Some people have asked us for text versions of Fr. John Mary’s homilies, so we are sharing this AI generated transcript. It has not been reviewed by Fr. John Mary. The AI is very accurate, but not one hundred percent. If something seems significantly wrong, please consult original audio and let us know if there is a problem. 

Also, it is good to keep in mind that this homily was intended to be listened to, not read. It was preached from notes, and there was no original written document. Nuance can be lost when it is only read. 

Lastly the headings are not original but AI generated.

Would God Allow This to His Church?

The Vineyard and the Church

Let me now sing of my friend, my friend’s song concerning his vineyard. My friend had a vineyard on a fertile hillside.

What is this prophecy from Isaiah talking about? Isaiah says himself, “The vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the house of Israel.” It is speaking about ancient Israel: God chose it, planted it, and cared for it, but it gave wild grapes, sour grapes.

How is this relevant to us today in the Church? The Catechism indicates that Israel was a preparation and a figure for the Church. In another paragraph, the Catechism says, “The Church is a cultivated field, the tillage of God. On that land, the ancient olive tree grows, whose holy roots were the prophets.” We’ll come back to that. The Catechism also says that this land, “like a choice vineyard, has been planted by the heavenly cultivator.”

The Catechism is applying to the Church the image of the vineyard that Jesus uses in the Gospel, an image that already comes from the Old Testament. The vineyard represents the Church—that is, us. In the Gospel, Jesus speaks about the vineyard to the chief priests through a parable, but it is also about all the people of God: the people and those placed in charge of them.

I think these readings are especially important for the difficult and confusing situation the Church is in today. They are very strong readings, and it is worth taking time to look at them and see what light they offer.

The Unfaithful Stewards and the Messengers

First, we’ll look at the Gospel, which speaks especially about the authorities, the stewards. The parable tells of a landowner who plants a vineyard, puts a hedge around it to protect it, digs a winepress, builds a tower, and then leases it and goes away. He has done all this work, and the tenants receive what has already been prepared. They are not the ones who planted it or cleared the stones.

Sometime between receiving the vineyard and the vintage, they stop being faithful stewards. They begin acting like the owners—or, really, like robbers. The focus of the parable is on these unfaithful stewards. Jesus asks the chief priests what the owner will do, and they say, before perhaps realizing what the parable means, “He will put those wretched men to a wretched death.” Some have seen those words come true in the terrible destruction of Jerusalem, which would happen about 40 years later.

When vintage time comes, the owner sends servants to collect what is his. The servants are beaten, stoned, and killed, so he sends more, and the same thing happens to them. Notice what the parable is accusing the stewards of. It is not that they produced nothing; it is that they did not receive the messengers the owner kept sending. They did not simply reject them—they persecuted, beat, and killed them.

This is a key passage, especially if we realize that it has meaning not only for that time, but also for the Church today. God has never stopped sending messengers to His Church. We have come back to this many times because I think it is a key point for the Church today, and the Lord is asking our little mission to focus on it.

God did not respond to the bad stewards by abandoning the vineyard. He responded by sending someone to it: His prophets. As the Catechism says, He sent His prophets to ancient Israel, and God continues to send prophets to the Church.

Examples of Prophetic Voices

One famous example is Saint Catherine of Siena. In the 14th century, she was not a bishop or a theologian. She was a young woman with very little education, and yet the Lord raised her up as a prophetic voice for the Church.

At that time, the Pope had been in Avignon, France, rather than Rome, for nearly 70 years. That period was called the Babylonian Captivity of the Church because it lasted about as long as the captivity of the Israelites in Babylon. The Church has often looked to Scripture and to the story of ancient Israel to understand her own history.

Saint Catherine wrote to the Pope and then went to him herself. She called him by the affectionate name “Babo,” meaning “Daddy,” but told him clearly that he should not act like a fearful child; he should act in a manly way. He finally came back to Rome in 1377. This is an example of God sending a messenger to the authorities. The message was not comfortable, but the Pope eventually received it. Saint Catherine of Siena is now a doctor of the Church.

There are many other examples: Saint Bridget of Sweden, who rebuked popes in her revelations; Saint Hildegard, who went on preaching tours to correct the clergy; Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, who wrote to the Pope about corruption in his own court; and Saint Peter Damian, who wrote to the Pope about corruption, particularly sodomy among the clergy.

