分类： 主日证道

誤認所有權的暴行
福音：瑪竇21:33-43

Fr. Jijo Kandamkulathy CMF
Claretian Missionaries

我們從小就被訓練去保護我們認為屬於自己的東西。我們的玩具。我們的空間。我們的名聲。我們的時間。我們學會用一種覺得必要、甚至高尚的警覺來守護我們生命的邊界。慢慢地，不知不覺中，守護變成了一種存在方式。我們把一切都當作財產——我們的人際關係。我們的角色。我們的信仰。甚至天主。我們成了本不屬於我們所有的東西的管理者。在這種悄然的轉變中，某種危險的東西紮下了根。佔有的需要變成了控制的需要。控制的需要變成了願意摧毀任何威脅到我們掌控之物的東西。

耶穌在受難前幾天，在聖殿裡給司祭長和長老們講了這則比喻。在原本的語境中，葡萄園是以色列，園主是天主，佃戶是宗教領袖，僕人是先知，兒子就是耶穌自己。他們完全明白祂的意思。這比喻是一面明鏡，他們在裡面看到了自己的臉。天主把祂的子民託付給他們，可是他們把管理變成了佔有，又把佔有變成了暴力。

但這面鏡子不只是給他們的，也是給我們的。在這裡，比喻變得切身。葡萄園就是你自己的生命。不是別人的生命，不是教會的生命，不是你家庭的生命。你的生命。就是你每天早晨醒來的那個生命。你用身體承載的那個生命。你日復一日用工作、憂慮和夢想填滿的那個生命。那生命就是葡萄園。你沒有栽種它。你沒有在周圍築起籬笆。你沒有挖掘榨酒池。你沒有建造望樓。你領受了它。天主把它賜給了你。你不是園主。你是佃戶。你是管家。

想想這意味著什麼。你沒有選擇你的父母。你沒有選擇你的身體。你沒有選擇你的智力或健康。你沒有選擇你出生的世紀。你沒有選擇你呼吸的空氣。你沒有選擇溫暖你的太陽。一切使你的生命成為可能的事物，在你開口祈求之前就已經被賜予你了。你來到一個已經預備好的世界。你不是源頭。你是領受者。你不是創造者。你是管家。

但是，在人生的某個階段，我們忘記了。我們開始相信：我們的生命屬於我們。我們說「我的生命」，意思是「我的財產」。我們說「我的身體」，意思是「我的所有物」。我們說「我的時間」，意思是「我的權利」。慢慢地，管家變成了主人。佃戶變成了園主。然後主人的使者開始到來。

使者是誰？他們是提醒我們並非主宰的記號。他們以多種形式到來。他們以限制的形式到來。他們以疾病的形式到來。他們以衰老的形式到來。他們以失敗的形式到來。他們以那些告訴我們不願聽到的真相的人到來。他們以低聲說「有什麼不對勁，有什麼缺失，有什麼不是我們所有的」的內在聲音到來。他們以任何成就都無法平息的不安到來。他們以任何財產都無法填補的空虛到來。他們以我們無法回答的問題到來。他們以我們無法避免的悲傷到來。

我們是如何對待這些使者的呢？我們以暴力回應。我們使他們沉默。我們用石頭砸他們。我們不聽從我們的限制。我們不接受我們的衰老。我們不面對我們的失敗。我們不聽那些說真話的人。我們對內在的聲音感到麻木。我們用分心來逃避不安。我們用噪音填滿空虛。我們回避悲傷。我們把問題推開。我們謀殺那些來提醒我們生命不屬於我們的使者。

我們不僅用雙手這樣做，也用言語這樣做。我們扼殺那些告訴我們真相之人的名聲。我們用石頭砸那些挑戰我們的人的品格。我們用流言和誹謗把說真話的人置於死地。言語可以像石頭一樣暴力。我們這樣做不僅是為了保護我們所擁有的，也是為了保護一種我們從未擁有過的權威。我們聲稱一個從未賜給我們的寶座。我們戴上一頂不屬於我們的冠冕。我們構建了一個不需要天主的自我。當有人挑戰那種權威時，我們就用我們的舌頭、我們的沉默、我們的排斥來摧毀他們。

然後園主派了他的兒子來。這兒子不是另一個使者。他帶著園主自己的權威而來。在比喻中，兒子就是耶穌。在你自己生命的故事裡，耶穌是你無法忽視的、要求歸還的最後提醒。兒子是終極的宣告。從這一刻起，天主停止派遣與提醒，而是親自來臨。與兒子的相遇要求一個決定。這不是一條可以辯論的資訊。這不是一條可以思考的真理。這是一個必須面對的人。兒子是那位以愛注視我們並說「這生命不是你的。它是被賜予你的。而我來了，要把它收回。」的那一位。

當我們與兒子相遇時，我們的假我就死了。有些人停止聆聽天主這最後的嘗試，因為祂要求交出。他們甚至用死亡使祂沉默，完全回避任何歸化。然後他們告訴自己葡萄園是他們的。但真理會縈繞他們。

園主會來。清算會到來。那些試圖佔有本不屬於他們的葡萄園的佃戶，將失去他們甚至以為自己所擁有的一切。這不是懲罰。這是後果。拒絕做管家，就意味著失去葡萄園。

還有那塊石頭。匠人棄而不用的石頭，反而成了屋角的基石。自我所拒絕的，恰恰是成為真實生命基礎的。被棄絕和殺害的兒子，成了我們救恩的泉源。我們釘在十字架上的真理，成了使我們復活的真理。

你的生命不屬於你。它是一份禮物。你的身體不是你的財產。它是一個託付。你的時間不是你的權利。它是一種責任。你的恩賜不是你的所有物。它們是你的奉獻。你越試圖佔有，就越失去。你越緊握，它們就越滑走。你越捍衛你的控制，就越摧毀你所領受的。

園主是耐心的。祂派遣僕人。祂派遣更多僕人。祂派遣兒子。祂給你一切機會回頭。祂給你一切機會放下佔有的幻覺，回到管家的真理。但清算的時刻會來。問題不在於你是否要交帳。問題在於你將有什麼可以呈上。

我在問自己：我在哪裡把管家和所有權混淆了？我在哪裡把自己的生命當作私有財產？我在哪裡攻擊了那些來提醒我真理的使者？我用言語謀殺了誰？我在假裝擁有什麼權威？我在哪裡建造自己的小王國，而不是照管我被賜予的葡萄園？

答案令人不安。但答案就是道路。一條走出所有權之暴力的道路。一條進入管家之自由的道路。

© 全屬於祢& 樂仁出版社（中國澳門）
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica 2026

