Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
/Dominica XXVII per Annum A
Stewardship Talk Fall 2026
4 October 2026
This Sunday’s first reading, psalm, and Gospel repeat the image of a vineyard. The vineyard is Israel, later fulfilled in the Church; the landowner is an image for God, and the tenants are the religious leaders. Jesus’ parable clearly echoes Isaiah’s prophecy from the first reading. God prepares and protects His vineyard so that it lacks nothing. Just as clearly, He expects it to produce a valuable harvest. Isaiah expresses God’s expectation when he writes, “Then he looked for the crop of grapes.” In the Gospel, the expected harvest is seen when the landowner sends servants, more servants, and finally his son “to obtain his produce.” When the tenants refuse, we are told he will “lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times.” Jesus puts an exclamation point on the expected harvest when he concludes: “the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.”
Fall is a common time for parishes to highlight stewardship: giving our time, talent, and treasure to the parish. That is my goal this weekend. I chose this weekend because these readings offer a strong application for stewardship: they show God’s attentive care for His vineyard, the Church, and remind us that He looks for a return from those He has so generously blessed.
In a society full of possibilities and material goods, Christian stewardship begins by recognizing what God has done for us. Life’s busyness can make us focus on what we lack instead of the blessings we already have. Christian stewards first cultivate gratitude for God’s generosity. Next, we let that gratitude overflow into generosity toward others. This parish’s focus on stewardship shaped my own practice when I arrived as Pastor. A key moment for me came while praying with Deuteronomy sixteen (16): In that passage Israel is told that “the measure of your own free-will offering shall be in proportion to the blessing the Lord, your God has bestowed on you,” and a few verses later that “No one shall appear before the Lord empty-handed, but each of you with as much as he can give in proportion to the blessings which the Lord, your God, has bestowed on you” (Dt. 16:10, 16b-17). That passage changed how I understood giving. Appearing empty-handed is not merely about an amount; it suggests that I have failed to acknowledge God’s generosity. To appear before the Lord empty-handed is really to communicate that I think He has not been generous to me. That is not a message I want to send to my God. That’s an insult to God. And even more, ingratitude deforms me and makes me less the person I am called to be in His vineyard. This is a critical spiritual lesson for us. Regular sacrificial giving teaches this spiritual lesson and helps us grow in trust of God.
Christian stewardship is practiced through time, talent, and treasure. We practice stewardship of time by committing ourselves to the Lord. Beyond Sunday worship, a steward gives personal time to prayer. I especially encourage you to consider adoration in the chapel behind me. You will not regret spending time before the Lord’s presence.
We practice stewardship of talent by serving the Lord, His Church, and the Gospel. We can share our gifts in many ways. As Pastor, I ask you especially to help with hospitality, so others feel welcome here. I would like more parishioners to serve as ushers and greeters, and for us to strengthen our efforts to welcome new members and help people share their talents in our parish.
We practice stewardship of treasure by making regular sacrificial gifts to the parish, for which we share responsibility. Moved by the image of God’s care for His vineyard and His expectation of a harvest, I ask you to pray about your regular support of our parish’s financial needs. People give at different times and in different amounts, according to ability. But all of us should give sacrificially, and our giving should not be zero. Once again, Deuteronomy’s image is clear: no one should come before the Lord empty-handed.
When you go home today, I ask you to reflect on the last time you made a gift of treasure to the parish. It is easy to lose regularity in giving without noticing. Perhaps you have never requested envelopes, your address has changed, or electronic giving stopped because a card or bank account changed. If you already give electronically, this may be a good time to re-evaluate and increase your gift. Giving by envelope is certainly welcome, but I encourage electronic giving because it helps the parish budget reliably and fits the way many of us already handle expenses and charitable gifts.
I know many of you want to support the parish and may feel guilty when you do not. So, I ask you to take a new step now: commit to regular sacrificial giving as a spiritual practice. Such giving begins with gratitude for all God provides and helps us offer the harvest He deserves. We try to make giving easy and accessible at the parish: the bulletin includes QR codes and links (which you can find on the front cover), our website has a “giving” link, and the office can help with envelopes, address changes, or setting up regular gifts. I invite everyone to step forward in faith. When we consider all God has done for His vineyard, we can trust that we can provide the vintage He seeks. As we grow in stewardship of time, talent, and treasure, we mature in the harvest He desires most: namely, that we live in greater freedom as His sons and daughters on the way to the final harvest of Heaven.