The Vineyard of the Lord
+ Dear Lord, thank you for tending to the vineyard of my life. Thank you for your care, compassion, patience, and wisdom. There are times in my life when I feel that my offering is but that of wild grapes and that I have been run over. Open my heart to your tender loving care even in these moments Lord, do not let me become discouraged or despondent. You are still tending to me, you have not abandoned me to the wild. Amen.
Isaiah 5:1-7 The vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his cherished plant;
Where do I tend the garden of this life? What aspects of my life do I devote care, time, and resources? What is the harvest of this investment?
Where has God been tending to me lately? Where do I feel His hand guiding me? Where am I being cut back? Do I welcome His work or do I resist?
Psalm 80 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 shine upon us, then we shall be saved.
Where are you withdrawing from the Lord?
The psalmist tells us a beautiful truth. God is seeking to bring new life into that area of your life, we just have to invite the Lord in. Lift up the psalmists cry as your prayer of release… + O Lord, God of hosts, restore me; if your face shine upon me, then I shall be saved.
Philippians 4:6-9 Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.
St. Paul leads with what seems to be an impossible command. To be human is to have anxiety, at least this seems to be the reality of the humans I know. When I hear this what is my response? Do I think of it as sour grapes (pun intended, couldn’t resist)? Do I discount it as foolishness? Do I cry out to the Lord to take my anxiety away? Do I tune out what St. Paul says next because I got stuck on the first line?
How do we seek first the kingdom of God? By prayer and petition, make your requests known to God.
How do we seek first the kingdom of God? With thanksgiving for the many ways that God has already provided Himself in our lives. Reflect on the evidence of God in your life. Using St. Pauls list ask yourself these questions: What is true in my life? What is honorable? What is just? What is pure? What is lovely? What is gracious? Praise be to God!
Evil is thus a kind of parasite on goodness. If there were no good by which to measure things, evil could not exist. Men sometimes forget this, and say, theere is so much evil in the world that there cannot be a God. They are forgetting that, if there were no God, they would have no way of distinguishing evil from goodness. ~ Fulton Sheen
Matthew 21:33-43 Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes?
What is the cornerstone of my life?
Gospel challenge: Take time this week to ask several people close to you what they would say is your cornerstone. How does their view and your view line up? Are there any adjustments to your life that need to be made?
As a Christian we are called to have Jesus as the cornerstone. When we are riddled by anxiety (I have been there) it is time to inspect the foundation. Ask yourself, “What is the foundation of my anxiety?” This is what you take to the Lord in prayer.
