Friday of the Second Week of Lent

Reading 1 Gn 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a

Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons,
for he was the child of his old age;
and he had made him a long tunic.
When his brothers saw that their father loved him best of all his sons,
they hated him so much that they would not even greet him.

One day, when his brothers had gone
to pasture their father’s flocks at Shechem,
Israel said to Joseph,
“Your brothers, you know, are tending our flocks at Shechem.
Get ready; I will send you to them.”

So Joseph went after his brothers and caught up with them in Dothan.
They noticed him from a distance,
and before he came up to them, they plotted to kill him.
They said to one another: “Here comes that master dreamer!
Come on, let us kill him and throw him into one of the cisterns here;
we could say that a wild beast devoured him.
We shall then see what comes of his dreams.”

When Reuben heard this,
he tried to save him from their hands, saying,
“We must not take his life.
Instead of shedding blood,” he continued,
“just throw him into that cistern there in the desert;
but do not kill him outright.”
His purpose was to rescue him from their hands
and return him to his father.
So when Joseph came up to them,
they stripped him of the long tunic he had on;
then they took him and threw him into the cistern,
which was empty and dry.

They then sat down to their meal.
Looking up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead,
their camels laden with gum, balm and resin
to be taken down to Egypt.
Judah said to his brothers:
“What is to be gained by killing our brother and concealing his blood?
Rather, let us sell him to these Ishmaelites,
instead of doing away with him ourselves.
After all, he is our brother, our own flesh.”
His brothers agreed.
They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver.

Responsorial Psalm 105:16-17, 18-19, 20-21

R. (5a) Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
When the LORD called down a famine on the land
and ruined the crop that sustained them,
He sent a man before them,
Joseph, sold as a slave.
R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
They had weighed him down with fetters,
and he was bound with chains,
Till his prediction came to pass
and the word of the LORD proved him true.
R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
The king sent and released him,
the ruler of the peoples set him free.
He made him lord of his house
and ruler of all his possessions.
R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.

Verse Before the GospelJn 3:16

God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son;
so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.

Gospel Mt 21:33-43, 45-46

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
“Hear another parable.
There was a landowner who planted a vineyard,
put a hedge around it,
dug a wine press in it, and built a tower.
Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.
When vintage time drew near,
he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.
But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat,
another they killed, and a third they stoned.
Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones,
but they treated them in the same way.
Finally, he sent his son to them,
thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’
But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another,
‘This is the heir.
Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’
They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?”
They answered him,
"He will put those wretched men to a wretched death
and lease his vineyard to other tenants
who will give him the produce at the proper times.”
Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures:

The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes?

Therefore, I say to you,
the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you
and given to a people that will produce its fruit.”
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables,
they knew that he was speaking about them.
And although they were attempting to arrest him,
they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet.

From: Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a

Joseph and His Brothers

[3] Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a long robe with sleeves. [4] But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.

Joseph is Sold to Egyptians as a Slave

[12] Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem. [13a] And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.”

[17b] So Joseph went after his brothers, and found them at Dothan. [18] They saw him afar off, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. [19] They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. [20] Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild beast has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams.” [21] But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” [22] And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; cast him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand upon him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand, to restore him to his father. [23] So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the long robe with sleeves that he wore; [24] and they took him and cast him into a pit. The pit was empty, there was no water in it.

[25] Then they sat down to eat; and looking up they saw a caravan: of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. [26] Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood? [27] Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers heeded him. [28a] Then Midianite traders passed by; and they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver.

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Commentary:

37:2-50:26 From here to the end of the book of Genesis, with the exception of chapters 38 and 49, we have the story of Joseph. This concludes the “history of the patriarchs”, leaving them not exactly in the promised land, Canaan, but in Egypt. This sets the scene for the narrative of the great Exodus. The story of Joseph is, thus, the link between patriarchal history and the departure from Egypt, and it therefore constitutes an important stage in the development of salvation history as recorded in the Old Testament.

In the story of Joseph we can see, on the one hand, the testimony borne by ancient accounts about the Israelites going down into Egypt and, on the other, the skill of the narrator who describes the acts of a drama full of emotion, which comes to a happy ending and from which the reader can draw one fundamental lesson: God is guiding everything that happens (even events which seem negative) towards good, towards salvation. “Omnia in bonum” might well be the title of the story of Joseph (cf. 50:20).

