said to them,
“Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar
and to God what belongs to God.”

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We have responsibilities as humans. We pay taxes, vote, and follow laws. These are our obligations as earthly citizens, but we also have obligations as children of God. We have to lovingly and obediently follow His commands. We give Him the highest glory and honor. We worship God alone because only He is worthy of such high praise and honor. Jesus’ answer in this Sunday’s Gospel isn’t all-or-nothing. We live in a state of both-and. As we go about our worldly responsibilities, we also keep our sights on Heaven. We can’t get distracted by earthly things so much that we forget to give God what’s due to God.

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The Fruits of the Joyful Mysteries

They came upon him in the temple sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. All who heard him were amazed.
Luke 2:46-47

I used to get distracted throughout the Rosary, and occasionally I still do. I announce the mystery, let my mind wander, and only remember which one I’m on when I pray the ninth or tenth Hail Mary. The things that help me to contemplate each mystery are the fruits of the mysteries. I ponder how the fruit applies to its respective mystery and I pray to embody that fruit in my own life. As you meditate on the fruits of the Joyful Mysteries, open your heart to receive the fruits and ask Jesus and Mary to reveal where you can grow in that fruit.

The First Joyful Mystery is the Annunciation
The Fruit of the Mystery is Humility
Mary had a life prior to the Annunciation. She had plans and an idea of what she would do with her life. Obviously, when Gabriel appeared to her and told her that she would be the Mother of God, everything changed. Mary could have felt confused, shocked, bewildered. She could have wondered if the angel came to the right woman. Instead of fighting it or running away from God’s plan, she gave her fiat, her complete, perfect, no-strings-attached yes. She humbled herself in the Lord, allowing Him to work in her and through her. In her perfection and holiness, Mary remained open to God’s plans for her. Her “yes,” reminds us to let God’s will, not ours, be done. In this moment, she illustrates the most perfect example of humility.

The Second Joyful Mystery is the Visitation
The Fruit of the Mystery is Love of Neighbor
In her faith, Mary believed that she would be the Mother of God, but there was another way that she knew that Gabriel’s words were true. She visited her cousin, Elizabeth, who in her old age was pregnant with John the Baptist. The Visitation shows that Mary and Elizabeth had so much love for each other. They were probably so happy for each other in light of their pregnancies. Elizabeth felt such awe to be in the midst of the Mother of God, and Mary reverently reflected the praise to the Lord. Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months, and I can’t help but wonder what they did together when I contemplate the joy throughout their visit. I like to think that they took care of each other and kept each other company as they approached a new and beautiful chapter in their lives.

The Third Joyful Mystery is the Nativity
The Fruit of the Mystery is Detachment / Poverty
Jesus could have come to earth any way He wanted. He could have appeared out of nowhere, or He could have descended from Heaven in a blaze of glory, but our Lord decided to experience all facets of human life. As fully God and fully human, the God of the universe chose to be born of a woman. He came into the world as a small and vulnerable baby. He could have made himself a king, or a wealthy person with servants to attend to him, but He was born to poor parents in a stable with nothing. When we look at our Nativity scenes beneath our Christmas trees, we tend to think warm and cozy thoughts. We tend to romanticize the Holy Family’s experience on the first Christmas Eve. They had no place to stay or call home, they most likely had little money and not much food, but what they did have was God. Mary and Joseph didn’t have much, but because they literally had Jesus in their presence, they had enough. As long as we have Jesus, we have everything.

The Fourth Joyful Mystery is the Presentation
The Fruit of the Mystery is Obedience
Honestly, I tend to struggle with meditating on this mystery. It’s truly, for lack of better terms, a mystery to me because I’m stilly trying to wrap my head around it. What grounds me an gives me something to contemplate on is its fruit, obedience, and how it speaks to the faith of Mary and Joseph. They knew that their Son was the God of the universe. He established the laws and commandments, and as the Almighty One, He answers to no one. But Mary and Joseph presented the infant Jesus in the Temple anyway. They didn’t consider themselves an exception to the rule. They followed the law and dedicated their firstborn Son. Because of this, God’s promise to Simeon was fulfilled. Simeon lived to see the Messiah. After a lifetime of waiting in hope and trusting in the Lord, Simeon encountered God Incarnate. When he held the Word Incarnate in his arms, he knew that God always keeps His word.

