Today's Gospel March 13 2020 with comment

From the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Matthew 21,33-43.45-46.
At that time, Jesus said to the princes of the priests and the elders of the people: «Listen to another parable: There was a master who planted a vineyard and surrounded it with a hedge, dug an olive press there, built a tower there, then he entrusted it to the vintners and left.
When it was time for the fruits, he sent his servants to those vintners to collect the harvest.
But those vintners took the servants and one beat him, the other killed him, the other stoned him.
Again he sent other servants more numerous than the first, but they behaved in the same way.
Finally, he sent his son to them saying: They will respect my son!
But those vintners, seeing their son, said to themselves: This is the heir; come, let's kill him, and we'll get the inheritance.
And they took him out of the vineyard and killed him.
So when will the owner of the vineyard come to those tenants? ».
They reply to him: "He will cause those wicked to die miserably and give the vineyard to other vintners who will deliver the fruits to him at the time".
And Jesus said to them, “You have never read in the Scriptures: The stone which the builders have discarded has become the corner head; has this been done by the Lord and is it admirable in our eyes?
Therefore I say to you: the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will make it bear fruit. "
Hearing these parables, the high priests and the Pharisees understood that he spoke of them and tried to capture him.
But they were afraid of the crowd who considered him a prophet.

Saint Irenaeus of Lyon (ca130-ca 208)
bishop, theologian and martyr

Against heresies, IV 36, 2-3; SC 100
The vineyard of God
By molding Adam (Gen 2,7: 7,3) and electing the patriarchs, God planted the vineyard of mankind. Then he entrusted it to some winemakers through the gift of the law transmitted by Moses. He surrounded it with a hedge, that is, he delimited the land that they should have cultivated. He built a tower, that is, he chose Jerusalem; he dug an oil mill, that is, he prepared who was about to receive the Spirit of prophecy. And he sent prophets to them before the exile in Babylon, then, after the exile, still others, more numerous than the first, to collect the harvest and tell them ...: "Improve your conduct and your actions" (Jer 7,9 , 10); «Practice justice and faithfulness; exercise mercy and mercy each one towards his neighbor. Do not defraud the widow, the orphan, the pilgrim, the wretched and no one in the heart plead evil against his brother "(Zc 1,16-17) ...; "Wash yourselves, purify yourselves, remove the evil from your hearts ... learn to do good, seek justice, help the oppressed" (Is XNUMX-XNUMX) ...

See with what preaching the prophets demanded the fruit of justice. Since these people were incredulous, however, he finally sent their Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who was killed by the wicked vintners and chased out of the vineyard. Therefore God entrusted it - no longer delimited but extended to the whole world - to other winemakers so that they could deliver the fruits to him in his time. The tower of election rises everywhere in its splendor, since the Church shines everywhere; everywhere also the mill is dug because everywhere are those who receive the anointing of the Spirit of God ...

For this reason, the Lord, to make us good workers, said to his disciples: "Be very careful that your hearts are not weighed down in dissipations, drunkenness and worries of life" (Lk 21,34.36) ...; «Be ready, with the belt on your sides and the lamps lit; be like those who await their master "(Lk 12,35-36).