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Do you have a vineyard or an orchard or a vegetable patch or any kind of garden? If you do, then you certainly want to see some good growth. So does God. This Sunday we hear a lot about vineyards. God is looking to have his vineyard – the house of Israel – produce a good harvest of grapes. Unfortunately, the results fall far short of his expectations.

This month, with the grace of God, I will mark another birthday. As a gift to myself - and I hope to you as well - I want to reflect on the gift of God in Jesus. Let's start with a few verses from God's word.

“Repetition is the mother of learning,” so the saying goes. Today’s readings repeat and reinforce some themes that we have seen in recent weeks: personal responsibility; God’s sovereign mercy; God’s desire that sinners turn back to him and be saved. The Collect today expresses this beautifully: “O God, who manifest your almighty power above all by pardoning and showing mercy, bestow we pray, your grace abundantly upon us and make those hastening to attain your promises heirs to the treasures of heaven.”

“Let us make God in our own image…” No, wait a minute, that’s not how it goes! It is, in fact, the other way around. But so often our tendency is to think of God in our human terms and categories. The readings today highlight this point with great clarity: God defies human reasoning with his mysterious mercy.

We all want justice. We demand our rights. We want to get everything we deserve. We expect to receive what we are due. Until, of course, we are pulled over for doing 72 in a 55. Then we want all the mercy we can get! Actually, we usually want strict justice for others and compassionate mercy for ourselves. The premise of today’s readings is simple: Nobody deserves God’s mercy, but God grants it anyway and expects us to go and do likewise with one another.

Don’t you just love to get corrected? Isn’t it great fun? Don’t you wake up each day just hoping someone will correct you? If you answered “yes,” you just might be the only one around! I don’t think the rest of us like it too much. However, because we are members of a fallen race, prone to weakness, error and sin – we all need correction. The Old Testament prophets, including Ezekiel in today’s reading, were commanded to warn and correct the people to whom they were sent. Today’s gospel presents a plan or program of how to handle differences and disagreements among believers.

"The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." Those words are used as witnesses take the stand in a courtroom. But in every aspect of life, we need the truth, expect the truth, and depend on the truth.

Most of us don’t want to deal with delegates or substitutes. If we have a complaint or problem, we prefer to speak with a manager or supervisor, not an “associate” (as they are termed now). The fact is, however, delegated authority is part of the reality of everyday life. The Lord certainly works through delegated authority, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. For example, Moses received God’s delegated authority to lead the Israelites through the desert to the Promised Land. Peter, too, receives Christ’s delegated authority in today’s gospel.

Chocolate or peanut butter…which do you prefer? You have to make a choice and you can only pick one. That is, until a candy company made the earth-shaking announcement that it put them together in the same candy bar! (I’m dating myself…this happened some time ago.) But the point here is that some things that seem very different can indeed be combined.

Have you ever felt bitterly disappointed and discouraged…or felt like you were sinking and drowning in difficult circumstances? Silly question…because almost all of us have had those or similar feelings at one time or another. In today's readings the Lord rescued His servants Elijah and Peter out of very trying situations and His “still, small voice” will rescue us as well.

When the Feast of the Transfiguration occurs on a Sunday, as it does this year, it is celebrated instead of the Sunday in Ordinary Time. Actually, we also hear the gospel of the Transfiguration every year on the Second Sunday of Lent. This Feast highlights the majesty and divine glory of Jesus.

There is a particular message that comes up a number of times in Scripture, which I find especially encouraging and helpful. It has to do with what is possible. It seems that we humans tend to think in terms of limitation and what is impossible because we are, in fact, limited and certain things are just not possible for us to do or accomplish. But that is not the case with God. With God, all things are possible and nothing is impossible for him. Let's take a look at some places where this is emphasized in Scripture.

Do you want a hot tip on a good buy? Of course you do! Everybody wants the inside scoop on getting in on a great stock, the best price on a car, a grocery sale, or who has the cheapest gas. We all want to spend wisely, to use our money productively, and get a good return on our investments. The Scriptures today offer us the priceless gift of divine wisdom -  the best gift we could hope to receive, both for life in this world and in the world to come.

What did Jesus speak about more than anything else? The kingdom of God. In today's readings, we hear about the kingdom of God, together with sin and evil, as well as the power and mercy of God. A full catechesis today in the word of God!

Seeds, growth, hope, the word of God - that's what our Scriptures would  have us consider today. The readings portray the word of God as a seed, ready to take root and grow. There are, however, obstacles to that growth that we need to be aware of, and we hear about those also.

What do you think of when you hear the word "meek?" Perhaps, instinctively, thoughts of weakness? Unfortunately, that is commonly the case. Today, however, meekness or gentleness is presented as a characteristic of the Messiah.

This quote has been very much on my mind recently: "Take heed therefore that you walk carefully, not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil. Because of this, do not be foolish but understand what the will of God is" (Ephesians 5:15-17).

Today's readings concern hospitality, specifically extending hospitality to the Lord's servants. We are exhorted to do this because showing honor to those who represent the Lord is showing honor to the Lord himself. It also brings great rewards!

Today we hear about two important Biblical concepts - Covenant and Kingdom. In the Old Testament, God made covenants with Noah, Abraham, Moses and David. In the New Testament, Jesus spoke about the kingdom of God more than anything else. We are reminded today that, "We are his people, the sheep of his flock"

Today on Corpus Christi we honor the Lord Jesus in his Eucharistic Presence. Some recent surveys have shown that an alarmingly high percentage of Catholics - about 67% - do not believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. May the Lord revive again a lively faith in the great gift we celebrate today.