Podcast: 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Hi and welcome to the Modern Psalmist Podcast for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A. I’m Rebecca De La Torre.

This is one of the only ordinary time feast days in the entire liturgical calendar where three of the four readings tell the exact same prophesy. This is the case with the First reading, Responsorial Psalm, and the Gospel reading which all tell the story (or prophesy, really) of the vineyard of the Lord.

Generally, that kind of cohesion is reserved for the seasons of Advent, Lent, and Easter. But today the entire redemption story between God, his son Jesus, and his people is summarized so well in these readings.

We still begin our sacred mass with the Entrance Antiphon, taken from the book of Esther 4:17, which proclaims the Lord’s eternal power and judgement:

“Within your will, O Lord, all things are established,
and there is none that can resist your will.
For you have made all things, the heaven and the earth,
and all that is held within the circle of heaven;
you are the Lord of all.”

This is almost a mini prophesy in itself, showing us that our God who made everything and is above all things, will ultimately triumph in the end and against all resistance.

Our first reading from Isaiah chapter 5 introduces us to the story of the Vineyard of the Lord.

In verses 1 & 2 we read:

“My friend had a vineyard
on a fertile hillside;
he spaded it, cleared it of stones,
and planted the choicest vines;
within it he built a watchtower,
and hewed out a wine press.
Then he looked for the crop of grapes,
but what it yielded was wild grapes.”

Another translation on the USCCB site reads “rotten grapes” which gives us a different picture from “wild grapes”.

This reading from Isaiah is essentially recounted and interpreted by Jesus himself in Matthew chapter 21 – often referred to as the “Parable of the Wicked Tenants” – which prophesies Jesus’ own purpose and crucifixion.

The parable in a nutshell is about a landowner who plants a vineyard and gives it all necessities and protections required, and leases it out to tenants. When harvest time comes along, the landowner sends servants to his vineyard to obtain the produce, but the tenants beat, killed and or stoned them. The landowner then sent even more servants for the same purpose but, the tenants treated them the same way.

Finally he sends his own son, assuming they will surely listen to him, but the tenants killed his son, too.

Now, Jesus is addressing the chief priests and elders when he tells this parable. And at this point in the story, Jesus asks them in verses 40-43:

““What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?”
They answered him,
“He will put those wretched men to a wretched death
and lease his vineyard to other tenants
who will give him the produce at the proper times.”
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?
Therefore, I say to you,
the kingdom of God will be taken away from you
and given to a people that will produce its fruit.” ”

The chief priests and elders were the builders that rejected the cornerstone. They were the tenants that beat the landowner’s servants (who were the prophets from of old). The son is, of course, Jesus himself, who they ultimately had killed by crucifixion.

This parable, the reading from Isaiah in our first reading, and the responsorial Psalm all tell the redemption story.

So let’s get to the psalm: it’s from chapter 80, though the response itself is taken from our first reading today – Isaiah chapter 5, verse 7:

“The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.”

Since this psalm is telling a story here, I wanted to compose it in a more timeless style and mode that has been used in European music for centuries. Here is “Psalm 80: The Vineyard of the Lord”.

When thinking about songs that help communicate the message from the readings today, of course there are plenty of songs about redemption that we can choose from. But another theme we can touch on today is one of peace.

In our second reading from Philippians chapter 4, St Paul tells us in verse 6:

“Brothers and sisters:
Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

And the Communion Antiphon today shares a similar message of encouragement from Lamentations 3:25:

“The Lord is good to those who hope in him,
to the soul that seeks him.”

Another peaceful encouragement from St Paul comes at the end of the second reading from Philippians chapter 4 verses 8 & 9:

“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.”

THESE WORDS you should memorize.

Personally, whenever the negativity of the world threatens to disrupt *my* peace, I think on these words.

There are a lot of things that are vying for our attention in this world. There are many things that can worry us, especially in the sensationalist news and media only a click or tap away.

But Jesus promises us peace. He says to us in John chapter 14 verse 27:

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.”

This verse is summed up perfectly in an ostinato refrain by Jacque Berthier from the Taizé community titled “My Peace” – here is my interpretation of this beautiful meditative composition:

That’s all for this week! Tune in again next week for more original Catholic liturgical music and psalms. You can also check out the same version of this podcast in Spanish, named El Salmista Moderno.

God Bless you.