Download Seventh Leaflet of the Lectio divina Lent 2015 Communion calls us

Seventh Leaflet of the Lectio divina
Lent 2015
Communion calls us to Conversion
“My beloved had a vineyard …” (Isa 5:1)
Entry into the Lectio
Lent is a real kairos, a time of grace for conversion. We give heed to the Word of God which at this
special time, the Liturgy abundantly provides. We also welcome with gratitude, the invitation of Pope
Francis, especially in this year of the Consecrated Life, who does not tire of asking us the conversion
from every form of "worldliness" that pollutes the authentic spirit of the Gospel. A conversion which is
personal, pastoral and communitarian.
In this Lenten Lectio we want to deepen the theme of conversion in the key of "communion", in
accordance with the directions of the general programme of our Congregation which in this second
triennial focuses on the Eucharist. The biblical text of our Lectio is Isaiah 5:1-7, known as the "canticle of
the vineyard".
Let us ask the Spirit the wisdom of heart to intimately enjoy the gift of spousal covenant and to
bring forth the good fruits that God awaits from his beloved vineyard.
A hymn to the Holy Spirit
LISTENING TO THE WORD (truth)
A.
From the book of the Prophet Isaiah (5:1-7)
Let me sing for my beloved
my love-song concerning his vineyard:
My beloved had a vineyard
on a very fertile hill.
2
He dug it and cleared it of stones,
and planted it with choice vines;
he built a watchtower in the midst of it,
and hewed out a wine vat in it;
he expected it to yield grapes,
but it yielded wild grapes.
3
And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem
and people of Judah,
judge between me
and my vineyard.
4
What more was there to do for my vineyard
that I have not done in it?
When I expected it to yield grapes,
why did it yield wild grapes?
1
5
And now I will tell you
what I will do to my vineyard.
I will remove its hedge,
and it shall be devoured;
I will break down its wall,
and it shall be trampled down.
6
I will make it a waste;
it shall not be pruned or hoed,
and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns;
I will also command the clouds
that they rain no rain upon it.
7
For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts
is the house of Israel,
and the people of Judah
are his pleasant planting;
he expected justice,
but saw bloodshed;
righteousness,
but heard the cry of the oppressed!
Exegetical commentary
1. Context
The “canticle of the vineyard”- a splendid poetical text- belongs to the first part of the book of Isaiah
(chapters1-39) which includes a series of oracles and poems composed between 750- 735 BC.
In the first five chapters the prophet raises his voce against the iniquitous actions of the people
who do not want to hear God’s word, a people that has become stubborn and rebellious: “Hear me, you
heavens! Listen, earth! For the Lord has spoken: «I reared children and brought them up, but they have
rebelled against me. The ox knows its master,the donkey its owner’s manger, but Israel does not know,
my people do not understand»(Isa 1:2-3).
But the Lord is a God in love who does not resign when confronted with the stubbornness of his
people. Behold therefore that the Prophet, after the strong initial section, opens horizons of new hope,
promises the Messianic era characterized by peace: «They will beat their swords into ploughshares and
their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war
anymore.» (Isaiah 2:4).
There follows, in the book of Isaiah, other oracles on the dramatic situation of Jerusalem (chapters
3-4) in which the Lord appears as the One who renders to emptiness the "illusory human guarantees".
Why does he do this? By removing the fake support, God seeks to arouse in people authentic faith in
him, the rock of life. The "canticle of the vineyard" is located immediately after the oracle of salvation,
constituted by the announcement of the "shoot” of the Lord. The community experiences the cleansing
from sin and the holiness of divine presence: «… for the glory of the Lord will cover everything as a
canopy. It will serve as a pavilion, a shade by day from the heat, and a refuge and a shelter from the
storm and rain» (Isaiah 4:5-6).
2. The canticle of the vineyard
After looking at the context, we focus attentively on the text of our Lectio (Isa 7:5.1) in view of
understanding its literary articulation and the theological message.
- The canticle opens with a prologue (v. 1). The prophet says that on behalf of his beloved, he
wants to sing of the love that his friend has for the vineyard. He presents himself indirectly as the friend
of the bridegroom, who on the occasion of the wedding, has fulfilled the task of expressing in an
adequate speech or song, the love of the bridegroom for his bride.
- Verse 2, tells of the event in an allegorical form: the beloved/ loved one had a vineyard on a fertile
hillside A vineyard (meaning a ‘vineyard’ that is a lot of land in which the vines are cultivated). He
ploughed the land, removed the stones, planted prestigious vines. He then built a tower to guard his
vineyard and a wine press to make wine. What did he expect after all the work? It is clear: that his
vineyard would produce good quality grape. But it was not so: it produced wild grape. What a
disappointment!
- In verses 3-4, it is the bridegroom (the beloved) who directly intervenes. He indicates a process
and calls the inhabitants of Jerusalem as witnesses and judges: «What more was there to do for my
vineyard that I have not done in it? When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes?» (v.
4).
- In verses 5-6, we notice that all the verbs are in future tense (while the previous verses were in the
past and in the present tense). These verses in future tense express the decision of the disillusioned
bridegroom/winemaker: I will remove the hedge, destroy the wall that encloses it, and make of it a
desert…”. His vineyard will no longer be pruned nor tilled, it will be deprived of the benefit of the rain,
becoming like a desert where only thorns will grow. Beyond the metaphor: the disappointed bridegroom/
winemaker intends to punish the unfaithful vineyard/ bride. And so the song of love for the vineyard turns
into a threat of condemnation.
