10/5/2023 The Main ThingDear friends on the journey, Speaker and author Stephen Covey coined the phrase, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” While his motivational message of keeping focus and efforts to accomplish important goals was for personal growth and leadership development, I think it applies to today’s message and ultimately our path of discipleship. Today’s gospel is Jesus’ using a parable to convey a message to the ever-questioning chief priests and elders. In this parable of the tenants, the owner of the vineyard is God, the vineyard is the house of Israel, where God’s people are, and the tenants of the vineyard are the people of God. Presumably, the tenants are people desiring to work the land thus producing a harvest that in turn provides for their families’ livelihood. One would think focusing on their labor and its fruit would be their “main thing.” Sadly, as the parable tells us, the tenants are distracted. Whatever their motivation, perhaps greed or jealousy, they are more focused on the landowner’s servants, never mind breaking the fifth commandment. Jesus does not sugar coat the reality of not producing fruit. Distraction will cause the kingdom of God to be taken away and given to a people that will produce its fruit. God’s demand of the tenants in the vineyard applies today. As twenty-first century Christian disciples, the people of God, our “main thing” is to produce good fruit, good works, that build up and advance God’s kingdom in our individual and communal vineyards. Fruit comes when we use our time, talent and treasure focused on our own growth and improvement, the betterment of the lives of those entrusted to us, and living the Beatitudes, the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy, and the teachings (words and actions) of Jesus. When we keep this kind of life the “main thing,” there is no room for anything else. However, like the tenants, we can fall prey to the distractions of the world that seem to be louder and more constant. Voices telling us who to be, how to look, what to buy, who is right or wrong, who is to blame, what success looks like, drown out our “main thing.” Information, notifications, technology, stress, and anxiety overload are affecting our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. Silence and Sabbath seem like luxuries we cannot afford. Today’s gospel is a wakeup call, a call to action to evaluate your tenancy. Am I producing good fruit? Am I distracted or somewhere in between? St. Paul, in the second reading, provides us with a starting point. What in your life is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, gracious, excellent, and worthy of praise? Keep doing these things. If these are missing, then turn to prayer. Begin with prayers of thanksgiving and gratitude. Make your requests and petitions known to God. Then listen. ![]() Recalibrate where necessary so that you are able “to keep the main the main thing” producing good and holy fruit that build up the kingdom, right where you are. Siempre Adelante, Teresa Runyon Pastoral Associate 10/1/2023 John (Jack) Sheehan1938 - 2023Funeral Liturgy
Wednesday, October 18 10:00 am Padre Serra Parish Burial Wednesday, October 18 11:30 am Mortuary Conejo Mountain 10/1/2023 Lorraine Radabaugh1929 - 2023Funeral Liturgy
Tuesday, October 17 10:00 am Padre Serra Parish Mortuary Perez 9/29/2023 Walk humbly with GodIn the movie A Christmas Story, there is a dinner scene where Ralphie's little brother won't eat, and Ralphie and his father are requesting a second helping. We get the impression that this mildly chaotic dinner scene is routine for the family. Instead of sitting down to eat her meal, Ralphie's mother is busy attending to the family's desires. Ralphie, the narrator, comments on the scene, "My mother had not had a hot meal for herself in 15 years". A mother's care for her family is a simple example of living out St. Paul's instruction to the Philippians in today's second reading – "Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but for those of others" (Phil 2:3). I have occasionally thought that a generous spirit of giving comes naturally to some people (such as moms); however, Paul's instruction would not be necessary if this were a natural way for humans to behave. Because Paul knows our human nature is tilted toward acting only out of self- interest, he encourages us to imitate Christ in the attitude of humility. We are reminded that to be humble is to have the proper view of ourselves and our place in relation to God and others. This essential teaching of Jesus is made clear in this passage, "And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Phil 2:8). St. Thomas Aquinas called humility the preeminent virtue when he said, "Humility removes pride, whereby a man refuses to submit himself to the truth of faith.” It is impossible to contemplate the life of Jesus and miss the life lesson of humility. I have heard it said that cultivating the virtue of humility creates the space for other virtues, such as love and charity, to flow in. The Church gives us many examples of Christians who humbly lived out the Christian calling to serve others to the limit. In recent history, St. Mother Teresa and St. Maximilian Kolbe come to mind. Meditating on saints who poured out their lives in the service of others in heroic ways is fruitful, but we must not let their extraordinary lives lead us to believe that we can't also be holy. ![]() St. Mother Teresa gave us mere Christians a practical way to strive for holiness when she said, "Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love." Doing small things with great love for the people in our lives and for those people we encounter is an opportunity to reflect the love of Christ. Manuel Leon Business Manager |
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