March 27, 2015
The Parable of the Tenant Farmers
A reading from the Gospel of Saint Luke 20, 9 – 19:
Then Jesus proceeded to tell the people this parable. “A man planted a vineyard, leased it to tenant farmers, and then went on a journey for a long time. At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenant farmers to receive some of the produce of the vineyard. But they beat the servant and sent him away empty-handed. So he proceeded to send another servant, but him also they beat and insulted and sent away empty-handed. Then he proceeded to sent a third, but this one too they wounded and threw out. The owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I shall send my beloved son; maybe they will respect him.’ But when the tenant farmers saw him they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him that the inheritance may become ours.’ So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and put those tenant farmers to death and turn over the vineyard to others.” When the people heard this, they exclaimed, “Let it not be so!” But he looked at them and asked, “What then does this scripture passage mean: “The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’?
Everyone who falls on that stone will be dashed to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.” The scribes and chief priests sought to lay their hands on him at that very hour, but they feared the people, for they knew that he had addressed this parable to them.
I thank all those who have sent me money to pay the bills. I still need some more so if you can send me $300 I would be very happy indeed. I am going through a hard time and I have no money to buy anything. Our dear Mother Mary came last evening to visit me and I asked Her for help. She told me that I should write about it and some will help me. So I do what She told me. She said that the money for the building of the Shrine and the monasteries will soon come so that I can begin this work which She and Jesus, Her Son, asked me. Please pray that everything will go well.
Below you will find the message of Our Lord and Savior given to Father Melvin. Jesus spoke to him these words,
“Come and listen to the explanation of the parable written above My dear brother Melvin and all My brothers and sisters. I gave this parable to the Jewish people and some scribes and chief priests were present. The vineyard means Israel and the owner is God the Father and the tenants are the Jewish people. Every now and then the Father sent prophets to the Jewish people to show them what they were doing wrong and what they had to do. Many of these prophets were caught by the people, some were killed, others were chased away. They did not want to listen to these servants of the Father. At the end the Father sent Me, His Son, to the Jewish people to teach them about the Kingdom of God and what they had to do. What did they do to Me, the Father’s Son? You know that they arrested Me, brought Me to court and condemned Me. Then they brought Me to Pontus Pilate and laid the charge against Me. They said that I was an imposter telling the people that I was the Son of God. Pontus Pilate wanted to let Me go free but the Jewish people never stopped attacking Me. At the end Pontus Pilate had Me scourged and then he gave Me to the soldiers who did what the high priests and the scribes wanted: to hang Me on the cross. This is what they did, but after three days My resurrection took place and I came back to life never to die again.
Dear friends, all this is what is meant by the parable of the Tenant Farmers. The scribes and high priest understood and they wanted to arrest Me but they feared the people. You will celebrate My Passion and death on the cross next week. I bless you all.”
Father Melvin