Above all these great saints, there is the example of our Blessed Mother, whom the Lord has sent many times, especially in our own times, as His messenger.

These messengers are often not popular with the authorities, especially when they warn, correct, or denounce. The pastors of the Church should discern with prudence—because there are also false prophets—but they should discern with a true spirit of faith the messengers God seems to be sending.

The question this Gospel raises for all of us is: What is our reaction to the messengers God is sending? Many Catholics seem to forget that God sends messengers. God can act not only through the Church’s normal hierarchical structure—the Pope, bishops, priests, deacons, parishes, and Catholic schools. All of that is important, but it is not the only way God can act. For thousands of years, we have seen examples of God sending messengers, and He continues to send them.

Today is the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi. The Lord said to him, “Francis, repair my Church, for it is falling into ruin.” Saint Francis thought God was talking about the local church building that was falling into ruin. Later, he realized that God meant the whole structure of the Church. Tomorrow we have Saint Faustina, another great messenger who is close to our time.

This Gospel is not just for the authorities in the Church; it is for all of us. How do I receive the messengers God is sending? It is easy to receive the messengers He sent centuries ago. But how do I receive the messengers He is sending today?

The Son and the Danger of Authority

After sending all these messengers, the owner finally sends his son, saying, “They will respect my son.” But they do not respect him. They say, “This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance,” and they throw him out of the vineyard and kill him.

This happens just a few days before Jesus Christ will be thrown out of Jerusalem and executed outside the city, at the instigation of the chief priests and elders.

The vineyard in this parable represents ancient Israel, but even more so, the Church. We have to recognize the danger that comes with responsibility. Instead of using it as faithful, humble servants and stewards, we can become owners. That happens all the time, in the Church and in government. As soon as someone has a little power, there can be a temptation to take advantage of it.

I remember the religious community I used to belong to. In one house, we had about 150 brothers and priests. You could see the temptation even there. A brother might have a small responsibility, perhaps being in charge of the cars, the library, or the cassettes we used to listen to talks. Some did that humbly; others acted as if being in charge gave them leverage.

It is a danger in the Church, and the more power and authority someone has, the more dangerous it becomes. This Gospel speaks very much to a danger in the Church today: acting out of selfishness, pride, and ambition.

It is interesting that some bishops and cardinals seemed to have a very strong, orthodox faith under Saint John Paul and Pope Benedict, but when Francis came, their faith seemed to become very changeable. Thanks be to God, there are many good and generous pastors in the Church who work hard and truly serve God’s people. But if evil is at the very top of the Church’s earthly authority structure—God, of course, is the ultimate authority—then that poison can begin to spread through the Church because of obedience. We may be obeying someone who is acting not with proper graces and intentions, but with evil intentions.

A “Reconquest” message from February 22, 2024, spoke of members of the hierarchy who, instead of being the Lord’s closest collaborators and most docile and faithful instruments, had become “a very great hindrance,” and “souls of thieves, stealing from my children what belongs to them as heirs,” including grace, guidance, light, and forgiveness. Those who should be faithful servants have become a hindrance, like the stewards in the Gospel.

The Vineyard’s Devastation

What happens when the stewards and authorities act this way? Let’s go back to the first reading, the prophecy from Isaiah. It also speaks about shepherds. As a priest and shepherd of the Church, I have to include myself in this. The vineyard is not just the hierarchy; it is all of us, the whole people of God.

The first reading is about the vineyard bearing fruit. That is what God calls all of us to do: bear fruit through our fidelity. When the vineyard does not bear fruit, or gives sour grapes, God asks:

“Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more was there for me to do for my vineyard that I had not done?”

Then He says what He intends to do:

“I will take away its hedge,”

the hedge that protected it. He will let it be grazed, break down its wall, and let it be trampled. That is what He says He will permit.

The psalm laments what has happened:

“Lord, why have you broken down its walls, so that every passerby plucks its fruit? The boar from the forest lays it waste, and the beasts of the field feed upon it.”

Here in the Hill Country, we know how much devastation wild hogs can cause, and how important it is to protect against them. The psalm continues:

“O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers? You have fed them with the bread of tears and given them tears to drink in full measure. You have made us the scorn of our neighbors, and our enemies laugh among themselves. They have burned your vineyard with fire; they have cut it down.”

