Homily of the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A
October 4, 2026
“What Are You Producing for God?”
Friends,
today Jesus gives us a challenging question through the parable of the vineyard: What are we producing with everything God has entrusted to us?
The vineyard belongs to the owner, but he gives it to tenants to cultivate. He provides everything they need. Yet, when harvest time comes, they refuse to give him the fruits that belong to him. This is more than a story about ancient tenants. The vineyard is our life. God has planted each of us in a particular place, given us gifts, opportunities, relationships, time, faith, and responsibilities. None of these is entirely ours. They are gifts entrusted to us. The question, therefore, is not simply, “What do I have?” but “What am I doing with what God has given me?”
God expects fruit. He expects love where there is hatred. He expects forgiveness where there is injury. He expects generosity where there is selfishness. He expects faithfulness where there is temptation. He expects justice where there is exploitation. He expects kindness where someone is hurting. The tragedy of the tenants was not that they had nothing. They had everything—but they forgot the One who gave it to them. That can happen to us too. We can become so occupied with our lives, our plans, our possessions, our positions, and our problems that we forget that we are only stewards.
St. Paul gives us the remedy in today's second reading: “I consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Our ultimate treasure is not what we possess, but Christ Himself. And so, brothers and sisters, perhaps today the Lord is walking through the vineyard of our hearts and asking: “Where is my fruit?”
Where is the fruit of your faith? Where is the fruit of your marriage? Where is the fruit of your vocation? Where is the fruit of your suffering? Where is the fruit of the opportunities I have given you? The good news is that God does not ask us for perfection; He asks for faithfulness. Even after we have failed, the Lord continues to call us back, prune us, heal us, and give us another opportunity to bear fruit. As we begin another week, let us not merely ask God to bless our lives. Let us ask Him: “Lord, make my life a blessing.”
May our families, our parish, our workplaces, and our communities become better because we were there. And when the Master comes looking for the harvest, may He find in our lives not empty branches, but the fruits of love, faith, mercy, justice, and holiness. Amen.
Have a splendid Sunday!