The original source of this section may have been quite different from the patriarchal traditions we have seen so far: there is no reference to places of worship, no explanations as to the meaning of names of places and people, no direct divine interventions (except in the case of Jacob in 46:2-4); it assumes that Joseph’s mother is still living (cf. 37:10) and shows Jacob to have a number of daughters (cf. 37:35).

From the information provided in the story of Joseph and from other biblical traditions (cf. for example,Gen 15:16; Ex 12:40-41), it is not possible to say exactly when the Israelites went down into Egypt. The most likely period is when Egypt was under the control of the Hyksos (l’720-l580 BC), invaders who were partly Semitic. The Hyksos had their capital in Avaris, in the Nile delta, and this is where the capital is in the biblical account. The account reminds us of past events and their significance. The whole story of Joseph. as told in the Bible, is very instructive about how God guided the steps of Israel’s ancestors, to work wonders among them, redeeming them from slavery and making them into a people, the chosen people of God. The literary skill with which this last part of the story is told, not only does not take from the historical value of the account: it helps us to grasp the true meaning of all that happened to the “fathers” of Israel, and shows us how the Word of God is able to express itself in language which it knows will hold the reader’s attention.

37:2. “This is the history of ...”: ten times over the course of Genesis the final redactor of the book uses this formal phrase to impose order on its content, dividing it into a number of genealogical sections (cf. “Introduction”, p. 29 above). Here he uses it for the last time, to notify the reader that he has reached the last section, the story of how Jacob-Israel went down into Egypt: one of his sons, Joseph, was sold by his brothers and taken to Egypt (chap. 37); Joseph prospered in that country and became very important (cf. chaps. 39-41); Jacob and his other sons went to Egypt where they met Joseph and, through his good offices, received special treatment from the pharaoh; finally, the patriarch Jacob died in Egypt but was brought back to the land of Canaan to be buried (cf. chaps. 49-50).

37:3-4. The tunic with long sleeves made Joseph took like a prince, in some way foretelling his glorious future. Although Jacob’s preferential love for Joseph is due to human causes, behind it we can see something which occurs throughout the Bible—how some people, gratuitously, enjoy special favor, including special divine favor and love, without this meaning that the love shown to others is diminished. Joseph, the object of Jacob’s special love, thereby becomes a figure of Jesus Christ, the Beloved of the Father (cf. Mt 1:11). The sin of Jacob’s sons, like Cain’s in some way (cfGen 4:5), begins with their reacting against God’s preferential love; it then turns into hatred and envy (cf. vv. 8-Il) and ends up with their getting rid of their brother (cf. v. 20).

37:12-36. This episode deals with the horrible crime of disposing of their brother and the providential events which take Joseph to Egypt. We can see that the narrative is drawing on two sources: one emphasizes the intervention of Judah (v. 26), the other that of Reuben. The true key to what is happening will emerge at the end of the story: “You meant evil against me,” Joseph tells his brothers, “but God meant it for good” (50:20). In the light of the whole narrative we can see the way God’s plan is being put into operation: “Joseph,” comments St Gregoxy the Great, “was sold by his brothers because they did not want to do him honor; but that is exactly what they do, by the very fact of selling him. [...] So too, when one wants to avoid the divine will, then is when it is fulfilled” (”Moralia”, 6, 18, 20).

From: Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

(Jesus told the chief priests and the elders,) [33] “Hear another parable. There was a householder who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country. [34] When the season of fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants, to get his fruit; [35] and the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. [36] Again he sent other servants, more than the first; and they did the same to them. [37] Afterward he sent his son to them, saying, `They will respect my son.’ [38] But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, `This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ [39] And they took him and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. [40] When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” [41] They said to Him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”

[42] Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: `The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes’! [43] Therefore I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it.”

[45] When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking about them. [46] But when they tried to arrest Him, they feared the multitudes, because they held Him to be a prophet.

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Commentary:

33-46. This very important parable completes the previous one. The parable of the two sons simply identifies the indocility of Israel; that of the wicked tenants focuses on the punishment to come.

Our Lord compares Israel to a choice vineyard, specially fenced, with a watchtower, where a keeper is on the look-out to protect it from thieves and foxes. God has spared no effort to cultivate and embellish His vineyard. The vineyard is in the charge of tenant farmers; the householder is God, and the vineyard, Israel (Isaiah 5:3-5: Jeremiah 2:21; Joel 1:7).