误认所有权的暴行

福音：玛窦21:33-43

Fr. Jijo Kandamkulathy CMF
Claretian Missionaries

我们从小就被训练去保护我们认为属于自己的东西。我们的玩具。我们的空间。我们的名声。我们的时间。我们学会用一种觉得必要、甚至高尚的警觉来守护我们生命的边界。慢慢地，不知不觉中，守护变成了一种存在方式。我们把一切都当作财产——我们的人际关系。我们的角色。我们的信仰。甚至天主。我们成了本不属于我们所有的东西的管理者。在这种悄然的转变中，某种危险的东西扎下了根。占有的需要变成了控制的需要。控制的需要变成了愿意摧毁任何威胁到我们掌控之物的东西。

耶稣在受难前几天，在圣殿里给司祭长和长老们讲了这则比喻。在原本的语境中，葡萄园是以色列，园主是天主，佃户是宗教领袖，仆人是先知，儿子就是耶稣自己。他们完全明白祂的意思。这比喻是一面明镜，他们在里面看到了自己的脸。天主把祂的子民托付给他们，可是他们把管理变成了占有，又把占有变成了暴力。

但这面镜子不只是给他们的，也是给我们的。在这里，比喻变得切身。葡萄园就是你自己的生命。不是别人的生命，不是教会的生命，不是你家庭的生命。你的生命。就是你每天早晨醒来的那个生命。你用身体承载的那个生命。你日复一日用工作、忧虑和梦想填满的那个生命。那生命就是葡萄园。你没有栽种它。你没有在周围筑起篱笆。你没有挖掘榨酒池。你没有建造望楼。你领受了它。天主把它赐给了你。你不是园主。你是佃户。你是管家。

想想这意味着什么。你没有选择你的父母。你没有选择你的身体。你没有选择你的智力或健康。你没有选择你出生的世纪。你没有选择你呼吸的空气。你没有选择温暖你的太阳。一切使你的生命成为可能的事物，在你开口祈求之前就已经被赐予你了。你来到一个已经预备好的世界。你不是源头。你是领受者。你不是创造者。你是管家。

但是，在人生的某个阶段，我们忘记了。我们开始相信：我们的生命属于我们。我们说「我的生命」，意思是「我的财产」。我们说「我的身体」，意思是「我的所有物」。我们说「我的时间」，意思是「我的权利」。慢慢地，管家变成了主人。佃户变成了园主。然后主人的使者开始到来。

使者是谁？他们是提醒我们并非主宰的记号。他们以多种形式到来。他们以限制的形式到来。他们以疾病的形式到来。他们以衰老的形式到来。他们以失败的形式到来。他们以那些告诉我们不愿听到的真相的人到来。他们以低声说「有什么不对劲，有什么缺失，有什么不是我们所有的」的内在声音到来。他们以任何成就都无法平息的不安到来。他们以任何财产都无法填补的空虚到来。他们以我们无法回答的问题到来。他们以我们无法避免的悲伤到来。

我们是如何对待这些使者的呢？我们以暴力回应。我们使他们沉默。我们用石头砸他们。我们不听从我们的限制。我们不接受我们的衰老。我们不面对我们的失败。我们不听那些说真话的人。我们对内在的声音感到麻木。我们用分心来逃避不安。我们用噪音填满空虚。我们回避悲伤。我们把问题推开。我们谋杀那些来提醒我们生命不属于我们的使者。

我们不仅用双手这样做，也用言语这样做。我们扼杀那些告诉我们真相之人的名声。我们用石头砸那些挑战我们的人的品格。我们用流言和诽谤把说真话的人置于死地。言语可以像石头一样暴力。我们这样做不仅是为了保护我们所拥有的，也是为了保护一种我们从未拥有过的权威。我们声称一个从未赐给我们的宝座。我们戴上一顶不属于我们的冠冕。我们构建了一个不需要天主的自我。当有人挑战那种权威时，我们就用我们的舌头、我们的沉默、我们的排斥来摧毁他们。

然后园主派了他的儿子来。这儿子不是另一个使者。他带着园主自己的权威而来。在比喻中，儿子就是耶稣。在你自己生命的故事里，耶稣是你无法忽视的、要求归还的最后提醒。儿子是终极的宣告。从这一刻起，天主停止派遣与提醒，而是亲自来临。与儿子的相遇要求一个决定。这不是一条可以辩论的信息。这不是一条可以思考的真理。这是一个必须面对的人。儿子是那位以爱注视我们并说「这生命不是你的。它是被赐予你的。而我来了，要把它收回。」的那一位。

当我们与儿子相遇时，我们的假我就死了。有些人停止聆听天主这最后的尝试，因为祂要求交出。他们甚至用死亡使祂沉默，完全回避任何归化。然后他们告诉自己葡萄园是他们的。但真理会萦绕他们。

园主会来。清算会到来。那些试图占有本不属于他们的葡萄园的佃户，将失去他们甚至以为自己所拥有的一切。这不是惩罚。这是后果。拒绝做管家，就意味着失去葡萄园。

还有那块石头。匠人弃而不用的石头，反而成了屋角的基石。自我所拒绝的，恰恰是成为真实生命基础的。被弃绝和杀害的儿子，成了我们救恩的泉源。我们钉在十字架上的真理，成了使我们复活的真理。

你的生命不属于你。它是一份礼物。你的身体不是你的财产。它是一个托付。你的时间不是你的权利。它是一种责任。你的恩赐不是你的所有物。它们是你的奉献。你越试图占有，就越失去。你越紧握，它们就越滑走。你越捍卫你的控制，就越摧毁你所领受的。

园主是耐心的。祂派遣仆人。祂派遣更多仆人。祂派遣儿子。祂给你一切机会回头。祂给你一切机会放下占有的幻觉，回到管家的真理。但清算的时刻会来。问题不在于你是否要交账。问题在于你将有什么可以呈上。

我在问自己：我在哪里把管家和所有权混淆了？我在哪里把自己的生命当作私有财产？我在哪里攻击了那些来提醒我真理的使者？我用言语谋杀了谁？我在假装拥有什么权威？我在哪里建造自己的小王国，而不是照管我被赐予的葡萄园？

答案令人不安。但答案就是道路。一条走出所有权之暴力的道路。一条进入管家之自由的道路。

© 全属于祢& 乐仁出版社（中国澳门）
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica 2026

The Violence of Mistaken Ownership
Matthew 21:33-43

Fr. Jijo Kandamkulathy CMF
Claretian Missionaries

We are trained from childhood to protect what we believe is ours. Our toys. Our space. Our reputation. Our time. We learn to guard the boundaries of our lives with a vigilance that feels necessary, even virtuous. And slowly, without noticing, the guarding becomes a way of being. We begin to treat everything as property. Our relationships. Our roles. Our faith. Even God. We become managers of what was never ours to own. And in that quiet shift, something dangerous takes root. The need to possess becomes the need to control. The need to control becomes the willingness to destroy anything that threatens our grip.