This is a severe psalm about devastation. It asks, “Lord, why have you permitted this?” What does this have to do with the Church? Many people would say God would never permit this to happen to His Church. But here Scripture speaks clearly about ancient Israel, and the Catechism invites us to see ancient Israel as a prefiguration and image of the Church: God permitting His own vineyard, which He planted, to be devastated.

This is an ancient idea, but I think it applies to what we are living through now. The Church is the mystical Body of Christ, and we know what happened to the physical Body of Christ. The mystical Body is called to follow Him.

A “Reconquest” message from March 14, 2024, said:

“Give me all your pain, children, the anguish that envelops your heart at seeing the devastation of my vineyard.”

The Lord Himself is applying this image of a devastated vineyard to the Church today. That is not something we are making up; it is rooted in Scripture and the teaching and history of the Church. In that passage, the Lord asks us to give Him the pain we experience at seeing the Church’s devastation.

We see the cause—the infidelity of authorities and of many members—and we see what happens. Finally, what is God going to do after the devastation? It is not God’s final rejection. It is discipline and punishment, but also purification.

Prayer, Trust, and Hope

The psalm does not end in despair. It turns to hope:

“Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, who lead Joseph like a flock. Stir up your might, and come to save us. Restore us, O God. Let your face shine on us, that we may be saved.”

It continues:

“Turn again, O God of hosts. Look down from heaven and see. Have regard for this vine, the stock which your right hand planted. Then we will never turn back from you. Give us life, and we will call on your name.”

This is the prayer of people living through devastation, as we are today. They are not pretending that everything is normal or that a broken-down and trampled vineyard is simply a new way of being a vineyard. They recognize how devastating it is and acknowledge its cause, but their hope in God is not broken.

The Gospel also ends not in devastation, but with Jesus citing another psalm:

“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. By the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes.”

The authorities, the builders, rejected this stone, but the stone is Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of the Church. Even if human authorities are unfaithful, no one can remove the cornerstone and foundation.

A message from September 20, 2024, said:

“Children, you are part of the mystical body, a living part of my church, and I am your head. The Pope is the vicar of Christ, but it’s Jesus who is the head of the church. I am the cornerstone, without which everything crumbles.”

The Gospel also speaks about the kingdom of God: it “will be taken away from you” and given to a people who will produce its fruit. If some are unworthy, the Lord will give it to others.

In the midst of this severe passage, there is also the great consolation of Saint Paul’s message:

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

Even in the midst of devastation, Saint Paul says, “Have no anxiety.” That does not mean pretending everything is fine. It means bringing everything to the Lord and trusting that He is greater than the devastation. Even if the wall falls down, the Lord can post a guard around our hearts.

We have the great example of our Blessed Mother at the devastation of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion. Many were abandoning Him, yet her heart was guarded in the Lord. She teaches us how to persevere in trust and hope amid devastation—not by closing our eyes to it or pretending it is not a problem, but by trusting in God.

The Mass and the Renewal of the Church

To summarize what we have looked at in these readings:

1. There is a danger of wicked, unfaithful stewards and authorities. This applies first to the authorities in the Church, but also to all of us.
2. God permitted, and permits, the devastation of His vineyard. I think He is permitting it today, and He prophesied it in advance.
3. The stone the authorities can reject is the eternal cornerstone and foundation of the Church. Our trust and hope are based on Jesus.

In this Holy Eucharist, we are not just spectators of the Church’s passion; we are living it ourselves. We are with Jesus in His Passion. That is what the Mass is: it unites us to the Passion and sacrifice of Jesus.

We bring what we are experiencing—the terrible trials of the Church and the way they affect us, our families, our friends, and our country—and unite it to the bread and wine that will be offered on this altar in just a few moments. As the Lord said in the message I quoted today, “Give me all your pain.”

We unite our sacrifice to Him for the renewal of the Church. We recognize the devastation, but we trust that He is preparing her great renewal.

I’ll end with this prayer from the psalm:

“Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. Stir up your might, and come to save us. Restore us, O God. Let your face shine upon us, that we may be saved. Stir up your might, and come to save us. Restore us, O God. Let your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.”

Amen.