The tenants to whom God has given the care of His people are the priests, scribes and elders. The owner’s absence makes it clear that God really did entrust Israel to its leaders; hence their responsibility and the account He demands of them.

The owner used to send his servants from time to time to collect the fruit; this was the mission of the prophets. The second despatch of servants to claim what is owing to the owner—who meet the same fate as the first—refers to the way God’s prophets were ill-treated by the kings and priests of Israel (Matthew 23:37; Acts 7:42; Hebrews 11:36-38). Finally he sent his son to them, thinking that they would have more respect for him; here we can see the difference between Jesus and the prophets, who were servants, not “the Son”: the parable indicates singular, transcendental sonship, expressing the divinity of Jesus Christ.

The malicious purpose of the tenants in murdering the son and heir to keep the inheritance for themselves is the madness of the leaders in expecting to become undisputed masters of Israel by putting Christ to death (Matthew 12:14; 26:4). Their ambition blinds them to the punishment that awaits them. Then “they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him”: a reference to Christ’s crucifixion, which took place outside the walls of Jerusalem.

Jesus prophesies the punishment God will inflict on the evildoers: He will put them to death and rent the vineyard to others. This is a very significant prophecy. St. Peter later repeats to the Sanhedrin: “This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, but which has become the head of the corner” (Acts 4:11; 1 Peter 2:4). The stone is Jesus of Nazareth, but the architects of Israel, who build up and rule the people, have chosen not use it in the building. Because of their unfaithfulness the Kingdom of God will be turned over to another people, the Gentiles, who WILL give God the fruit He expects His vineyard to yield (cf. Matthew 3:8-10; Galatians 6:16).

For the building to be well-built, it needs to rest on this stone. Woe to him who trips over it! (cf. Matthew 12:30; Luke 2:34), as first Jews and later the enemies of Christ and His Church will discover through bitter experience (cf. Isaiah 8:14-15).

Christians in all ages should see this parable as exhorting them to build faithfully upon Christ and make sure they do not fall into the sin of this Jewish generation. We should also be filled with hope and a sense of security; for, although the building—the Church—at some times seem to be breaking up, its sound construction, with Christ as its cornerstone, is assured.

Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible by Darton, Longman & Todd

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Violet.

First reading
Genesis 37:3-4,12-13,17-28 ©

Let us kill him: then we shall see what becomes of his dreams

Israel loved Joseph more than all his other sons, for he was the son of his old age, and he had a coat with long sleeves made for him. But his brothers, seeing how his father loved him more than all his other sons, came to hate him so much that they could not say a civil word to him.

His brothers went to pasture their father’s flock at Shechem. Then Israel said to Joseph, ‘Are not your brothers with the flock at Shechem? Come, I am going to send you to them.’ So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

They saw him in the distance, and before he reached them they made a plot among themselves to put him to death. ‘Here comes the man of dreams’ they said to one another. ‘Come on, let us kill him and throw him into some well; we can say that a wild beast devoured him. Then we shall see what becomes of his dreams.’

But Reuben heard, and he saved him from their violence. ‘We must not take his life’ he said. ‘Shed no blood,’ said Reuben to them ‘throw him into this well in the wilderness, but do not lay violent hands on him’ – intending to save him from them and to restore him to his father. So, when Joseph reached his brothers, they pulled off his coat, the coat with long sleeves that he was wearing, and catching hold of him they threw him into the well, an empty well with no water in it. They then sat down to eat.

Looking up they saw a group of Ishmaelites who were coming from Gilead, their camels laden with gum, tragacanth, balsam and resin, which they were taking down into Egypt. Then Judah said to his brothers, ‘What do we gain by killing our brother and covering up his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let us not do any harm to him. After all, he is our brother, and our own flesh.’ His brothers agreed.

Now some Midianite merchants were passing, and they drew Joseph up out of the well. They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty silver pieces, and these men took Joseph to Egypt.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 104(105):16-21 ©

Remember the wonders the Lord has done.

The Lord called down a famine on the land;

he broke the staff that supported them.

He had sent a man before them,

Joseph, sold as a slave.

Remember the wonders the Lord has done.

His feet were put in chains,

his neck was bound with iron,

until what he said came to pass

and the word of the Lord proved him true.

Remember the wonders the Lord has done.

Then the king sent and released him

the ruler of the people set him free,

making him master of his house

and ruler of all he possessed.

Remember the wonders the Lord has done.