Jesus told this parable in the Temple, days before his death, to the chief priests and elders. In the original context, the vineyard was Israel, the landowner was God, the tenants were the religious leaders, the servants were the prophets, and the son was Jesus himself. They understood exactly what he meant. The parable was a mirror, and they saw their own faces in it. They had been entrusted with God’s people, but they had turned stewardship into ownership and ownership into violence.

But the mirror is not only for them. It is for us. And here the parable becomes personal. The vineyard is your own life. Not someone else’s. Not the church’s. Not your family’s. Your life. The one you wake up to every morning. The one you carry in your body. The one you spend your days filling with work and worry and dreams. That life is the vineyard. And you did not plant it. You did not build the fence around it. You did not dig the winepress. You did not build the tower. You received it. You were given it. You are not the owner. You are the tenant. You are the steward.

Think about what this means. You did not choose your parents. You did not choose your body. You did not choose your intelligence or your health or the century you were born into. You did not choose the air you breathe or the sun that warms you. Everything that makes your life possible was given to you before you could ask for it. You arrived into a world already prepared. You are not the source. You are the recipient. You are not the creator. You are the steward.

But somewhere along the way, we forget. We begin to believe that our life is ours. We say “my life” and we mean “my property.” We say “my body” and we mean “my possession.” We say “my time” and we mean “my right.” And slowly, the steward becomes the owner. The tenant becomes the landlord. And the owner’s messengers start to arrive.

Who are the messengers? They are the reminders that we are not in charge. They come in many forms. They come as limits. They come as illness. They come as aging. They come as failure. They come as the people who tell us the truth we do not want to hear. They come as the inner voice that whispers something is wrong, something is missing, something is not ours. They come as the restlessness that no achievement can quiet. They come as the emptiness that no possession can fill. They come as the questions we cannot answer. They come as the grief we cannot avoid.

And what do we do with these messengers? We react with violence. We silence them. We beat them. We kill them. We stone them. We do not listen to our limits. We do not accept our aging. We do not sit with our failures. We do not hear the truth-tellers. We numb the inner voice. We distract ourselves from the restlessness. We fill the emptiness with noise. We avoid the grief. We push the questions away. We murder the messengers that come to remind us that our life is not ours.

And we do this not only with our hands but with our words. We kill the reputation of the one who tells us the truth. We stone the character of the one who challenges us. We crucify the truth-teller with gossip and slander. Words can be as violent as stones. And we do this not only to protect what we own, but to protect an authority we never had. We claim a throne that was never given to us. We wear a crown that does not belong to us. We construct a self that does not need God. And when anyone challenges that authority, we destroy them—with our tongues, our silences, our exclusions.

And then the landowner sends his son. The son is not another messenger. The son comes with the authority of the landowner himself. In the parable, the son is Jesus. In the story of your own life, Jesus is the final reminder for conversion that you cannot ignore. The son is the ultimate claim. From this moment, God stops sending reminders and comes in person. The encounter with the Son demands a decision. Not a message to be debated. Not a truth to be considered. A person to be faced. The son is the one who looks at us with love and says, “This life is not yours. It was given to you. And I have come to claim it back.”

When we encounter the son, there is the death of our false self. Some people stop listening to this final attempt of God because He demands surrender. They silence him with death, totally avoiding any conversion. And then, they tell themselves that the vineyard is theirs. But the Truth will haunt them.

The landowner will come. The accounting will happen. And the tenants who tried to possess what was never theirs will lose even what they had. This is not a punishment. It is a consequence. The refusal to be a steward means the loss of the vineyard.

And then, there is the stone. The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. What the ego rejects is precisely what becomes the foundation of true life. The son rejected and killed becomes the source of our salvation. The truth we crucify becomes the truth that raises us.

Your life is not your own. It is a gift. Your body is not your property. It is a trust. Your time is not your right. It is a responsibility. Your gifts are not your possessions. They are your offerings. The more you try to own, the more you lose. The more you hold on, the more they slip away. The more you defend your control, the more you destroy what you were given.

The landowner is patient. He sends servants. He sends more servants. He sends the son. He gives you every chance to return. He gives you every chance to release the illusion of ownership and return to the truth of stewardship. But the time of accounting will come. And the question is not whether you will give an account. The question is what you will have to show.

I am asking myself: Where have I confused stewardship with ownership? Where have I treated my life as my property? Where have I attacked the messengers who came to remind me of the truth? Who have I murdered with my words? What authority am I pretending to have? Where am I building my own little kingdom instead of tending the vineyard I was given?

The answer is uncomfortable. But the answer is the path. The path out of the violence of ownership. The path into the freedom of stewardship.

© Claretian Publications, Macau 2026
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica

喜樂與希望的聖言
甲年常年期第廿七主日
瑪 21:33-46
Fernando Armellini神父講道

大家好。

前幾個主日，我們聽了兩個以葡萄園為比喻的故事。今天，耶穌沿用這個主題，講了第三個比喻。要聽懂這個比喻，我們必須記住那首著名的讀經一——依撒意亞先知書第5章中的“葡萄園之歌”。這首歌很可能是依撒意亞本人在耶路撒冷城的小廣場上創作並演唱的。那時候就已經有遊吟詩人了。誰覺得自己有點詩才、想講個故事，就會在耶路撒冷城中的小廣場上表演。

依撒意亞就是這樣。我們可以想像他被一群青年朋友圍著——因為他寫這首歌的時候，才二十出頭。他先講了一個農夫對自己葡萄園的愛情故事。他年輕的聽眾立刻就明白了：在這幅農夫與葡萄園的畫面背後，藏著村裡某個青年對一位美麗姑娘熾熱的愛。所以大家對這個故事非常好奇。依撒意亞講述了這份愛是如何開始的，又是如何在千百次的呵護與照料中培養起來的。這棵葡萄樹不是隨便選的：農夫去到外邦，精心挑選。然後他清理土地，拔除荊棘、雜草和石頭，把葡萄樹種在向陽的地方，因為它要結出葡萄、釀出好酒。他還在四周築了圍牆，好保護它。總之，他對它傾注了無微不至的照料。聽到這裡，我們也跟著投入了，想知道這個愛情故事的結局。葡萄園有沒有回應這份呵護呢？出人意料的是：園丁期待著一串串上好的葡萄，但在收穫的季節，他找到的卻是四串又酸又澀、根本不能吃的葡萄。這真是令人痛心的失望。

