Welcomed Back to the Feast

<p>For the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Zac reflects on Matthew 21:33-43, the parable of the wicked tenants who kill the landowner&#39;s servants and finally his son, showing how Jesus told this hard parable to the chief priests and elders not to condemn them but to bring them to contrition, just as Fr. Frank once led a hardened penitent to tears by describing her sins as thorns pressed into Christ&#39;s head. Zac says that sin is never just rule-breaking but a personal wound inflicted on someone who loves us, and that even the tenants in the parable could have been welcomed back to the landowner&#39;s banquet had they repented. The episode closes with an Examen guiding listeners through gratitude, an honest review of where they served God or wounded Christ that day, a moment of receiving forgiveness, and a resolve to love Christ better tomorrow.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Reflection Questions</strong>:</p><ol><li>Fr. Frank described sin as a thorn pressed into Christ&#39;s head. Does thinking of your sins as personally wounding someone who loves you change how you view them?</li><li>Jesus tells this parable as an act of mercy, not condemnation. Have you ever experienced a hard truth from someone as love rather than judgment?</li><li>The parable ends with the vineyard given to &quot;a nation producing its fruit.&quot; What fruit do you sense God is currently asking you to produce in your own life?</li></ol><p><br></p><p><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Hj8oe6AMrTL-qpn6Q4hSdT9002xjxdDo4U0z67WPXps/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Here&#39;s a link</a> to the text of the examen: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Hj8oe6AMrTL-qpn6Q4hSdT9002xjxdDo4U0z67WPXps/edit?usp=sharing</p><p><br></p><p>Here&#39;s my email if you want to reach out with your prayer intentions: <strong>zac.wierschem@paradisusdei.org</strong></p><p>_______</p><p>Learn more about the mission of <strong>Paradisus Dei</strong> and its life-changing parish programs <a href="https://paradisusdei.org/"><u>here</u></a>.</p><p>The <strong>World English Bible</strong> is in the public domain and was used for all scripture quotations.</p><p><strong>Intro music</strong>: &quot;My Life (Main)” by Good B Music</p><p><strong>Meditation Music</strong>: Reawaken Hymns Worship Pads - foundations in the key of A</p>