Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Mt 21,33-44

Brothers and sisters, today’s Gospel is like something from today’s newspaper. It talks about the unfaithful management of property. And today it is quite strongly pronounced in society. This applies to both the private sector and, even more so, the public sector. Unfaithful managers. The Gospel talks about tenants in the vineyard and the management of property. The owner hired workers who were to act, work, and manage the property according to his will. They were only tenants. But they did not act as tenants. They thought that what they only managed belonged to them. And they were rejected. The Gospel states “…and lease the vineyard to other vinedressers.”

This parable also teaches us that we, too, should be responsible in managing our goods. Both earthly goods and material possessions, as well as spiritual talents, are included. It is true that although we have our property on the title deed, we are always only managers. Values and goods existed before we were born and will remain when we are gone. We have them only for a while, to provide us with life through work. This is the intention of the owner and master, and therefore we must act accordingly.

According to God’s plan. In what way? We must take into account three important phenomena. First of all: the development of the world itself, which was entrusted to man for use. This is what we already read in the Bible, in the account of the creation of the world in the Book of Genesis. “…Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air…” (Cf. Gen 1:28), and so man’s mission is the development of the earth itself and its goods. The development of property, the development of the gifts, or, in the words of the Gospel, the talents entrusted to man. We must develop them. That is why we were given them.

The second dimension is to use the entrusted gifts to build your livelihood for yourself and your family, and to build common goods for all. That is, for society as a whole, which is, in other words, every neighbor. “Love your neighbour as yourself.” And so we have the right to personal and social development and to benefit from the gifts and goods of this earth.

And the third dimension of the correct form of wealth management is to create spiritual values ​​from wealth, from material goods or from the gifts and values ​​that we have. And these are generosity, kindness, solidarity, love, service, vocation, help and finally merit that God will reward with eternity … “For whatever you did to another, you did to me.” These are the gifts God desires. This should be the result of the work and management of the goods and gifts entrusted to us.

Therefore, let us note that this is precisely the correct dimension of managing the things, property, values, and gifts God has entrusted to us. We are only stewards. Let us realise this so that we are not condemned as unjust stewards. But we will become stewards who fulfill our master’s will for our own benefit.