我們都知道，偉大的愛一旦被背叛，就會化作極大的恨。於是，這個農夫被無法遏制的憤怒和怨恨所吞噬。他推倒分隔的圍牆，任由路人踐踏葡萄園；他要讓野豬——那些野蠻的野獸——闖進去，把它毀壞；讓荊棘覆蓋它、窒息它；讓雲彩一滴雨也不降在這葡萄園上。

依撒意亞到底在說什麼？農夫和葡萄園這些畫面背後藏著什麼？我剛才提到，聽他講故事的年輕人一定以為說的是城裡某對青年男女，也一定有自己的猜測。在這首歌的結尾，先知揭開了謎底：那愛人就是上主，葡萄園就是以色列，就是祂從埃及贖回、移植到客納罕地、卻辜負了祂大愛的那個民族。這首歌最後說：天主期望的是正義，卻看到了流血；祂期待的是公平，卻只聽到受壓迫者的呼喊。對於這背叛了祂期望的葡萄園，上主會怎麼做呢？我們剛才聽到了那要毀滅它的狂怒。但要注意：天主當然不會做這些事。這些畫面是詩人用來告訴我們，上主對人類的愛是何等投入，何等熾熱。

現在，讓我們來聽耶穌的比喻：在這個比喻中，我們能立刻聽出對依撒意亞葡萄園之歌的呼應。請聽：

“你們再聽一個比喻。有一個家主，栽了一個葡萄園，周圍圈上籬笆，裡面挖了一個榨酒池，蓋了一座瞭望台。然後把園子租給佃戶，就遠行去了。”

在耶穌的時代，有些葡萄園規模不大，帶有家庭性質。每家挨著自己的房子，都有幾株葡萄藤。葡萄樹壽命很長，甚至可以活幾個世紀，所以幾乎被當作家庭成員一樣愛護，因為它陪伴了一個家族好幾代人。詠128也用了這個畫面：“你的妻子將如你家中一株果實累累的葡萄樹。”一個人栽種葡萄樹，意味著他相信自己和子孫後代會在這地方長久居住，這樣，生命就成了和平與繁榮的標記。

也有一些大地主擁有廣闊的葡萄園。他們自己不勞作，而是把園子交給佃戶，自己住在羅馬帝國的大城裡——羅馬、安提約基雅、亞歷山大或厄弗所。只在收穫的季節回來收取果子。耶穌正是受到當時這種社會經濟現實的啟發，編了這個比喻，並引入了一位這樣的大地主。

分析這個比喻時，我們會從兩個層面入手：首先，看比喻的直接含義。因為耶穌是對站在他面前的宗教權威講的，他要讓他們反省自己即將犯下的前所未有的罪行。但我們也會注意到，這個比喻對我們今天也非常貼切。它向受洗者的團體、向教會——上主的葡萄園——發言。雖然教會並沒有取代以色列：上主的葡萄園仍是同一個，只是不再局限於以色列，如今已包含了全人類。

家主代表天主。我們剛才聽到了對祂所有關心與照料的描述，這和耶穌引用的依撒意亞之歌非常相似。讓我們回顧一下上主的這些照料。第一個：祂用籬笆把葡萄園圍起來，要清楚地界定自己的產業，不讓外人踏入祂的田地，祂要保護它。這就是天主對祂的葡萄園——以色列——所做的。在出谷紀第19章，天主說：“在普世萬民中，你們為我是最珍愛的產業。”（出 19:5）舊約很多地方都重複了這句話。當時的以色列人相信，每個民族都有自己的神，每位神也保護自己的子民，並從他們那裡接受祭品、全燔祭、祈禱和馨香。摩阿布人有革摩士（Chemosh），阿孟人有米耳公（Milcom），大馬士革的敘利亞人有自己的神，巴耳（Baal）有客納罕人……

上主也有自己的子民，祂的葡萄園界限分明——就是以色列。祂要保護它，使它遠離偶像崇拜的心態和外邦人不道德的行為。我們知道，在羅馬帝國時期，猶太人之所以出名，不僅因為他們的一神信仰，更因為他們嚴格的道德觀，尤其是在性方面的操守。上主很好地保護了自己的子民。那保護他們的籬笆是什麼？是法律，是《托拉》。它不斷提醒以色列人，真正的子民該如何生活。

今天，上主的葡萄園也需要這道保護籬笆，因為周圍的世界不是按照納匝肋人耶穌的真福寶訓來思考和生活的，而是按照世俗的邏輯。主流思想根本不提福音的價值和主張。如果這種世俗精神滲透到基督徒的頭腦和心裡，就會感染並毀壞這個葡萄園，連最好的植株也會受害。今天，上主用來保護祂葡萄園的籬笆是什麼呢？是祂的聖言，是福音。

上主的第二個關注點：挖一個榨酒池。我身後放的這台榨酒機是耶穌前兩百年造的，非常古老。注意看有兩個池子：葡萄是在較大的池子裡壓榨的。你們也能想像出榨酒工人的樣子，因為岩石上有兩個孔，插著兩根木棍，上面架著一根橫樑，工人把繩子系在上面，好抓穩身體，工作時不會滑倒。他們一邊幹活，一邊唱歌跳舞。這正說明上主從葡萄園裡只期待喜樂、慶典、歌聲和愛。我剛才提到身後的榨酒池，你們也看到有一個較小的池子，用來收集葡萄汁。耶肋米亞先知在耶肋米亞先知書第25章回憶了榨酒工人歡樂的呼喊。

今天，天主從葡萄園——也就是教會——期待的，是為全人類結出喜樂的果實。如果基督的門徒像枝子連接在葡萄樹上一樣，與納匝肋的耶穌合而為一，讓祂的聖神在他們內流通，他們就會結出天主唯一感興趣的果實：愛德的工程。基督徒要用自己的生活向世界證明：凡按福音生活的人，就活在喜樂中，並傳播喜樂。

第三個關注點：他建了一座塔。如果去以色列，比如穿過撒瑪黎雅的田野，你常會看到田野裡有一些廢棄的塔，就像我身後這些。有些非常古老，早於耶穌的時代。你也可以看到這些塔最常見的復原模型。這座塔位於耶路撒冷附近的雅達舍摩納（Jada Scemonat）聖經花園。農民在這些小屋裡存放農具，屋頂則是瞭望和看守的地方。

