Are We Testing The Patience Of God

2 Peter 1:2-7 & Mk. 12:1-12

We were lost in obscurity and poverty and God searched us out, united us to Himself and in a relationship, not unlike marriage, elevates us to His own dignity. This is what Saint Peter tells us in today's first reading: "By His divine power, He has given us all the things that we need for life and for true devotion, bringing us to know God Himself, who has called us by His own glory and goodness. In making these gifts, He has given us the guarantee of something very great and wonderful to come: through them you will be able to share the divine nature and to escape corruption in a world that is sunk in vice."

Yes, how true it is that we have not found God, but God has found us.

Yet we must respond, of course, to God's loving embrace. We are free to reject God, as did the unfortunate people represented by the tenant farmers in today's Gospel reading. Our response is important but we must never forget that it is God Who takes the initiative. It is He Who, out of pure love, has called us to share in His glory and eternal happiness. We can never thank Him enough for that.

Few parables dramatise the patience of God so dramatically as today's parable. Three times the owner dispatches servants to obtain his share of the harvest and three times the vineyard tenants mistreat the servants. Finally, the owner sends his 'own dear son' and when this great overture of patience fails, he has no alternative but to take action against the vineyard tenants.

Obviously God is the vineyard owner, so very patient with the leaders of Israel, the tenants. God is just as patient with us. But as with the leaders of lsrael, so with us, the day will come when God will hold us accountable for any failure on our part to respond to His generous patience. In what area of our life is God being especially patient with us?

Could there be a particular sin or fault He is asking us to eradicate from our lives and we are doing nothing or are unwilling to start tackling it? Could it be that He is prompting us to spend more time in prayer, and we don't? Could it be to go Confession once a month?

Could He be asking us to show our love for His mother Mary by reciting the rosary daily and we keep saying that one day we will?

None of us is perfect and there is always some area of life that needs perfecting. What is it? The parable tells that there will come a time when God's patience will run out. Why wait till that happens?

Holy Spirit help us to act now on what God is asking us and not wait until it is too late.