Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time — October 4, 2026

Every Sunday, Bishop Edward Malesic writes a Scripture reflection for the faithful. Follow the bishop on Facebook and Instagram.

Click here for the readings.

Today’s first reading and Gospel remind us that we are not the owners of this world. We are its stewards.

In the first reading, Isaiah tells of a man who planted a vineyard and worked diligently to make it beautiful and fruitful. But the vineyard did not produce the good fruit he expected. Instead, it yielded only sour grapes.

Jesus takes this image further. He tells of a vineyard entrusted to tenants. When the owner—who represents God—sent his servants to collect the harvest, the tenants abused and killed them. At last, the owner sent his son.

But the tenants said to one another, “This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.” They refused to return anything to the owner. In their twisted reasoning, they believed that by killing his son, they could be rid of the owner forever and become masters of the vineyard themselves.

This has been the temptation of every human generation since Adam and Eve. We want to be the authors and masters of our own lives. We push God—the true Lord of creation—out of the center and put ourselves in his place. We try to build our lives on our own foundation rather than on Jesus Christ, the cornerstone upon whom God has built his Church.

We can all see what happens when God’s vineyard is neglected. We encounter hatred and division, death both inside and outside the womb, bullying online and on our streets, and violence that wounds and kills. We build walls that shut others out, even those most in need of our care. Whenever we fail to respect the dignity of another person, we plant another weed in the vineyard and add more sour grapes to God’s beautiful creation.

A time will come when God will ask us to give an account of our stewardship. May we have good fruit and good works to present to Jesus, the Son, who seeks a vineyard that is fruitful and well cared for.

Thankfully, we still have time to set things right. We can begin today by respecting one another, supporting one another, and remembering that every human life is a gift from God. Life is not something we own. It is something entrusted to us for a time, until we return it to its rightful Lord.

Have a blessed week, everyone.