這座塔有什麼含義？它是上主以慈母般的關切，看守自己葡萄園和子民的象徵。因為小偷和強盜隨時準備翻過圍牆和籬笆，一旦讓他們進去，就會偷竊、殺害、毀壞葡萄園。

今天，上主如何看守祂的葡萄園呢？祂不直接出面，而是派遣祂的天使，就是祂關懷的中保。我們知道許多這樣的天使就在我們的團體中。他們確保沒有人攪亂上主的葡萄園，不讓任何違背福音的主張混入。一旦發生這樣的事，在塔樓上守望的這些天使就會立刻介入，發出呼聲，喚起警覺。

家主把葡萄園交給佃戶後，就離開了。現在，收取果子的時節開始了。這個比喻的聽眾是法利賽人，是百姓的精神領袖，是大司祭，是向上主獻全燔祭的人。聽比喻的時候，他們心裡一定在想：“如果上主來跟我們要果子，我們可是應有盡有。看看聖殿的廣場……擠滿了祈禱的朝聖者，帶著精選的羔羊獻給上主……上主如果來收果子，一定會很滿意……”

不過，我們繼續聽比喻是怎麼說的：

“到了收成的時節，祂打發僕人到佃戶那裡去收果子。佃戶卻抓住那些僕人，打傷一個，殺了一個，用石頭砸死另一個。主人又派了別的僕人去，比先前更多，但他們也受到了同樣的對待。”

園主派去收果子的這些使者是誰？他們代表先知。耶肋米亞在他的著作——耶肋米亞先知書——第7章提到他的子民說：“自從他們離開埃及，上主不斷派遣祂的僕人——先知——指示他們當行的正道，他們卻不聽，自招滅亡。”

耶穌區分了兩組使者。他可能是指流亡前和流亡後天主所派遣的先知。這些先知向以色列子民要求什麼呢？他們不斷要求上主所期待的果子。依撒意亞在他的著作——依撒意亞先知書第1章中說：“你們要學習行善，尋求公道，幫助受壓迫的人，為孤兒伸冤，為寡婦辯護。”（依 1:17）而這些使者看到的卻是什麼？是隆重的禮儀和祭獻、羔羊、馨香、俯伏、全燔祭。這些都不是天主想要從祂子民那裡得到的果子。這些是外在的形式，他們以此欺騙自己，以為在天主面前做得很好。依撒意亞先知在他的著作——依撒意亞先知書開頭說：“不要再給我獻無用的祭品；馨香的煙味令我厭惡……你們的慶節和盛會我深惡痛絕……你們舉手祈禱時，我必掩目不看。”（依 1:13）祂對這些事不感興趣。祂要的是正義。

在依撒意亞先知書第58章，依撒意亞也常提到天主渴望的果子。他不要虛假的禁食，他要的是中悅天主的真禁食：“你們把頭垂得像蘆葦，躺在麻布和灰上。這算是禁食嗎？我所中意的禁食是：鬆開不義的鎖鏈，解開軛上的繩索，讓受壓迫的人獲得自由；把你的餅分給饑餓的人，把流浪的窮人接到家中；見到赤身露體的人給他穿，不要回避你的骨肉之親。”（依 58:3-7）他們是你們的兄弟。

然而，先知們的這些呼籲惹惱了以色列人。那麼他們是怎麼對待這些使者的呢？正如耶穌在比喻中所說的：有的被鞭打，有的被石頭砸死，有的被殺害。耶肋米亞是最被人恨的，他被石頭砸，被丟在枯井裡；烏黎雅被殺；匝加利亞在聖殿院子裡被石頭砸死。這就是發生在以色列身上的事。他們就是這樣對待那些不斷來要求天主所要的果子——正義、仁愛和對窮人的關懷——的先知。

今天，上主繼續派遣祂的先知，要求同樣的果子。這些先知是如何被對待的呢？讓我們想想，那些與他們信仰相同的弟兄是如何對待他們的：普裡莫·馬左拉裡（在邊緣地區工作的義大利司鐸）、洛倫佐·米拉尼（走出教會的先知）、奧斯卡·羅梅羅（捍衛窮人選擇的薩爾瓦多主教）、托尼諾·貝洛（義大利主教，和平主義者）、圖羅爾多（聖言的僕人）。讓我們捫心自問：今天，那些要求更福音化態度的人怎樣了？那些要求結束教會內政治攀附、譴責教會財產管理方式違背造物主計畫的人怎樣了？那些譴責虛偽虔誠——那種只求良心平安、卻不給上主所要求的東西——的人怎樣了？那些譴責某些宗教習俗、某些與福音毫無關係的傳統之矛盾性的人怎樣了？他們受到了迫害。

我們可能會問：如何認出這些先知呢？以下是一些識別的標誌：他們是從不謀求私利的人；他們的行動不是為了獲取好處、認可、榮譽頭銜或職位晉升。支配他們話語的，始終是對福音、對正義的熾熱；他們的呼籲始終以上主所期待的果子為中心：愛窮人，關懷窮人。他們總是站在弱小者一邊，因此總是與當權者——無論是政治的還是宗教的——產生衝突。最後一個準則：先知總是要付出自己的生命作為代價。

在先知之後，上主決定派遣自己的兒子。請聽：

“最後，祂打發自己的兒子到他們那裡去，心裡說：‘他們必尊敬我的兒子。’可是佃戶看見祂的兒子，就彼此說：‘這是繼承人。來，我們殺了祂，霸佔祂的產業。’他們抓住祂，把祂扔出葡萄園外，殺了。”

正如先知們所做的，兒子也來要葡萄園的果子。祂找到了什麼呢？對觀福音給我們講了另一個比喻：不結果的無花果樹。無花果樹和葡萄樹一樣，是以色列子民的象徵，這個民族本應結出美味的果子，獻給他們的天主。耶穌在這無花果樹上找到了什麼？聖史說：早晨，耶穌餓了，走到一棵無花果樹前找果子，卻只找到了葉子。當然，這只是一個比喻。葉子代表耶穌在以色列看到的宗教外表。祂沒有找到上主唯一想要的果子。葉子是騙人的，因為它遮住了果子的缺乏——而那才是天主唯一在意的東西。

兒子也令葡萄園的負責人不安。他們做了什麼？他們把祂趕出去，殺了祂。這個比喻準確描述了他們對耶穌所做的事——當然不是以色列人民，而是那些自認為是葡萄園主人、想在普通百姓面前抬高自己、維護自己特權的人。這就是為什麼他們除掉了那個讓他們不安的兒子。

