First Reading • Isaiah 5:1-7
Psalm • Psalm 80:9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20
Second Reading • Philippians 4:6-9
Gospel • Matthew 21:33-43
Imagine that someone handed you a book this morning. On the cover was your name. You open it and discover that it is the story of your life.
The first chapters are already written: your childhood, your family, the people you have loved, the mistakes you have made, the joys you have experienced, the crosses you have carried. Some chapters make you smile. Others you might prefer never to read again.
Then you come to today.
Suddenly, the rest of the pages are blank.
And beside the book is a pen.
The question is: Who is holding the pen?
Most of us would like to say, “Give it to me! I know how I want the rest of my story to go.” We have plans for our future, our families, our health, our work, and our dreams. We like to know what the next chapter will contain.
But life rarely follows the script we write for ourselves. Unexpected things happen. Doors close. New doors open. People enter our lives. Others leave. Sometimes a chapter begins that we would never have chosen.
As Christians, we believe that through all these chapters God is at work. Our life is not simply a story we are writing alone. We are invited to place the pen into God’s hands and trust Him with the story.
And that brings us beautifully to today’s Gospel.
Jesus tells a story about a vineyard and some tenants who make one terrible mistake: they forget who owns the vineyard.
Today’s readings invite us to reflect on three things: God is the author of our story; our story is part of a much greater story; and our story is meant to be shared.
First, God is the author of our story.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells about a landowner who carefully plants a vineyard and leases it to tenants. Everything is provided for them.
But gradually the tenants begin acting as though the vineyard belongs to them. When the owner sends servants to collect the fruit, they beat and kill them. Finally, he sends his son, and they kill him too.
Their great mistake is that they forget whose vineyard it is.
And perhaps that is also our temptation.
We can begin thinking, “This is my life. These are my talents. This is my money. This is my time.”
But so much of life was given to us. We did not choose when we would be born, our parents, or many of the circumstances that shaped us. Even our talents and opportunities are gifts.
The vineyard ultimately belongs to God.
So perhaps the question is not simply, “What do I want to do with my life?” but, “Lord, what do you want to do with the life you have given me?”
Sometimes we try to take the pen from God’s hand because we are afraid of what He might write. But God sees chapters that we cannot yet see.
So, who is holding the pen in my life?
Am I trying to write everything myself, or am I allowing God to guide my story?
Second, our story is part of a much greater story.
Jesus’ listeners would recognize the vineyard from Isaiah’s prophecy in our first reading. The vineyard represents God’s people.
God loved them, cared for them, and sent prophets to call them back. Finally, He sent His Son.
Jesus is saying: You are standing inside God’s story of salvation. Pay attention to the part you are choosing to play.
The same is true for us.
When we are tempted, we stand with Adam and Eve. When we struggle to break free from something that enslaves us, we walk with Moses.
When we say yes to something we do not completely understand, we stand beside Mary.
When we carry a cross we did not choose, we walk beside Jesus toward Calvary.
This is one reason the Rosary is such a beautiful prayer.
When we pray its mysteries, we begin to recognize our own lives within them. Mary’s “yes” helps us understand our yes to God.
The Carrying of the Cross helps us carry our burdens. The Resurrection reminds us that suffering and death never have the final word.
Our story belongs inside His story.
Finally, we need to tell our story.
Every one of us has a story of God’s grace.
Maybe God carried you through an illness or helped your family through a difficult period.
Perhaps He gave you strength after losing someone you loved. Maybe you wandered away from faith and somehow found your way home.
Or perhaps your story is much simpler: through all the ordinary ups and downs of life, God has remained faithful.
Tell that story.
The most powerful thing we can say is simply:
“Let me tell you what God has done for me.”
There may be someone in your family, at work, or among your friends who needs to hear that story. Your experience of God’s faithfulness may help another person recognize God working in their life.
So today, let us remember the vineyard. Everything we have is ultimately a gift entrusted to us by God.
And when we come to those blank pages of tomorrow, let us ask:
Who is holding the pen?
Our lives will contain chapters we understand and chapters we do not. But if we allow God to guide us, even the difficult chapters can bear fruit.
And one day, we will discover that all our smaller stories; our joys, struggles, forgiveness, crosses, and acts of love; have been gathered into God’s great story of salvation.
And that story ends not in defeat, but in eternal life with Him.
