In the Angelus, Pope Francis emphasised "the great novelty of Christianity". In a story "also marked by betrayal and rejections,” God “continues to put into circulation the ‘new wine’ of his vineyard, namely mercy.” We must “be everywhere, especially on the margins of society, the vine that the Lord has planted for the good of all."
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – God, "disappointed by our errors and our sins, does not go back on his word, does not stop and above all he does not take revenge," said Pope Francis, speaking today to the faithful gathered in St Peter's Square for the Angelus.
In his address, the pontiff stressed that this is "the great novelty of Christianity”, evident in the parable of the murderous vineyard tenants, which constitutes the Gospel in today's Mass (Matthew 21: 33- 43, 27th Sunday, Liturgical Year A).
The parable tells the story of a landowner who entrusts his vineyards to tenants who at some point "refused to hand over the produce," and went so far as to kill the landowner’s servants and his son.
"This story allegorically illustrates those reproaches that the Prophets had made about the history of Israel. It is a story that belongs to us: it is about the covenant that God sought to establish with humanity and to which he also called us to participate. However, the story of the covenant, like every love story, has its positive moments but is also marked by betrayal and rejections."
"To understand how God the Father responded to the rejections opposed to his love and his proposal of covenant, the Gospel passage puts a question in the landowner’s mouth: 'What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?' See 40). This question underscores that God’s disappointment with men’s wicked behaviour is not the final word!"
"Through ‘rejected stones’, and Christ is the first stone that builders rejected in situations of weakness and sin, God continues to put into circulation the ‘new wine’ from his vineyard, namely mercy. There is only one impediment before God’s obstinate and tender will, namely our arrogance and conceit, which sometimes become violence as well."
"The urgency of responding with good fruits to the calling of the Lord, who calls us to become his vineyard, helps us understand what is new and original in Christianity. It is not so much the sum of precepts and moral rules, but it is first of all a proposal of love that God, through Jesus, has made and continues to make to humanity."
Finally, "Let us invoke the intercession of the Most Holy Mary to help us be, everywhere, especially on the margins of society, the vine that the Lord has planted for the good of all."