我們要小心，因為今天我們也可能會犯同樣的錯誤：主宰葡萄園，趕走兒子……這個比喻當然提供了反省的理由。首先，那些在教會團體內肩負重大責任的人，可能會忘記福音才是每個選擇的參照點。他們不是葡萄園的主人。今天存在一種危險，因為在初期教會就已經有了。伯多祿在伯多祿前書中，寫信給各團體的長老說：“我這同為長老的，勸勉你們：務要牧養在你們中間的天主子民，不是出於勉強，也不是為了貪財，而是出於樂意；不是做領袖的，而是做群羊的榜樣。”（伯前 5:1-3）不僅教會的聖統必須反思自己生活和管理上主葡萄園的方式。每個受洗者都有把兒子趕出葡萄園的危險。

我們可以舉幾個例子：如果我們把為囤積貨物辯護的心態，就像世俗的公正所做的那樣——引入葡萄園，我們就是把基督和祂的福音趕了出去。因為耶穌說貧窮的人是有福的，而不是那些積蓄的人。這就是世俗的心態；如果我們把它引入葡萄園，就是驅逐了福音。如果我們為戰爭辯護，說“當然不是所有戰爭，只是必要的戰爭”，我們就是把基督和祂的福音趕出葡萄園，因為耶穌不是這樣想的。如果我們順從當下關於性的觀念，忘記了家庭是忠貞與無條件之愛的見證，我們就是把基督和祂的福音挪開，給世俗的性觀念讓路。

給世俗的性觀念讓路。當我們把福音之子從社會中趕出去，會發生什麼呢？那句名言流傳已久：“天主死了，我們殺了祂。”這謀殺的後果擺在所有人面前。我們看到人脫離福音、脫離基督所產生的後果：恐怖、孤獨、生命意義的缺失、暴力、破壞受造物、傲慢，以及許多其他的亂象——有些正在進行，有些已在計畫中。

比喻以戲劇性的一幕結束：那最後來要求上主所期待果子的兒子，被人殺了。兒子一死，一切就結束了。他們打贏了這場仗。他們會永遠霸佔葡萄園嗎？我們繼續聽比喻：

耶穌問司祭長和法利賽人說：“葡萄園的主人來的時候，會怎樣處置那些佃戶呢？”他們回答說：“他要兇狠地除滅那些惡人，把葡萄園另租給那按時交果子的佃戶。”耶穌對他們說：“你們從來沒有讀過聖經嗎：‘匠人棄而不用的石頭，反而成了屋角的基石；這是上主所做的，在我們眼中神妙莫測’？所以我告訴你們：天主的國要從你們手中奪去，交給那結果實的人。”司祭長和法利賽人聽了這些比喻，知道祂是在講他們。他們雖然想逮捕祂，但又怕群眾，因為群眾把祂看作先知。

在比喻的結尾，耶穌直接對聽眾說，他們這些長老、大司祭就是葡萄園的看守者。祂直接問他們：“如果你站在葡萄園主人的位置，你會怎麼做呢？”答案立刻就出來了，我相信和我們大多數人會給出的答案很相似：“他要把那些惡人除滅，把葡萄園租給別的、按時交果子的佃戶。”耶穌回答說：“你們沒有讀過聖經嗎？天主不會這樣做的。”天主只做愛的工作，祂不毀滅任何人。天主會做什麼呢？祂會把匠人棄而不用的石頭，立為奇妙新建築的基石，一座有祭獻升到天上的聖殿。唯一中悅天主的全燔祭，就是愛德的工程。耶穌的意思是：天主會把人犯下的最嚴重的罪行，變成祂愛與救贖的傑作。

結論給我們展示的畫面雖然震撼，卻是喜訊，傳遞的是喜樂與希望。耶穌看似是被擊敗的那一位；被棄絕的石頭，讓人以為邪惡已經得勝。但事實並非如此。比喻用這些戲劇性的畫面告訴我們：那跌在這石頭上的，必要被砸得粉碎。注意：這是閃族語的表達方式，告訴我們羔羊比狼更強壯；那愛並獻出生命的人，比奪去祂生命的人更強壯。因此，這是一個喜樂的宣告，一個邪惡永不能得勝的盼望。

這羔羊，這被丟棄的石頭，比狼更強壯。

祝大家主日喜樂，一周平安！

© 全屬於祢 & 樂仁出版社（中國香港）
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica 2026

喜乐与希望的圣言
甲年常年期第廿七主日
玛 21:33-46
Fernando Armellini神父讲道

大家好。

前几个主日，我们听了两个以葡萄园为比喻的故事。今天，耶稣沿用这个主题，讲了第三个比喻。要听懂这个比喻，我们必须记住那首著名的读经一——依撒意亚先知书第5章中的“葡萄园之歌”。这首歌很可能是依撒意亚本人在耶路撒冷城的小广场上创作并演唱的。那时候就已经有游吟诗人了。谁觉得自己有点诗才、想讲个故事，就会在耶路撒冷城中的小广场上表演。

依撒意亚就是这样。我们可以想象他被一群青年朋友围着——因为他写这首歌的时候，才二十出头。他先讲了一个农夫对自己葡萄园的爱情故事。他年轻的听众立刻就明白了：在这幅农夫与葡萄园的画面背后，藏着村里某个青年对一位美丽姑娘炽热的爱。所以大家对这个故事非常好奇。依撒意亚讲述了这份爱是如何开始的，又是如何在千百次的呵护与照料中培养起来的。这棵葡萄树不是随便选的：农夫去到外邦，精心挑选。然后他清理土地，拔除荆棘、杂草和石头，把葡萄树种在向阳的地方，因为它要结出葡萄、酿出好酒。他还在四周筑了围墙，好保护它。总之，他对它倾注了无微不至的照料。听到这里，我们也跟着投入了，想知道这个爱情故事的结局。葡萄园有没有回应这份呵护呢？出人意料的是：园丁期待着一串串上好的葡萄，但在收获的季节，他找到的却是四串又酸又涩、根本不能吃的葡萄。这真是令人痛心的失望。

我们都知道，伟大的爱一旦被背叛，就会化作极大的恨。于是，这个农夫被无法遏制的愤怒和怨恨所吞噬。他推倒分隔的围墙，任由路人践踏葡萄园；他要让野猪——那些野蛮的野兽——闯进去，把它毁坏；让荆棘覆盖它、窒息它；让云彩一滴雨也不降在这葡萄园上。