- At verse 7, there is a return to talk in third person, using verbs in past and present tense. The
prophet reveals the sense of the metaphor: “The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel…
Behold he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard the cry of the oppressed!” In
the Hebrew text the contrast is strongly emphasized by the sonorous game of opposing terms, since the
word 'right' (mishpat) is phonetically similar to "bloodshed" (mispah), and the word 'justice' (zedaqah)
rhymes with "cries of the oppressed" (ze'aqah).
According to the biblical scholar Charles Conroy, this canticle is meant to communicate a serious
theological message of social criticism. Isaiah 5:1-7 is in line with the previous reference of the
"vineyard" in Isaiah 3:14 (also in the context of social criticism). It is a summon to the people to
conversion.
3. A God who is in love never tires to call to conversion
In the canticle of the vineyard all the affection and tenderness of God for the people shines
through. What could he do more for his vineyard/bride? He expected only love and instead it produced
bitter berries...
Putting aside the metaphor, the prophet denounces the infidelity. He reprimands to having reduced
the spousal covenant to legalism, to a formal religious practice, empty of its profound content. The
covenant, the communion with God, requires honesty, social justice, and solidarity with the poor of the
earth, true love of neighbour…
God expresses his anguish also through the mouth of the prophet Jeremiah: «I had planted you
like a choice vine of sound and reliable stock. How then did you turn against me into a corrupt, wild
vine?» (Jer 2:21). The lament of the Lord is also present in Hosea (10:1) and further developed in
Ezekiel where the "vine" means Jerusalem: «Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood, planted by the
waters: she was fruitful, and full of branches by reason of many waters. And she had strong rods for the
sceptres of them that bare rule, and her stature was exalted among the thick branches, and she
appeared in her height with the multitude of her branches. But she was plucked up in fury, she was cast
down to the ground, and the east wind dried up her fruit: her strong rods were broken and withered; the
fire consumed them» (Ezek 19:10-12).
God does not tire of loving his vineyard (his people, every man and woman) and therefore calls to
conversion. In his prayers the psalmist pleads: «God of hosts, return! Look down from heaven and see
and visit this vine, protect what your right hand has planted» (Psalm 80, 15-16).
B.
C.
From the magisterium of the Fathers and from Blessed James
Alberione.
-
The Didache speaks of the “holy vine of David" to refer to the Eucharist. David is King from whom
descended the Messiah, the "holy vine". Here are the words that were spoken over the chalice by
the early Christian communities of Jewish matrix: "We give you thanks, our Father, for the holy
vine of David your servant, whom you have revealed through Jesus your son. To you be glory for
ever” (Didachè IX, 2).
-
The great father of the Church St. John Chrysostom affirms: “You have drunk the Blood of the
Lord, and do not recognize your brother [...] You dishonour this table... God has freed you from
all your sins and invited you to this feast. Even so, you have not become more merciful” (In
epistulam 1 ad Corinthios).
-
From the preaching of the Founder: "Communion means union with Jesus [...] There are people
who receive communion only with the heart, others only with the mind and others only with the
will. Communion is complete when we unite ourselves to Jesus in a total way: mind, will, heart,
body” (PP VIII, 1956, p.59).
From the apostolic letter of Pope Francis to all consecrated persons. (2-3)
“Never must a religious renounce to prophecy” (29 November 2013).
The prophets receive from God the ability to scrutinize the times in which they live and to interpret
events: they are like sentinels who keep watch in the night and sense the coming of the dawn (cf. Isaiah
21:11-12).
Prophets know God and they know the men and women who are their brothers and sisters. They
are able to discern and denounce the evil of sin and injustice. Because they are free, they are beholden
to no one but God, and they have no interest other than God. Prophets tend to be on the side of the poor
and the powerless, for they know that God himself is on their side.
So I trust that, rather than living in some utopia, you will find ways to create “alternate spaces”,
where the Gospel approach of self-giving, fraternity, embracing differences, and love of one another can
thrive. (…)
Men and women religious, like all other consecrated persons, have been called, as I mentioned,
“experts in communion”. So I am hoping that the “spirituality of communion”, so emphasized by Saint
John Paul II, will become a reality and that you will be in the forefront of responding to “the great
challenge facing us” in this new millennium: “to make the Church the home and the school of
communion”.
Biblical references- parallel texts for further study:
Isa 3:14; Jer 2:21; Jer 12:10; Hos 10:1; Ezek 1:10-12; Ps 80; Sir 24:17-19; Jn 15:1-17.
IN DIALOGUE AND IN COMPARISON WITH THE WORD (way)
Let us compare our life with the Word that the Lord has given to us in this Lectio.
We can ask ourselves:
 How do I live my gratitude for the care that God continues to have for his vineyard?
 What fruits does the Lord expect from me and what is my response to his expectations, to his
pressing invitation to conversion?
 How does our consecrated life produce the tasty grape of joy and fraternal “communion”?
 We have seen that the “canticle of the vineyard” contains also a prophetic denunciation, a strong
social criticism. Pope Francis expects that consecrated life express with strength its constitutive
prophetic dimension: How can we express the prophecy of our life?
 What blocks us from being a prophetic voice in the context in which we live?
ASKING FOR FORGIVENESS SPONTANEOUSLY OR /AND WITH A HYMN
IN PRAYER AND CONTEMPLATION (life)
 Let us share what the Spirit has inspired us during the prayer, by expressing some resonance.
 Using the invocation of the Psalmist let us ask the Lord to look upon us, to visit and guard his
vineyard. We ask that he may shine his face upon us, that we may “return”, that is convert to him
with our whole heart:
Turn again, O God of hosts;
look down from heaven, and see;
have regard for this vine,
the stock that your right hand planted…
Then we will never turn back from you;
give us life, and we will call on your name.
Restore us, O Lord God of hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be saved. (Psalm 80:14-15, 18-19)
Rome, Generalate House sjbp, February 2015