Gospel Acclamation	Jn3:16

Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!

God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son:

everyone who believes in him has eternal life.

Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!

Gospel
Matthew 21:33-43,45-46 ©

This is the landlord's heir: come, let us kill him

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people, ‘Listen to another parable. There was a man, a landowner, who planted a vineyard; he fenced it round, dug a winepress in it and built a tower; then he leased it to tenants and went abroad. When vintage time drew near he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his servants, thrashed one, killed another and stoned a third. Next he sent some more servants, this time a larger number, and they dealt with them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them. “They will respect my son” he said. But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, “This is the heir. Come on, let us kill him and take over his inheritance.” So they seized him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ They answered, ‘He will bring those wretches to a wretched end and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will deliver the produce to him when the season arrives.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the scriptures:

It was the stone rejected by the builders

that became the keystone.

This was the Lord’s doing

and it is wonderful to see?

‘I tell you, then, that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.’

When they heard his parables, the chief priests and the scribes realised he was speaking about them, but though they would have liked to arrest him they were afraid of the crowds, who looked on him as a prophet.

Matthew
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Matthew 21
33.	Hear ye another parable. There was a man an householder, who planted a vineyard, and made a hedge round about it, and dug in it a press, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen; and went into a strange country.	Aliam parabolam audite : Homo erat paterfamilias, qui plantavit vineam, et sepem circumdedit ei, et fodit in ea torcular, et ædificavit turrim, et locavit eam agricolis, et peregre profectus est.	αλλην παραβολην ακουσατε ανθρωπος [τις] ην οικοδεσποτης οστις εφυτευσεν αμπελωνα και φραγμον αυτω περιεθηκεν και ωρυξεν εν αυτω ληνον και ωκοδομησεν πυργον και εξεδοτο αυτον γεωργοις και απεδημησεν
34.	And when the time of the fruits drew nigh, he sent his servants to the husbandmen that they might receive the fruits thereof.	Cum autem tempus fructuum appropinquasset, misit servos suos ad agricolas, ut acciperent fructus ejus.	οτε δε ηγγισεν ο καιρος των καρπων απεστειλεν τους δουλους αυτου προς τους γεωργους λαβειν τους καρπους αυτου
35.	And the husbandmen laying hands on his servants, beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.	Et agricolæ, apprehensis servis ejus, alium ceciderunt, alium occiderunt, alium vero lapidaverunt.	και λαβοντες οι γεωργοι τους δουλους αυτου ον μεν εδειραν ον δε απεκτειναν ον δε ελιθοβολησαν
36.	Again he sent other servants more than the former; and they did to them in like manner.	Iterum misit alios servos plures prioribus, et fecerunt illis similiter.	παλιν απεστειλεν αλλους δουλους πλειονας των πρωτων και εποιησαν αυτοις ωσαυτως
37.	And last of all he sent to them his son, saying: They will reverence my son.	Novissime autem misit ad eos filium suum, dicens : Verebuntur filium meum.	υστερον δε απεστειλεν προς αυτους τον υιον αυτου λεγων εντραπησονται τον υιον μου
38.	But the husbandmen seeing the son, said among themselves: This is the heir: come, let us kill him, and we shall have his inheritance.	Agricolæ autem videntes filium dixerunt intra se : Hic est hæres, venite, occidamus eum, et habebimus hæreditatem ejus.	οι δε γεωργοι ιδοντες τον υιον ειπον εν εαυτοις ουτος εστιν ο κληρονομος δευτε αποκτεινωμεν αυτον και κατασχωμεν την κληρονομιαν αυτου
39.	And taking him, they cast him forth out of the vineyard, and killed him.	Et apprehensum eum ejecerunt extra vineam, et occiderunt.	και λαβοντες αυτον εξεβαλον εξω του αμπελωνος και απεκτειναν
40.	When therefore the lord of the vineyard shall come, what will he do to those husbandmen?	Cum ergo venerit dominus vineæ, quid faciet agricolis illis ?	οταν ουν ελθη ο κυριος του αμπελωνος τι ποιησει τοις γεωργοις εκεινοις
41.	They say to him: He will bring those evil men to an evil end; and will let out his vineyard to other husbandmen, that shall render him the fruit in due season.	Aiunt illi : Malos male perdet : et vineam suam locabit aliis agricolis, qui reddant ei fructum temporibus suis.	λεγουσιν αυτω κακους κακως απολεσει αυτους και τον αμπελωνα εκδωσεται αλλοις γεωργοις οιτινες αποδωσουσιν αυτω τους καρπους εν τοις καιροις αυτων
42.	Jesus saith to them: Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? By the Lord this has been done; and it is wonderful in our eyes.	Dicit illis Jesus : Numquam legistis in Scripturis : Lapidem quem reprobaverunt ædificantes, hic factus est in caput anguli : a Domino factum est istud, et est mirabile in oculis nostris ?	λεγει αυτοις ο ιησους ουδεποτε ανεγνωτε εν ταις γραφαις λιθον ον απεδοκιμασαν οι οικοδομουντες ουτος εγενηθη εις κεφαλην γωνιας παρα κυριου εγενετο αυτη και εστιν θαυμαστη εν οφθαλμοις ημων
43.	Therefore I say to you, that the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and shall be given to a nation yielding the fruits thereof.	Ideo dico vobis, quia auferetur a vobis regnum Dei, et dabitur genti facienti fructus ejus.	δια τουτο λεγω υμιν οτι αρθησεται αφ υμων η βασιλεια του θεου και δοθησεται εθνει ποιουντι τους καρπους αυτης
44.	And whosoever shall fall on this stone, shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it shall grind him to powder.	Et qui ceciderit super lapidem istum, confringetur : super quem vero ceciderit, conteret eum.	και ο πεσων επι τον λιθον τουτον συνθλασθησεται εφ ον δ αν πεση λικμησει αυτον
45.	And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they knew that he spoke of them.	Et cum audissent principes sacerdotum et pharisæi parabolas ejus, cognoverunt quod de ipsis diceret.	και ακουσαντες οι αρχιερεις και οι φαρισαιοι τας παραβολας αυτου εγνωσαν οτι περι αυτων λεγει
46.	And seeking to lay hands on him, they feared the multitudes: because they held him as a prophet.	Et quærentes eum tenere, timuerunt turbas : quoniam sicut prophetam eum habebant.	και ζητουντες αυτον κρατησαι εφοβηθησαν τους οχλους επειδη ως προφητην αυτον ειχον

33. Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and dug a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandman, and went into a far country:
34. And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandman, that they might receive the fruits of it.
35. And the husbandman took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
36. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did to them likewise.
37. But last of all he sent to them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.
38. But when the husbandman saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.
39. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
40. When the lord therefore of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those husbandmen?
41. They said to him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard to other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.
42. Jesus said to them, Did you never read in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?
43. Therefore say I to you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
44. And whoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

CHRYS; The design of this further parable is to show that their guilt was heinous, and unworthy to be forgiven.

ORIGEN; The householder is God, who in some parables is represented as a man. As it were a father condescending to the infant lisp of his little child, in order to instruct him.

PSEUDO-CHRYS; He is called man, by title, not by nature ; in a kind of likeness, not in verity. For the Son knowing that by occasion of His human name. He himself should be blasphemed as though he were mere man. Spoke therefore of the Invisible God the Father as man; He who by nature is Lord of Angels and men, but by goodness their Father.

JEROME; He has planted a vine of which Isaiah speaks, The vine of the Lord of Hosts is the house of Israel. And hedged it round about; i.e. either the wall of the city, or the guardianship of Angels.

PSEUDO-CHRYS; Or, by the hedge understand the protection of the holy fathers, who were set as a wall around the people of Israel.

ORIGEN; Or, the hedge which God set round his people was His own Providence; and the winepress was the place of offerings.

JEROME; A winepress, that is to say, An altar; or those winepresses after which the three Psalms, the 8th, the 80th, and the 83rd are entitled, that is to say, the martyrs.

HILARY; Or, he set forth the Prophets as it were winepresses, into which an abundant measure of the Holy Spirit, as of new wine, might flow in a teeming stream.

PSEUDO-CHRYS; Or, the winepress is the word of God, which tortures man when it contradicts his fleshly nature.

JEROME; And built a tower therein, that is, the Temple, of which it is said by Micah, And you, O cloudy tower of the daughter of Sion.

HILARY; Or, The tower is the eminence of the Law, which ascended from earth to heaven, and from which, as from a watch-tower, the coming of Christ might be spied. And let it out to husbandmen.