依撒意亚到底在说什么？农夫和葡萄园这些画面背后藏着什么？我刚才提到，听他讲故事的年轻人一定以为说的是城里某对青年男女，也一定有自己的猜测。在这首歌的结尾，先知揭开了谜底：那爱人就是上主，葡萄园就是以色列，就是祂从埃及赎回、移植到客纳罕地、却辜负了祂大爱的那个民族。这首歌最后说：天主期望的是正义，却看到了流血；祂期待的是公平，却只听到受压迫者的呼喊。对于这背叛了祂期望的葡萄园，上主会怎么做呢？我们刚才听到了那要毁灭它的狂怒。但要注意：天主当然不会做这些事。这些画面是诗人用来告诉我们，上主对人类的爱是何等投入，何等炽热。

现在，让我们来听耶稣的比喻：在这个比喻中，我们能立刻听出对依撒意亚葡萄园之歌的呼应。请听：

“你们再听一个比喻。有一个家主，栽了一个葡萄园，周围圈上篱笆，里面挖了一个榨酒池，盖了一座瞭望台。然后把园子租给佃户，就远行去了。”

在耶稣的时代，有些葡萄园规模不大，带有家庭性质。每家挨着自己的房子，都有几株葡萄藤。葡萄树寿命很长，甚至可以活几个世纪，所以几乎被当作家庭成员一样爱护，因为它陪伴了一个家族好几代人。咏128也用了这个画面：“你的妻子将如你家中一株果实累累的葡萄树。”一个人栽种葡萄树，意味着他相信自己和子孙后代会在这地方长久居住，这样，生命就成了和平与繁荣的标记。

也有一些大地主拥有广阔的葡萄园。他们自己不劳作，而是把园子交给佃户，自己住在罗马帝国的大城里——罗马、安提约基雅、亚历山大或厄弗所。只在收获的季节回来收取果子。耶稣正是受到当时这种社会经济现实的启发，编了这个比喻，并引入了一位这样的大地主。

分析这个比喻时，我们会从两个层面入手：首先，看比喻的直接含义。因为耶稣是对站在他面前的宗教权威讲的，他要让他们反省自己即将犯下的前所未有的罪行。但我们也会注意到，这个比喻对我们今天也非常贴切。它向受洗者的团体、向教会——上主的葡萄园——发言。虽然教会并没有取代以色列：上主的葡萄园仍是同一个，只是不再局限于以色列，如今已包含了全人类。

家主代表天主。我们刚才听到了对祂所有关心与照料的描述，这和耶稣引用的依撒意亚之歌非常相似。让我们回顾一下上主的这些照料。第一个：祂用篱笆把葡萄园围起来，要清楚地界定自己的产业，不让外人踏入祂的田地，祂要保护它。这就是天主对祂的葡萄园——以色列——所做的。在出谷纪第19章，天主说：“在普世万民中，你们为我是最珍爱的产业。”（出 19:5）旧约很多地方都重复了这句话。当时的以色列人相信，每个民族都有自己的神，每位神也保护自己的子民，并从他们那里接受祭品、全燔祭、祈祷和馨香。摩阿布人有革摩士（Chemosh），阿孟人有米耳公（Milcom），大马士革的叙利亚人有自己的神，巴耳（Baal）有客纳罕人……

上主也有自己的子民，祂的葡萄园界限分明——就是以色列。祂要保护它，使它远离偶像崇拜的心态和外邦人不道德的行为。我们知道，在罗马帝国时期，犹太人之所以出名，不仅因为他们的一神信仰，更因为他们严格的道德观，尤其是在性方面的操守。上主很好地保护了自己的子民。那保护他们的篱笆是什么？是法律，是《托拉》。它不断提醒以色列人，真正的子民该如何生活。

今天，上主的葡萄园也需要这道保护篱笆，因为周围的世界不是按照纳匝肋人耶稣的真福宝训来思考和生活的，而是按照世俗的逻辑。主流思想根本不提福音的价值和主张。如果这种世俗精神渗透到基督徒的头脑和心里，就会感染并毁坏这个葡萄园，连最好的植株也会受害。今天，上主用来保护祂葡萄园的篱笆是什么呢？是祂的圣言，是福音。

上主的第二个关注点：挖一个榨酒池。我身后放的这台榨酒机是耶稣前两百年造的，非常古老。注意看有两个池子：葡萄是在较大的池子里压榨的。你们也能想象出榨酒工人的样子，因为岩石上有两个孔，插着两根木棍，上面架着一根横梁，工人把绳子系在上面，好抓稳身体，工作时不会滑倒。他们一边干活，一边唱歌跳舞。这正说明上主从葡萄园里只期待喜乐、庆典、歌声和爱。我刚才提到身后的榨酒池，你们也看到有一个较小的池子，用来收集葡萄汁。耶肋米亚先知在耶肋米亚先知书第25章回忆了榨酒工人欢乐的呼喊。

今天，天主从葡萄园——也就是教会——期待的，是为全人类结出喜乐的果实。如果基督的门徒像枝子连接在葡萄树上一样，与纳匝肋的耶稣合而为一，让祂的圣神在他们内流通，他们就会结出天主唯一感兴趣的果实：爱德的工程。基督徒要用自己的生活向世界证明：凡按福音生活的人，就活在喜乐中，并传播喜乐。

第三个关注点：他建了一座塔。如果去以色列，比如穿过撒玛黎雅的田野，你常会看到田野里有一些废弃的塔，就像我身后这些。有些非常古老，早于耶稣的时代。你也可以看到这些塔最常见的复原模型。这座塔位于耶路撒冷附近的雅达舍摩纳（Jada Scemonat）圣经花园。农民在这些小屋里存放农具，屋顶则是瞭望和看守的地方。

这座塔有什么含义？它是上主以慈母般的关切，看守自己葡萄园和子民的象征。因为小偷和强盗随时准备翻过围墙和篱笆，一旦让他们进去，就会偷窃、杀害、毁坏葡萄园。

今天，上主如何看守祂的葡萄园呢？祂不直接出面，而是派遣祂的天使，就是祂关怀的中保。我们知道许多这样的天使就在我们的团体中。他们确保没有人搅乱上主的葡萄园，不让任何违背福音的主张混入。一旦发生这样的事，在塔楼上守望的这些天使就会立刻介入，发出呼声，唤起警觉。

家主把葡萄园交给佃户后，就离开了。现在，收取果子的时节开始了。这个比喻的听众是法利赛人，是百姓的精神领袖，是大司祭，是向上主献全燔祭的人。听比喻的时候，他们心里一定在想：“如果上主来跟我们要果子，我们可是应有尽有。看看圣殿的广场……挤满了祈祷的朝圣者，带着精选的羔羊献给上主……上主如果来收果子，一定会很满意……”

