A: 27th Sun of OrdTime (4 Oct 2020) - NURTURING THE LORD'S VINEYARD (Isa 5:1-7)

“My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it” (Isa 5:1-2).

Isaiah, in our First Reading, used the imagery of the vineyard to describe God’s divine plan for the people of Israel. He portrayed God as a great provider who had planned and executed all possible means that can guarantee the success of his vineyard’s harvest. Not only did he set it on fertile ground, but he also removed all obstacles to the vine’s growth, ensured its lasting protection from wild animals and intruders, and built a sturdy wine depository for the safekeeping of its produce. In simpler terms, he laid out everything right so that nothing can go wrong.

However, something went wrong.

At the beginning of the book of Isaiah, the same illustration of the vineyard is used in depicting Israel’s predicament: “Daughter Zion is left isolated, like a hut in a vineyard, or a shelter in a cucumber field; she is a besieged city”(Isa 1:8). What is noteworthy here is the description of Israel’s downfall as an effect of her regression in community dynamics. The words “isolated,” “hut,” “shelter,” and “besieged city” hint at a collective life that is detached from the greater society’s welfare. It points rather to a way of living that is very domestic and parochial to the point that each individual worries only about his/her own private concerns.

When this individualistic spirit creeps into the larger community, it becomes a recipe for disaster. Again, Isaiah used the image of the vineyard to narrate God’s frustration over his chosen people: “The LORD comes to pronounce judgment on the leaders of his people and their officials. He says, ‘It is you who have ruined the vineyard ! You have stashed in your houses what you have stolen from the poor’ (Isa 3:14).”

What happened is that as leaders worried only about enriching themselves, the proverbial vineyard of the Lord was destroyed and could not be productive anymore as expected. Indeed, while the Lord had prepared everything for the vineyard, it is the people entrusted with its care that should make its success happen. Accordingly, a unified communal enthusiasm to cultivate, take care, and protect it warrants a bountiful harvest, but a divided front led by selfish and disinterested managers drags it instead to its immediate collapse.

While the easiest way in explaining the vineyard’s epic failure is to engage in the blame-game by holding leaders directly accountable for its downfall, we should be mindful that it is actually the whole community that is at fault: nobody should be off the hook! Isaiah clearly stated that the vineyard is not restricted to the authorities but to the whole congregation: “For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting” (Isa 5:7).

Truly, whereas the greater responsibility lies on decision-makers of society, the stewardship of the Lord’s vineyard is everybody’s concern and duty. Thus, we should all look for ways and means on how to collectively improve it. But this step begins when everyone thinks out of the box: worrying beyond one’s family concerns and caring for each member’s well-being.

- Rex Fortes, CM