PSEUDO-CHRYS; When, that is, Priests and Levites were constituted by time Law, and undertook the direction of the people. And as an husbandman, through the offer to his Lord of his own stock, does not please him so much as by giving him the fruit of his own vineyard; so the Priest does not so much please God by his own righteousness, as by teaching the people of God holiness; for his own righteousness is but one, but that of the people manifold. And went into a far country.

JEROME; Not a change of place, for God, by whom all things are filled, cannot be absent from any place; but He seems to be absent from the vineyard, that he may leave the vine-dressers a freedom of acting.

CHRYS; Or, it applies to His long-suffering, in that he did not always bring down immediate punishment on their sins.

ORIGEN; Or, because God who had been with them in the cloud by day, and in the pillar of fire by night, never after showed Himself to them in like manner. In Isaiah the people of the Jews is called time vineyard, and the threats of the householder are against tire vineyard; but in the Gospel not the vineyard but the husbandmen are blamed. For perchance in the Gospel the vineyard is the kingdom of God, that is, the doctrine which is contained in holy Scripture; and a man's blameless life is the fruit of the vineyard. And the letter of Scripture is the hedge set round the vineyard, that the fruits which are hid in it should not be seen by those who are without.

The depth of the oracles of God is the winepress of the vineyard, into which such as have profited in the oracles of God pour out their studies like fruit. The tower built therein is the word concerning God Himself, and concerning Christ's dispensations. This vineyard He committed to husbandman, that is, to the people that was before us, both priests and laity, and went into a far country, by His departure giving opportunity to the husbandman. The time of the vintage drawing near may be taken of individuals, and of nations. The first season of life is in infancy, when the vineyard has nothing to show, but that it has in it the vital power. As soon as it comes to be able to speak, then is the time of putting forth buds. And as the child's soul progresses, so also does the vineyard, that is, the word of God; and after such progress the vineyard brings forth the ripe fruit of love, joy, peace, and the like. Moreover to the nation who received the Law by Moses, the time of fruit draws near.

RABAN; The season of fruit, He says, not of rent-paying, because this stiff-necked nation brings forth no fruit.

CHRYS; He calls the Prophets servants, who as the Lord's Priests offer the fruits of the people, and the proofs of their obedience in their works. But they showed their wickedness not only in refusing the fruits, but in having indignation against those that come to them, as it follows, And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.

JEROME; Beat them, as Jeremiah, killed them, as Isaiah, stoned them, as Naboth and Zacharias, whom they slew between the temple and the altar.

PSEUDO-CHRYS; At each step of their wickedness the mercy of God was increased, and at each step of the Divine mercy the wickedness of the Jews increased; thus there was a strife between human wickedness and Divine goodness.

HILARY; These more than the first who were sent, denote that time, when, after the preaching of single Prophets, a great number was sent forth together.

RABAN; Or, the first servants who were sent were the Lawgiver Moses himself, and Aaron the first Priest of God; whom, having beaten them with the scourge of their tongue, they sent away empty; by the other servants understand the company of the Prophets.

HILARY; By the Son sent at last, is denoted the advent of our Lord.

CHRYS; Wherefore then did He not send Him immediately? That from what they had done to the others they might accuse themselves, and putting away their madness they might reverence His Son when He came.

PSEUDO-CHRYS; He sent Him not as the bearer of a sentence of punishment against the guilty, but of an offer of repentance; He sent Him to put them to shame, not to punish them.

JEROME; But when He says, They will reverence my Son, He does not speak as in ignorance. For what is there that this householder (by whom in this place God is intended) knows not? But God is thus spoken of as being uncertain, in order that free-will may be reserved for man.

CHRYS; Or He speaks as declaring what ought to be; they ought to reverence Him; thus showing that their sin was great, and void of all excuse.

ORIGEN; Or we may suppose this fulfilled in the case of those Jews who, knowing Christ, believed in Him. But what follows, But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir, come let us kill him, and let us seize on the inheritance, was fulfilled in those who saw Christ, and knew Him to be the Son of God, yet crucified Him.

JEROME; Let us inquire of Arrius and Eunomius. See here the Father is said not to know somewhat. Whatever answer they make for the Father, let them understand the same of the Son, when He says that He knows not the day of the consummation of all things.

PSEUDO-CHRYS; But some say, that it was after His incarnation, that Christ was called a Son in right of His baptism like the other saints, whom the Lord refutes by this place, saying, I will send my Son. Therefore when He thus meditated sending His Son after the Prophets, He must have been already His Son. Further, if He had been His Son in the same way as all the saints to whom the word of God was sent, He ought to have called the Prophets also His sons, as He calls Christ, or to call Christ His servant, as He calls the Prophets.

