27 th Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 4, 2026
Feast of St. Francis of Assisi
Mary Ann McGivern
Raising grapes is hard work. The vines are demanding – sensitive to soil and
climate. They’re having to move the burgundy vines in France further north; the
region of Burgundy is too hot. You have to prune each vine in early spring. Deer
love grape vines. I know that from the vineyard Mary Risacher and Tony Equale
had in Virginia. The grapes are subject to viruses and to fungus so you have spray.
The vineyard Isaiah tells us about yielded wild grapes – small, sour, bitter. Nothing
you could serve at dinner or allow to ferment into rich wine. And the vineyard
Jesus tells us about is worse: full of thieves and murderers.
And then there’s the psalmist telling us the vineyard is the house of Israel. God
transplanted the vine from Egypt and cleared land for it to flourish. But God’s
chosen people broke down its walls. – I forgot, in my list of the hard work of
planting a vineyard that you have to build walls. The psalmist begs God to look
down and repair these fields and God’s people will no longer ignore God and
damage God’s creation.
Promises. Promises. We look around at how bad things are and we beg God for
help. We promise we’ll be good this time. Promises. Promises. We’ve been here
before.
Things are bad. We are working hard to repair this vineyard of ours. Be kind to
people, we say. Don’t lock them up without cause. Don’t kill them. Don’t let them
go hungry and sick. In this vale of tears, in this plundered vineyard, we are striving
to be good. Today is the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. He wasn’t a farmer but he
was attuned to the joys and sorrows of nature and we stand in his shadow as we
listen to these scriptures. And so we turn to Paul’s letter.
Things were bad when Paul wrote to the Philippians to pray and petition God and
offer thanksgiving and then “the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will
guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
I don’t have to talk about Paul’s words to the Philippians. I can just repeat them:
Finally, brothers and sisters,
whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is just, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious,
if there is any excellence
and if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things.
Keep on doing what you have learned and received
and heard and seen in me.
Then the God of peace will be with you.
Jesus’ conclusion is not so soft but it is in its own way reassuring: “the kingdom of
God will be taken away from you who destroy it and given to a people that will produce its
fruit."
We will continue tending our own lovely vineyard here at Loretto, so grateful for
the beauty, the truth, the graciousness and the excellence. We will strive to
produce its fruit and we will not shut our eyes to the sorrow of the world. We
take responsibility as best we can and we know that the God of peace is with us.