The Vineyard Of The Lord: The New Wine Offered To Us

I spent the day gazing at the beautiful vineyards and sipping on wine. Later, I went to Mass and fittingly the readings were regarding vineyards. This is one prominent way in which The Lord speaks to us, and how He confirms we are living amid His will.

An excerpt from The First Reading on the Twenty-Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time: “Let me now sing of my friend, my friend's song concerning his vineyard. My friend had a vineyard on a fertile hillside; he spaded it, cleared it of stones, and planted the choicest vines; within it he built a watchtower, and hewed out a wine press. Then he looked for the fine crop of grapes, but what it yielded was wild grapes.” - Isaiah 5:1-2

“R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I have chosen you from the world, says the Lord,
to go and bear fruit that will remain.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.”

Look at the fertile ground of the vineyard of The Lord. Behold The New Wine coming forth from the blessed grapes of God. Who understands the intoxication of one who consumes The Wine of The Lord? To be intoxicated with The Wine of God. The sweet fruit of a fiat, The New Wine offered to a heart open to giving thanks. An abundant harvest springs forth in the vineyard of The Lord. The Lord is looking for laborers to go out into His vineyard to gather the harvest. In giving to God the fruit of the earth He transforms its bounty into The New Wine. The New Wine is the drink of The Saints. The drink of The Chosen people, The Blood Of The Lamb. The New Wine offered to us is a wine that intoxicates us with transformation. This New Wine doesn’t harm us, or hinder us, but it allows us to truly live, and be alive in the fullest sense.

Are we bearing fruit that can be turned into New Wine? Or are our vineyards producing rotten fruit? Christ says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” - John 15:5 We have to make sure that Christ is the Vine in our vineyards, or we will not produce any good fruit. The fruit that we produce when apart from Christ is simply rotten and void of any sustenance, or even worse there is no fruit we will bear at all.

Our spiritual vineyards should be producing blessed grapes that allow Christ to transform them into New Wine. Our souls should be one with Christ. He is the Vine in our vineyards, and together with Him, we can spring forth an abundant spiritual harvest, bearing good fruit and allowing Him to bring forth The New Wine.

May our vineyards always produce good fruit.