Celebrating the Abundance in Scarcity

Homily: Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Matthew 21:33-43

4 October 2020

Fr. Ricky C. Montanez

Before this Covid 19 pandemic, we found ourselves always rushing from one activity to the next. We barely had time for simple physical exercises, to catch our breath, more so whisper a prayer to God. We were just too busy! Ironically, now that the quarantine has afforded us the luxury of time there are still many of us who are finding it hard to manage this opportunity properly.  Sans the hours spent caught in traffic or waiting in line at establishments, I still hear complaints of having so many things to do and so little time to do them. We never run out of excuses for not doing what we have always wanted to do. Now that circumstances force families to be home together more, you’d think they would deliberately strive to pray as a family, right? A good friend of mine even told me that praying together has always been a challenge for her family and she snatches up every moment to nap, Netflix or shop online instead of setting aside 15 minutes for a nightly rosary.  It really is still a question of perspective, of how we have lived the abundance in this period of scarcity, or of how we have poorly made use of the richness of our poverty in this time of the pandemic.  

The passage from Matthew’s Gospel illustrates how the tenants of the vineyard responded poorly to the graciousness shown them by the vineyard owner. All necessary steps were taken by the owner of the vineyard to ensure a bountiful harvest—he ensured the terracing of the hilly terrain and the removal of stones, rocks and boulders to make the ground viable and productive. The landlord had to even build a watchtower and plant hedges around the vineyard for its protection. All his effort yielded him nothing  because treacherous tenants took advantage of him at vintage time. They seized, beat, stoned his servants and eventually even killed the owner’s only heir. The disheartening response of the vineyard’s tenants was a far cry from the expectations of the overly-generous landowner. 

A similar scenario is found in the song sung by the Prophet Isaiah about his friend’s vineyard that yielded sour grapes instead of good ones. “What more was there to do for my vineyard that I had not done? Why, when I looked for the crop of grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes?”  Isaiah then tells of how his friend intends to lay the vineyard to ruin and turn it into grazing land instead.  Do note that in both instances the disappointed owner does not take abrupt action. Time passes to grant opportunity for a better yield.

We are God’s cherished people, and God has provided us with everything we need to make the vineyard prosper. And so, we are called to produce good fruits in the vineyard of the Lord, in the places where we are found. Every day we live we have the opportunity to live as God would want us to live keeping in mind that He is the owner of the vineyard and we are asked to work in it and yield much fruit. For those of us who choose to be selfish and lazy, Jesus gives a stern warning at the end of the Gospel passage, “The Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce fruit.”

There are many of us who are good and faithful tenants who acknowledge that they have been given more than they expect and deserve thus becoming agents of God’s tender care for His people. Despite the scarcity they are now experiencing because of the pandemic they still manage to responsibly use their resources to make others experience the abundance of God’s love and care. A couple, good friends of mine, own a barbershop, among their businesses.  They shared with me that they ought to close their barbershop because there are hardly any customers now but they choose to continue operations for the sake of the barbers whose families rely upon them to survive. A chef-friend who initiated a feeding program among the poor children in Makati persists in this good work despite the disappointing returns from her business.     

It is not just in material wealth that we gauge our abundance but consider also our talents, skills, and our time. I know of an artist who sold his artworks so he can help the poor families in his neighbourhood.  Some months ago I came to know of this Filipina OFW in Dubai who uses her own savings and puts to use her cooking skills to prepare meal packs on weekends and distributes them from a street corner for the hungry.

All these acts of charity, whether done by those who have much to spare or from those who are simply getting by, are all equally considered a healthy yield in God’s vineyard. Their generosity of spirit, resources, and skill to benefit those in need stem from a profound gratitude for whatever blessings they have received from the Lord. They give according to their capacity. They give out of love and compassion and they give with joy. These are the workers we must strive to emulate because when we honestly look to ourselves we are sure to find that despite our personal difficulties, we are never without something to give. 

Today, the 4th of October is also the Feast of St Francis of Assisi. He counsels us on the importance of being charitable to one another saying… “It is in giving that we receive.”  In another occasion he also reminds that at the end of our lives what “we will carry with us is the reward of our charity and the alms we give. For these, we will receive from the Lord the reward and recompense we deserve.”

In closing, let us pray with St. Paul for the grace to always fill our minds with “whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” When we do so, we will realize how blessed we truly are because our God is a generous God. In recognizing His abundant love for us, we should endeavor to do our best to maximize the yield for God’s harvest. 

Photo of the artwork entitled Abundance of Roopsi Jain