The Fifth Joyful Mystery is the Finding of Jesus in the Temple
The Fruit of the Mystery is the Joy in Finding Jesus
I can’t divorce the Fifth Joyful Mystery from the Third Sorrow of Mary. To find someone naturally implies that someone was previously lost. As Mary and Joseph sought their Son, I’m positive that their only thought was finding Him again. Nothing would console them until He was in their care again. When they finally found Him in the Temple, I can only imagine the wave of relief and happiness that washed over them. They must have held Him tightly, never wanting to let Him go again. The fear and anxiety that once overwhelmed them disappeared all because Jesus was with them again. Whether we’ve left the Church and we’re coming home, or if we’re coming closer to Jesus in prayer, we always feel the joy of being with Jesus because He offers us joy that we won’t find anywhere else.

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If you enjoyed these meditations with a focus on the fruits of the Joyful mysteries, click here to read another set of meditations on the Joyful mysteries. Check out more reflections on the fruits of the Luminous Mysteries, the fruits of the Sorrowful Mysteries, and the fruits of the Glorious Mysteries.

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This Sunday’s Gospel: October 11, 2020

Matthew 22:1-14

Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and elders of the people
in parables, saying,
“The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who gave a wedding feast for his son.
He dispatched his servants
to summon the invited guests to the feast,
but they refused to come.
A second time he sent other servants, saying,
‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet,
my calves and fattened cattle are killed,
and everything is ready; come to the feast.”’
Some ignored the invitation and went away,
one to his farm, another to his business.
The rest laid hold of his servants,
mistreated them, and killed them.
The king was enraged and sent his troops,
destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
Then he said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready,
but those who were invited were not worthy to come.
Go out, therefore, into the main roads
and invite to the feast whomever you find.’
The servants went out into the streets
and gathered all they found, bad and good alike,
and the hall was filled with guests.
But when the king came in to meet the guests,
he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment.
The king said to him, ‘My friend, how is it
that you came in here without a wedding garment?’
But he was reduced to silence.
Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet,
and cast him into the darkness outside,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’
Many are invited, but few are chosen.”

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Those who God invited to the feast aren’t coming. They refused His invitation, so they refuse Him. So now He invites the poor and lowly. In other words, the people considered “unworthy” of the feast are the ones who get to go. It might seem unfair, but they were the ones who accept the invitation. At the end of this Sunday’s Gospel, you’ll notice that the guest who wasn’t wearing a wedding garment couldn’t enter. During Jesus’ time, everyone who attended a wedding banquet was given a garment that they had to wear. Because a guest chose not to wear his garment, he couldn’t join the feast. The Lord invites all of us to come to His table, but when we accept the invitation, we agree to follow the rules. He has a place for all of us in Heaven, but if we want to go, we have to keep His commandments.

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How Our Lady and the Rosary Improved my Prayer Life

Although the repeated Hail Mary is addressed directly to Mary, it is to Jesus that the act of love is ultimately directed, with her and through her. The repetition is nourished by the desire to be conformed ever more completely to Christ.
St. John Paul II

My First Rosary
When I learned how to pray the Rosary during my First Holy Communion classes, my grandma gave me my first rosary. It had sparkling pale blue beads and a silver cross and miraculous medal. I treasured it and took my Rosary to school and Mass with me. Ever since then, the Rosary was part of my life

How Our Lady and the Rosary Improved my Prayer Life

Praying the Rosary
I grew up praying the Rosary with my mom, at Catholic school, and sometimes I would get together with my extended family to pray the Rosary. I found it difficult to pray the Rosary when I was little. I knew that it was a powerful and beautiful prayer, but because it was very long and repetitive, I didn’t pray it very well.

When I went to high school, my morality teacher encouraged us to never be bored with praying the Rosary. Even though we say the Hail Mary over fifty times, Mary never gets tired of hearing it. We tell our Blessed Mother “I love you” with each Hail Mary. Our moms would never ask us to say “I love you,” differently, and neither would Mary. With this piece of advice, Miss Ackerman changed how I pray the Rosary. To this day, when I feel myself losing interest in the middle of my Rosary, I remind myself that I’m telling Mary that I love her, and I want to say those beautiful words wholeheartedly and intentionally.

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To Jesus Through Mary
When I made my Marian Consecration, I fell more in love with Mary. I grew closer to her as my Mother and improved my relationship with her. Praying the Rosary is my way to spend time with Mary. She yearns to bring us closer to her Son, and the Rosary is a perfect way to go to Jesus through Mary

It took me a while to be able to meditate on the mysteries of the Rosary. I’d often announce the mystery and then forget about it until I was finished with that decade and it was time to start the next one. When I learned that the mysteries of the Rosary have fruits, I reflected on them throughout the Rosary. The fruits are ways that each mystery helps you to grow in holiness or virtue. As I pray each mystery, I contemplate the fruit that accompanies it. I ask God to grant me graces to grow in it.