RABAN; By what they say, This is the Son, He manifestly proves that the rulers of the Jews crucified the Son of God, not through ignorance, but through jealousy. For they understood that tit was He to whom the Father speaks by the Prophet, Ask of me, and I shall give you the heathen for your inheritance. The inheritance given to the Son is the holy Church; an inheritance not left Him by His Father when crying, but wonderfully purchased by His own death.

PSEUDO-CHRYS; After His entry into the Temple, and having cast out those who sold the animals for the sacrifices, then they took counsel to kill Him, Come, let us kill him. For they reasoned among themselves, It will happen that the people hereby shall disuse the practice of sacrificing, which pertains to our gain, and shall be content to offer the sacrifice of righteousness, which pertains to the glory of God; and so the nation shall no more be our possession, but shall become God's. But if we shall kill Him, then there being none to seek the fruit of righteousness from the people, the practice of offering sacrifice shall continue, and so this people shall become our possession; as it follows, And the inheritance shall be ours. These are the usual thoughts of all worldly Priests, who take no thought how the people shall live without sin, but look to how much is offered in the Church, and esteem that tile profit of their ministry.

RABAN; Or, The Jews endeavored by putting Him to death to seize upon the inheritance, when they strove to overthrow the faith which is through Him, and to substitute their own righteousness which is by the Law, and therewith to imbue the Gentiles. It follows, And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.

HILARY; Christ was cast out of Jerusalem, as out of the vineyard, to His sentence of punishment.

ORIGEN; Or, what He says, And cast him out of the vineyard, seems to me to be this; As far as they were concerned they judged Him a stranger both to the vineyard, and the husbandmen When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those husbandmen?

JEROME; The Lord asks them not as though He did not know what they would answer, but that they might be condemned by their own answer.

PSEUDO-CHRYS; That their answer is true, comes not of any righteous judgment in them, but from the case itself; truth constrained them.

ORIGEN; Like Caiaphas so did they, not from themselves, prophesy against themselves, that the oracles of God were to be taken from them, and given to the Gentiles, who could bring forth fruit in due season.

GLOSS; Or, the Lord whom they killed, came immediately rising from the dead, and brought to an evil end those wicked husbandmen, and gave up His vineyard to other husbandmen, that is, to the Apostles.

AUG; Mark does not give this as their answer, but relates that the Lord after His question put to them, made this answer to Himself. But it may be easily explained, that their words are subjoined in such a way as to show that they spoke them, without putting in 'And they answered'. Or this answer is attributed to the Lord, because, what they said being true, might well be said to have been spoken by Him who is truth.

CHRYS; Or there is no contradiction, because both are right; they first made answer in these words, and then the Lord repeated them.

AUG; This troubles us more, how, it is that Luke not only does not relate this to have been their answer, but attributes to them a contrary answer. His words are, And when they heard it they said, God forbid. The only way that remains for understanding this is, therefore, that of the listening multitudes some answered as Matthew relates, and some as Luke. And let it perplex no one that Matthew says that the Chief Priests and elders of the people came to the Lord, and that he connects the whole of this discourse in one down to this parable of the vineyard, without interposing any other speaker.

For it may be supposed that He spoke all these things with the Chief Priests, but that Matthew for brevity's sake omitted what Luke mentions, namely, that this parable was spoken not to those only who asked Him concerning His authority, but to the populace, among whom were some who said, He shall destroy them, and give the vineyard to others. And at the same time this saying is lightly thought to have been the Lord's, either for its truth, or for the unity of His members with their head. And there were also those who said, God forbid, those namely, who perceived that He spoke this parable against them.

PSEUDO-CHRYS; Otherwise: Luke has given the answer of their lips, Matthew that of their hearts. For some made answer openly contradicting Him, and saying, God forbid, but their consciences took it up with He shall miserably destroy these wicked men. For so when a man is detected in any wickedness, he excuses himself in words, but his conscience within pleads guilty.

CHRYS; Or otherwise: the Lord proposed this parable to them with this intent, that not understanding it they should give sentence against themselves; as was done by Nathan to David. Again, when they perceived the meaning of the things that had been said against them, they said, God forbid.

