Greetings, SBT Readers!

This weekend marks the 800th Anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi's Transitus, or Easter. The celebration, however, is less about remembering St. Francis' death than about recalling how he lived, how he died, and what he taught us about living and dying as disciples of Jesus. More than a garden saint, more than a preacher to the birds, lover of animals or tamer of wolves, St. Francis "repaired" God's church, not through bricks and mortar but by living the Beatitudes. His embrace of Gospel values such as radical poverty, pacifism, humility, and inclusion of the marginalized was in stark contrast to the materialism of the church of his time. Then, bishops and cardinals often lived like feudal lords, controlling vast lands, luxurious properties, and immense streams of income. Many clergy saw the Church as a career path to power, influence, and prestige; bribery and corruption were rampant, and broken vows and moral laxity were common among clergy and religious. There was also widespread disrespect towards the Eucharist. But as the dream of Pope Innocent III predicted, this "poor little man, insignificant and despised, was holding up on his back the Lateran basilica, which was about to collapse. ‘This is certainly the man,’ he said, ‘who by his work and teaching will hold up the Church of Christ'" (Bonaventure 3:10).

800 years after his Transitus, St. Francis continues to beckon Christians from every walk of life to commit to repairing the Church: that is, to embrace simplicity, reach out to the poor and marginalized, and care for creation as our priorities.

Many Blessings,

Elizabeth

www.elizabeth-annestewart.com

COMING SOON: Mini-workshops on Mondays!

LINK TO SCRIPTURE READINGS

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders:

"Hear another parable. A landowner planted a vineyard, planted a hedge around it, dug a winepress 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 collect his produce. But the tenants seized the servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 

Again, the landowner sent other servants, many more than the first ones, but they treated them the same way. Finally, he sent his son, 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 take 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?"

Matthew 21:33-43

Collectively, the Isaian text (Is 5:1-7), the Responsorial Psalm (Ps. 80), and today's Gospel (Matt 21:33-43) plunge us into the Divine pathos. Though Isaiah and the psalm response explicitly name the vineyard as the House of Israel, Jesus uses the vineyard as a metaphor for the Kingdom of God: "The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit." Together, the three texts indict not only the tenants but also the vineyard itself-- hence the tangible grief that oozes like spilled wine through each reading:

Isaiah 5:1-7: Despite all God's efforts, the vineyard yields bitter grapes. "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?"

Ps. 80: Trampled by forest boars, decimated by wild beasts, and robbed by passers-by, the vineyard no longer enjoys God's protection. Speaking for the community, the psalmist acknowledges guilt and begs for forgiveness:

Then we will no more withdraw from you;

give us new life, and we will call upon your name.

O LORD, God of hosts, restore us;

if your face shines upon us, then we shall be saved.

 Matt 21:33-43: The vineyard owner entrusts the vineyard to murderous tenants who, instead of safeguarding the vines, are intent on stealing the harvest: "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.'"

The emphasis is different in each text, but at the heart of each reading is God's anguish over wayward humanity. For most Christians, this territory is unfamiliar. While we can understand that both the tenants and the vines that fail to produce good fruit deserve punishment, we are unaccustomed to seeing events from God's perspective. True, Christian spirituality is greatly influenced by the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus, but we tend to shy away from the idea that God, the Creator of the Universe, is capable of suffering. On the basis of these and other readings, however, we see that God does, indeed, suffer, profoundly saddened by the desecration of the vineyard and the hardness of hearts. The truth is that the exploitation of the poor and vulnerable, cruelty towards migrants, cheating in the marketplace, and the worship of idols all strike the heart of God to the core. And we, who are flawed in our loving, cannot begin to comprehend the terrible mystery of God's anguish ...

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QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

• Where can you see the influence of St. Francis of Assisi in the Church today?
• What do YOU understand by the Divine pathos or suffering of God?
• What bitter grapes have you yielded in your life, and what spoiled the harvest?
• When, if ever, has your "vineyard" been attacked by hostile forces?

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PRAYER OF POPE LEO XIV

 TO ST. FRANCIS

Saint Francis, our brother,

you who eight hundred years ago

went to meet Sister Death as a man at peace,

intercede for us before the Lord.

You recognized true peace in the Crucifix of San Damiano,

teach us to seek in Him the source of all reconciliation

that breaks down every wall.

You who, unarmed, crossed the lines of war

and misunderstanding,

give us the courage to build bridges

where the world raises up boundaries.

In this time afflicted by conflict and division,

intercede for us so that we may become peacemakers:

unarmed and disarming witnesses of the peace that comes from Christ.

Amen