G OD, F ORBID !!! 1st Sunday of Messri

S TRANGE BUT TRUE 1. The tag on irons says: WARNING - NEVER IRON CLOTHES WHILE WEARING THEM. 2. A warning label on a Halloween Superman costume reads: WARNING - IT DOES NOT ENABLE USER TO FLY.

1- O RAL L AW  Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. V10

L ITURGY OF S T G REGORY Because of the multitude of Your compassions, You formed me when I had no being. You set up the sky for me as a ceiling. You made the earth firm for me so that I could walk on it. For my sake You bridled the sea. For my sake You have revealed the nature of the animals. You subdued everything under my feet. You did not permit me to lack anything from among the deeds of Your honour. You are He who formed me; And placed Your hand upon me. You wrote within me the image of Your authority; And placed within me the gift of speech. You opened for me the paradise, for my delight; And gave me the learning of Your knowledge. You revealed to me the tree of life; And made known to me the thorn of death.

W ICKED S TEWART 20 “Then another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief. 21 For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ 22 And he said to him, ‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. 23 Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ lk 19:20-23

2. W RITTEN L AW  Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. V11  As a true father, You laboured with me, who had fallen…. You gave me the Law as an aid. You are He Who ministered to me salvation: when I transgressed Your Law. As a true Light, You dawned upon the strays and the ignorant.

C OMMAND  Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. Matt 7:12

3. T HE P ROPHETS  And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out. V12  You bandaged me with all the remedies, which lead to life. You are He who sent to me the prophets, for my sake, I the sick

T HE S AMARITAN  30 Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Lk 10:30

4- K ILLING THE SON 13 “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Probably they will respect him when they see him.’ 14 But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.’ 15 So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others.” And when they heard it they said, “Certainly not!” v

 You came to the slaughter as a lamb, even to the cross. You revealed the great extent of Your care for me. You put to death my sin in Your tomb. You raised my first fruits up to Heaven.

F INAL WARNING Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who “will render to each one according to his deeds”:[a] 7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; rom 2:4-7

S T. G REGORY OF N YSSA  "If we truly think of Christ as our source of holiness, we shall refrain from anything or impure in thought or act and thus show ourselves to be worthy bearers of his name. For the quality of holiness is shown not by what we say but by what we do in life."