RABAN; Morally; a vineyard has been let out to each of us to dress, when the mystery of baptism was given us, to be cultivated by action. Servants one, two, and three are sent us when Law, Psalm, and Prophecy are read, after whose instructions we are to work well. He that is sent is beaten and cast out when the word is contemned, or, which is worse, is blasphemed. He kills (as far as in him lies) the heir, who tramples under foot the Son, and does despite to the Spirit of grace. The wicked husbandman is destroyed, and the vineyard is given to another, when the gift of grace which the proud has contemned is given to the lowly.

PSEUDO-CHRYS; When they seemed discontent, He brings forward Scripture testimony; as much as to say, If you understood not My parable, at least acknowledge this Scripture.

JEROME; The same things are treated under various figures; whom above He called laborers and husbandmen, He now calls builders.

CHRYS. Christ is the stone, the builders are the Jewish teachers who rejected Christ, saying, This man is not of God.

RABAN; But despite of their displeasure, the same stone furnished the head stone of the corner, for out of both nations He has joined by faith in Him as many as He would.

HILARY; He is become the head of the corner, because He is the union of both sides between the Law and the Gentiles.

CHRYS; And that they might know that nothing that had been done was against God's will, He adds, It is the Lord's doing.

ORIGEN; That is, the stone is the gift of God to the whole building, and is wonderful in our eyes, who can discern it with the eyes of the mind.

PSEUDO-CHRYS; As much as to say, How do you not understand in what building that stone is to be set, not in yours, seeing it is rejected, but in another; but if the building is to be other, your building will be rejected.

ORIGEN; By the kingdom of God, He means the mysteries of the kingdom of God, that is, the divine Scriptures, which the Lord committed, first to that former people who had the oracles of God, but secondly to the Gentiles who brought forth fruit. For the word of God is given to none but to him who brings fruit thereof, and the kingdom of God is given to none in whom sin reigns. Whence came it then that it was given to them from whom it was afterwards taken away? Remember that whatever is given is given of free gift. To whom then He let out the vineyard, He let it out not as to elect already, and believing; but to whom He gave it, He gave it with a sentence of election.

45. And when the Chief Priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spoke of them.
46. But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.

JEROME; Hard as were the hearts of the Jews in unbelief, they yet perceived that the Lord's sentence was directed against themselves.

PSEUDO-CHRYS; Here is the difference between good and bad men. The good man when taken in a sin has sorrow because he has sinned, the bad man is grieved not because he has sinned, but because he is found out in his sin; and he not only does not repent, but is indignant with him that reproved him. Thus they being taken in their sins were stirred up to still greater wickedness; And they sought to lay hands on him, but feared the multitude because they took him for a prophet.

ORIGEN; One thing they know which is true concerning Him; they esteemed Him a Prophet, though not understanding His greatness in respect of His being the Son of God. But the rulers feared the multitude who thought thus of Him, and were ready to fight for Him; for they could not attain to the understanding which the multitude had, seeing they thought nothing worthy concerning Him. Further, know that there are two different kinds of desires to lay hands on Jesus. The desire of the rulers and Pharisees was one kind; another that of the Bride, I held him, and would not let him go; intending to try Him still further, as she said, I will get me up into the palm tree, I will lay hold of its height. All who think not rightly concerning His divinity, seek to lay hands on Jesus in order to put Him to death. Other words indeed expecting the word of Christ it is possible to seize and to hold, but the word of truth none can seize, that is, understand; none can hold it, that is, convict; nor separate it from the conviction of those that believe; nor do it to death, that is, destroy it.

PSEUDO-CHRYS; Every wicked man also, as far as his will is concerned, lays hands on God, and puts Him to death. For whoever tramples upon God's commandments, or murmurs against God, or raises a sullen look to heaven, would not he, if he had the power, lay hands on God, and kill Him, that he might sin without restraint?

RABAN; This, that they are afraid to lay hands on Jesus because of the multitudes, is daily acted in the Church, when any who is a brother only in name, is ashamed or afraid to assail the unity of faith and peace which he does not love, because of the good men with whom he lives.

Catena Aurea Matthew 21

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March 13 2020

Friday of the Second Week of Lent

Reading 1 Gn 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a

Responsorial Psalm 105:16-17, 18-19, 20-21

Verse Before the GospelJn 3:16

Gospel Mt 21:33-43, 45-46

Readings at Mass

Let us kill him: then we shall see what becomes of his dreams

This is the landlord's heir: come, let us kill him