Care of the Soul

Gospel: Matthew 21: 33-43

Christian polemicists will seize upon today's readings to argue that God has replaced Israel with the Church, the new Israel, as tender of the kingdom of God.  But what happens when the Church as the new Israel is no better than the old and comes to neglect and trample the vineyard just as much as in the old regime?  And wherein lies this kingdom anyway?

The garden and vineyard have always been metaphors for the soul of a person.  It is there that the kingdom of God resides.  Institutions have been entrusted with the care of the soul and when they work well souls thrive.  But when they do not, people are left to themselves and seek out the nourishment they need wherever they can find it.  When the religious institutions are in the service of earthly kingdoms of political ideology, they are not serving the kingdom of God.  And when souls seek nourishment they are not cruising a cafeteria or being consumeristic; they seek care for their vineyard.

The number of people unaffiliated with any religion is now the highest percentage of the population. Some religious bodies take that as a badge of pride, glorying in the small, pure church they so desire.  Others are oblivious like the crowd blocking Zacchaeus from seeing Jesus.  Only a few will take these things to heart and seek to authentically care for the vineyard of souls in our world who need loving kindness and attention.