\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Have you counted your blessings recently?\u00c2\u00a0 Have you even recognized your blessings recently?\u00c2\u00a0 Both the First Reading and the Gospel tell us that we have such Blessings.\u00c2\u00a0 How so?\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Well, consider that we, the people of God, are the vineyard that is talked about in the parables today, and that God represents the Landowner in both of them.\u00c2\u00a0 What does the parable say that God does?\u00c2\u00a0 He plants the vines on fertile ground, and He does all that can be done to nourish and encourage the vines to grow and bear fruit.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now I’m quite sure that God doesn’t make junk.\u00c2\u00a0 So, that means each of you is chosen by God to be capable in the way he intended.\u00c2\u00a0 Yes, each of you is a special vine hand selected by God to grow in the environment that God wants for you.\u00c2\u00a0 So that means each of you has been planted on fertile ground, and that you are truly blessed.\u00c2\u00a0 But do you recognize that for what it is?\u00c2\u00a0 And have you responded by bearing the fruit God is hoping for?\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
It’s fair to say that most people are constantly searching for fulfillment in their lives.\u00c2\u00a0 So, if you are honest, your answer is that you have not borne all the fruit God hopes for.\u00c2\u00a0 And I think there are two reasons for that.\u00c2\u00a0 First, it’s hard to recognize the blessings you have been given when you are focused on the blessings that you would like to have instead of the ones you actually do have.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s like you’d rather be an apple tree than a grape vine.\u00c2\u00a0 And when you don’t grow apples, you get upset.\u00c2\u00a0 Yet, that’s looking for something that’s not intended for you.\u00c2\u00a0 If your time and energy are focused on your goals, not God’s goals, you are not recognizing your blessings.\u00c2\u00a0 For most people, the fact that you are where you are right now means that you are in the environment God intended for you.\u00c2\u00a0 So, the proper focus is on your family, your job, the situation around you, and the things that you naturally do well- right where you are.\u00c2\u00a0 Note also that God is persistent.\u00c2\u00a0 God will keep nourishing you along the way, hoping, and expecting the best; hoping you will bear fruit in the environment He has placed you in.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Second, in order to bear really good fruit, you have to extend yourself.\u00c2\u00a0 Think of a vine that does not spread out roots.\u00c2\u00a0 It will languish and bear poor fruit; it may even falter and die.\u00c2\u00a0 In the gospel story, God keeps sending his servants to call into accountability the tenants who are tending the vineyard.\u00c2\u00a0 Three times these servants were sent.\u00c2\u00a0 Yet the tenants keep abusing God’s servants, and finally they killed the owner’s son, because these tenants refused to give the landlord his due.\u00c2\u00a0 It can be like that in our lives as well.\u00c2\u00a0 We can resist the messages that God keeps sending us on how to extend ourselves, and persist on pursuing our own agenda instead.\u00c2\u00a0 Then, when things happen in our lives that seem to be going against us, we build up resentment, resentment which can lead to the same offense the tenants committed- killing God’s son by abandoning Him and trying to take control over life for ourselves!\u00c2\u00a0 It can be the pursuit of your comforts (like a larger car or bigger TV); or your leisure time (like too much lunch time with the girls or too much football on TV); any one of a number of things.\u00c2\u00a0 But it is something where your focus is on yourself rather than on the mission God has in mind for you to extend yourself.\u00c2\u00a0 Then, when things don’t go your way, you build up resentment and slowly, kill God’s son rather than change the focus of your life to seek God’s will and bear more fruit.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
St. Paul said this to the Philippians:\u00c2\u00a0 “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think of these things.”\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Well, this is how you can extend yourself:\u00c2\u00a0 By doing something that builds the values Paul is talking about above where our society has fallen down.\u00c2\u00a0 That means getting involved in something outside of your own life that contributes to these values.\u00c2\u00a0 It doesn’t have to be a major commitment, but what is important is a start.\u00c2\u00a0 Today for example, we are signing up people to get involved in our Right to Life Activity.\u00c2\u00a0 Consider getting involved in that.\u00c2\u00a0 Start by joining the Right to Life sidewalk chain outside the Church from 1:30 to 2:30 this afternoon.\u00c2\u00a0 Also, in a couple of short weeks, we elect our Government.\u00c2\u00a0 Get to know where the candidates stand.\u00c2\u00a0 Make sure the candidates meet Paul’s criteria on the issues- important issues like right to life, education, and health care.\u00c2\u00a0 And get involved by helping the candidate that fosters these values.\u00c2\u00a0 Then there are opportunities to help with a new Hospital Visitation Ministry, or with St. Vincent de Paul, or other social service ministries in the parish. \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now I know some of you may be thinking that you can’t find a connection between the feeling of restlessness or resentment you might have over your misfortunes and the positive effects of the two recommendations I have just made, to be satisfied with the blessings God has given you, and then go one step further by getting involved in something selfless outside your daily comfort zone.\u00c2\u00a0 But listen to this from the second reading from Paul:\u00c2\u00a0 “Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, then the God of peace will be with you”.\u00c2\u00a0 That’s what we are all looking for- the Peace of God that surpasses all understanding, and that is the connection.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00c2\u00a0 October 5, 2008 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time Is 5: 1-7; Phil 4: 6-9; Mt 21: 33-43 Dc. Larry Brockman Have you counted your blessings recently?\u00c2\u00a0 Have you even recognized your blessings recently?\u00c2\u00a0 Both the First Reading and the Gospel tell us that we have such Blessings.\u00c2\u00a0 How so?\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Well, consider that we, the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=41"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=41"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=41"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=41"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}