If you want to learn more about the fruits of the mysteries of the Rosary, I’m working on a series about them! If you liked my last series on the mysteries of the Rosary, you’ll love this one! Be sure to subscribe if you don’t want to miss it!

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Simply Peaceful: The Holy Life of St. Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
The Peace Prayer of St. Francis

Leaving Everything to Follow Jesus
In the Gospels, Jesus calls us to leave everything behind and follow Him. During His earthly ministry, He called His disciples to leave behind their old life to find new life in Him. They left their families, their jobs, their possessions, and everything they knew for Jesus.

He still calls us in this radical way to follow Him, and a Saint who heeded that call beautifully was St. Francis of Assisi.

Embracing the Leper
St. Francis was born into a wealthy family in Assisi, Italy. His father was a successful cloth merchant, and Francis was supposed to follow in his footsteps, but he also desired to be a soldier. He wasn’t interested in faith until he encountered a leper one day. Moved with love for him, Francis got off of his horse to embrace and kiss the leper. At that moment, Francis became more compassionate toward all of God’s creatures.

Rebuilding the Church
He began praying in the delipidated Portiuncula chapel before the San Damiano cross. One day, he heard Jesus tell him, Rebuild my Church. For you see, it is in ruins. Assuming that Jesus meant the church that he was praying in, St. Francis sold the material and clothes from his father’s business to renovate the Portiuncula chapel. Of course, his father was furious and demanded that he repay him. In the town square, Francis stripped off his clothes, denied his father, and vowed that God was his only father.

Now that Francis had next to nothing, he dedicated his life to God. He lived in simplicity and obedience, depending on his Heavenly Father for everything. Eventually, men from all walks of life witnessed his faith and desired to follow God like him. Francis created a community of brothers who lived simply and cared for God’s creation. After a wealthy young woman named Clare heard St. Francis preach, she was inspired to follow him and adopt his lifestyle. With Francis’s spiritual guidance, Clare formed a community of sisters who lived simple lives of prayer and poverty. These communities later became religious orders of brothers and sisters and identified themselves as Franciscans.

What I love the most about St. Francis was his devotion to the Incarnation. He thought it was so beautiful that God became man and dwelt with us. This inspired him to make the first Nativity scene, which is now a tradition in homes and churches. Because of his devotion to God incarnate, he was blessed with the Stigmata, the wounds of Christ, a few years before his death in 1226.

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Becoming Franciscan-Hearted
As I live and work with Franciscan Mission Service, I feel myself becoming more Franciscan-hearted each day. I’ve been participating in simple living, which looks like decluttering what distracts me from focusing on God so that He can truly be the focal point of my life. I’m learning to empty myself of earthly things so that I can be filled with God’s love. I find myself becoming more intentional about caring for God’s creation, like the animals and plants around me, and my brothers and sisters in Christ. St. Francis teaches me that God entrusts us with the earth and everything in it, so we’re responsible for taking care of it as good stewards. Reflecting on St. Francis’s life, it’s clear that he viewed everything as a gift from God, and he lived every moment of his life with gratitude. When he dedicated himself to God, he lost his wealth and possessions, but gained the Lord and eternal life. We can look to him when we’re overwhelmed with material things and worldly anxieties. St. Francis reminds us that we have everything we need when we have Jesus Christ.

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This Sunday’s Gospel: October 4, 2020

Matthew 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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Our Heavenly Father can never be outdone in generosity. He entrusts us with beautiful gifts all around us. We look around and see the plants and animals of the earth, our talents, and our brothers and sisters in Christ. He gives these and more to us, but they aren’t ours to keep. We’re responsible for taking care of them and protecting them because they’re precious to God. A month and a half ago, I met the community that God gave me. Everyone in it is made in His image and likeness, and He trusts me to love them as I would love His Son. The people in my community aren’t random strangers; they’re my brothers and sisters in Christ. Neglecting them and not serving, listening to, or spending time with them would be like forsaking Jesus. Instead of being like the tenants in the parable we hear today, who killed the landowner’s son, let’s embrace Him and show Him how we’ve been faithful servant who took care of what God entrusted to us.

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