CATHOLIC FAITHWATCH: “[Parable of the Unfaithful Tenants -] Pope Benedict XVI Angelus 10.2.11” – VaticanVa

June 4, 2018 Catholic News Wire - Faith Central - Steve Welsh Bible, Catholic, Catholic Faith, Faithwatch, Headlines, Holy Scripture, Parables

View of St. Peter's Basilica at Vatican from River

In a 2011 Angelus, Pope Benedict XVI addressed Jesus’ Parable of the Unfaithful Tenants, including the need to Bear Fruit for the Kingdom of God. Christ is the Stone Rejected by the Builders Who Became the Cornerstone, and Bearing Fruit means doing so being Faithful to Christ:

“… a particularly severe warning from Jesus … ‘The Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it’ … These are words that call to mind the great responsibility of those in every epoch who are called to work in the Lord’s vineyard, especially in roles of authority, and they press for a renewal of full fidelity to Christ.’ … ‘the very Stone which the builders rejected’ … He Himself, rejected and crucified, is Risen, to become the ‘corner stone’ on which the foundations of every human life and of the whole world may rest in total safety.”

Pope Benedict XVI explained that the owner of the vineyard represents God Himself, with the Vineyard representing God’s People and the Life that He gives us:

“… The Owner of the Vineyard symbolizes God Himself, while the Vineyard symbolizes His People, as well as the Life He Gives, so that with His Grace and our hard work, we may do good. … God has a Project for His friends, but unfortunately the human response is often oriented to infidelity …. Pride and selfishness prevent us from recognizing and welcoming even God’s most precious gift: His Only-Begotten Son. … Firmly anchored in Faith to the Cornerstone which is Christ, let us abide in Him, like the branch that can bear no Fruit unless it remains attached to the Vine. The Church, the People of the New Covenant, is built only in Him, for Him and with Him. …'”