Daily Gospel Reflection
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October 8, 2023
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
“Hear another parable.
There was a landowner who planted a vineyard,
put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower.
Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.
When vintage time drew near,
he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.
But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat,
another they killed, and a third they stoned.
Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones,
but they treated them in the same way.
Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking,
‘They will respect my son.’
But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another,
‘This is the heir.
Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’
They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?”
They answered him,
“He will put those wretched men to a wretched death
and lease his vineyard to other tenants
who will give him the produce at the proper times.”
Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes?
Therefore, I say to you,
the kingdom of God will be taken away from you
and given to a people that will produce its fruit.”
Parables are meant to puzzle us and make us work to figure out what Jesus is teaching us. Today’s parable is meant to illustrate how God, patient and kind, gives people many chances to bear fruit. But, eventually, there comes an end where we really need to get our act together!
In this parable, the vineyard is Israel. The landowner is God. God chose Israel as his special people and gave them his laws and everything they needed to bear spiritual fruit. The tenants were entrusted with spiritual leadership but failed in their duties. The servants are the prophets God sent—many rejected and mistreated by the religious leaders. The son symbolizes Jesus, and foreshadows the crucifixion.
Even though God is patient and always willing to forgive those that ask, Jesus confirms that the kingdom of God will be taken away from the ungrateful tenants. Why? We know that we will naturally bear spiritual fruit if we abide in Christ and maintain a close relationship with him. If we do not abide, no fruit. The answer is in our own choices.
How are we responding to God’s call and the responsibilities given to us in our lives? Are we bearing fruit for the kingdom or rejecting opportunities? This parable encourages us to examine our own hearts and ensure that we are faithful stewards of the gifts and responsibilities God has given us.
Mother Teresa said, “We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” Lord, grant us the strength and wisdom to nurture the seeds of potential within us. Help us to cultivate the qualities and virtues that will lead to a fruitful life—patience, perseverance, and a heart filled with gratitude.
Prayer
Lord, teach us to be filled with you and emptied of an ego that puts our glory over your glory. Let us be your ambassadors. Give us your voice and direct our motives this day that we might produce the fruits of the kingdom. Amen.
Saint of the Day

There are several legends associated with the name Pelagia. Various legends recount the story of a former dancer who eventually became a hermit in Jerusalem, disguising herself as a monk to escape an unwanted marriage.
The historical Pelagia was a young Christian woman in Antioch, who is now celebrated as a virgin and martyr. Both St. John Chrysostom and St. Ambrose refer to her in their preaching as an example of Christian faithfulness. They tell the story of Pelagia, who was only just fifteen, leaping from a roof of a building rather than offer a sacrifice to pagan gods during the persecution of Christians under the emperor Diocletian.
Yet, over time, the faithful Pelagia, virgin and martyr, has become confused with this first Pelagia, also known as “Pelagia the Penitent,” who was, for a brief moment, Antioch's most prominent actress. The theatre at Antioch, as John Chrysostom notes constantly in his homilies, was neither the recreation of classic Greek tragedies nor a thoughtful presentation of story-telling, but more like a burlesque show, full of tantalizing sights for idle urbanites. Thus, Pelagia's reputation as a famous actress was certainly for performances that were measured on criteria other than artistic merit. Pelagia was renowned for her wealth, her entourage, and her meticulous care for her body even in the midst of her hedonistic lifestyle.
After an Antiocene priest named Nonnus condemned himself and his brothers-in-Christ for ogling at Pelagia, Pelagia appeared at Nonnus' church next Sunday. After Nonnus preached a powerful sermon, Pelagia instantly desired to become Christian. She prostrated herself before Nonnus, begging for a baptismal robe, until he agreed to let her be baptized. After three days, Pelagia's legend claims that, after giving away all her possessions, she fled to Jerusalem and lived in extreme poverty in a cave on the Mount of Olives, eventually dying as a result of her harsh, penitential lifestyle.

This confusion between the two stories has left St. Pelagia with the title of patron saint of actresses. Although the confusion of their legends is responsible for their patronage, the faithful Pelagia's leap from the roof of a building to prevent herself from being forced blasphemy is certainly a theatrical gesture of holiness, and perhaps would earn her patronage of the theatre on its own. Relics of the historical St. Pelagia, virgin and martyr, rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
St. Pelagia, martyr and patron saint of actresses—pray for us!
Image Credit: (1) Our featured image of St. Pelagia is used with permission from Catholic Online. Last accessed September 27, 2024. (2) The detail from Lives of the Saints is in the public domain. Last accessed September 27, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.