“The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruits.” Stark words from our Savior today. The children of Israel were transplanted out of Egypt as our Creator’s choice vine. They were given everything. They destroyed it all. When our Father sent his Son, who came willingly out of love, they murdered him on a Cross.
The thing is: if you happen to be life itself, Death can’t exactly win against you. So Jesus, the stone rejected by the builders, became the cornerstone of a new vineyard, where He is the vine and He calls us to be the branches. This new vineyard, the Church, is called to bear lasting fruit, for God and his kingdom.
Beyond the Church, though, we must care for the vineyard of our own hearts. God has transplanted each of us - through Baptism - from Egypt, that is, from the desert where the power of Sin and Death rule. He has placed us in his vineyard where we find nourishment and refreshment.
Our Savior said, “I have chosen you from the world to go and bear fruit that will remain.” We heard it in the Alleluia verse just now. When our life on this earth is complete, and we stand before our Savior and our Judge, what will we show Him? What will be the fruit of our life? Wild grapes? Or fruit that will last? Fruit like truth, honorable conduct, just interactions, purity, graciousness, and every other virtue.
I hope everyone opts for option 2! If so, we should “have no anxiety at all,” says St. Paul, and we should by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving for his loving mercy and generosity, make our requests known to the Father who loves us, the Son who saves us, and the Holy Spirit who guides and intercedes for us.