不过，我们继续听比喻是怎么说的：

“到了收成的时节，祂打发仆人到佃户那里去收果子。佃户却抓住那些仆人，打伤一个，杀了一个，用石头砸死另一个。主人又派了别的仆人去，比先前更多，但他们也受到了同样的对待。”

园主派去收果子的这些使者是谁？他们代表先知。耶肋米亚在他的著作——耶肋米亚先知书——第7章提到他的子民说：“自从他们离开埃及，上主不断派遣祂的仆人——先知——指示他们当行的正道，他们却不听，自招灭亡。”

耶稣区分了两组使者。他可能是指流亡前和流亡后天主所派遣的先知。这些先知向以色列子民要求什么呢？他们不断要求上主所期待的果子。依撒意亚在他的著作——依撒意亚先知书第1章中说：“你们要学习行善，寻求公道，帮助受压迫的人，为孤儿伸冤，为寡妇辩护。”（依 1:17）而这些使者看到的却是什么？是隆重的礼仪和祭献、羔羊、馨香、俯伏、全燔祭。这些都不是天主想要从祂子民那里得到的果子。这些是外在的形式，他们以此欺骗自己，以为在天主面前做得很好。依撒意亚先知在他的著作——依撒意亚先知书开头说：“不要再给我献无用的祭品；馨香的烟味令我厌恶……你们的庆节和盛会我深恶痛绝……你们举手祈祷时，我必掩目不看。”（依 1:13）祂对这些事不感兴趣。祂要的是正义。

在依撒意亚先知书第58章，依撒意亚也常提到天主渴望的果子。他不要虚假的禁食，他要的是中悦天主的真禁食：“你们把头垂得像芦苇，躺在麻布和灰上。这算是禁食吗？我所中意的禁食是：松开不义的锁链，解开轭上的绳索，让受压迫的人获得自由；把你的饼分给饥饿的人，把流浪的穷人接到家中；见到赤身露体的人给他穿，不要回避你的骨肉之亲。”（依 58:3-7）他们是你们的兄弟。

然而，先知们的这些呼吁惹恼了以色列人。那么他们是怎么对待这些使者的呢？正如耶稣在比喻中所说的：有的被鞭打，有的被石头砸死，有的被杀害。耶肋米亚是最被人恨的，他被石头砸，被丢在枯井里；乌黎雅被杀；匝加利亚在圣殿院子里被石头砸死。这就是发生在以色列身上的事。他们就是这样对待那些不断来要求天主所要的果子——正义、仁爱和对穷人的关怀——的先知。

今天，上主继续派遣祂的先知，要求同样的果子。这些先知是如何被对待的呢？让我们想想，那些与他们信仰相同的弟兄是如何对待他们的：普里莫·马佐拉里（在边缘地区工作的意大利司铎）、洛伦佐·米拉尼（走出教会的先知）、奥斯卡·罗梅罗（捍卫穷人选择的萨尔瓦多主教）、托尼诺·贝洛（意大利主教，和平主义者）、图罗尔多（圣言的仆人）。让我们扪心自问：今天，那些要求更福音化态度的人怎样了？那些要求结束教会内政治攀附、谴责教会财产管理方式违背造物主计划的人怎样了？那些谴责虚伪虔诚——那种只求良心平安、却不给上主所要求的东西——的人怎样了？那些谴责某些宗教习俗、某些与福音毫无关系的传统之矛盾性的人怎样了？他们受到了迫害。

我们可能会问：如何认出这些先知呢？以下是一些识别的标志：他们是从不谋求私利的人；他们的行动不是为了获取好处、认可、荣誉头衔或职位晋升。支配他们话语的，始终是对福音、对正义的炽热；他们的呼吁始终以上主所期待的果子为中心：爱穷人，关怀穷人。他们总是站在弱小者一边，因此总是与当权者——无论是政治的还是宗教的——产生冲突。最后一个准则：先知总是要付出自己的生命作为代价。

在先知之后，上主决定派遣自己的儿子。请听：

“最后，祂打发自己的儿子到他们那里去，心里说：‘他们必尊敬我的儿子。’可是佃户看见祂的儿子，就彼此说：‘这是继承人。来，我们杀了祂，霸占祂的产业。’他们抓住祂，把祂扔出葡萄园外，杀了。”

正如先知们所做的，儿子也来要葡萄园的果子。祂找到了什么呢？对观福音给我们讲了另一个比喻：不结果的无花果树。无花果树和葡萄树一样，是以色列子民的象征，这个民族本应结出美味的果子，献给他们的天主。耶稣在这无花果树上找到了什么？圣史说：早晨，耶稣饿了，走到一棵无花果树前找果子，却只找到了叶子。当然，这只是一个比喻。叶子代表耶稣在以色列看到的宗教外表。祂没有找到上主唯一想要的果子。叶子是骗人的，因为它遮住了果子的缺乏——而那才是天主唯一在意的东西。

儿子也令葡萄园的负责人不安。他们做了什么？他们把祂赶出去，杀了祂。这个比喻准确描述了他们对耶稣所做的事——当然不是以色列人民，而是那些自认为是葡萄园主人、想在普通百姓面前抬高自己、维护自己特权的人。这就是为什么他们除掉了那个让他们不安的儿子。

我们要小心，因为今天我们也可能会犯同样的错误：主宰葡萄园，赶走儿子……这个比喻当然提供了反省的理由。首先，那些在教会团体内肩负重大责任的人，可能会忘记福音才是每个选择的参照点。他们不是葡萄园的主人。今天存在一种危险，因为在初期教会就已经有了。伯多禄在伯多禄前书中，写信给各团体的长老说：“我这同为长老的，劝勉你们：务要牧养在你们中间的天主子民，不是出于勉强，也不是为了贪财，而是出于乐意；不是做领袖的，而是做群羊的榜样。”（伯前 5:1-3）不仅教会的圣统必须反思自己生活和管理上主葡萄园的方式。每个受洗者都有把儿子赶出葡萄园的危险。

我们可以举几个例子：如果我们把为囤积货物辩护的心态，就像世俗的公正所做的那样——引入葡萄园，我们就是把基督和祂的福音赶了出去。因为耶稣说贫穷的人是有福的，而不是那些积蓄的人。这就是世俗的心态；如果我们把它引入葡萄园，就是驱逐了福音。如果我们为战争辩护，说“当然不是所有战争，只是必要的战争”，我们就是把基督和祂的福音赶出葡萄园，因为耶稣不是这样想的。如果我们顺从当下关于性的观念，忘记了家庭是忠贞与无条件之爱的见证，我们就是把基督和祂的福音挪开，给世俗的性观念让路。

给世俗的性观念让路。当我们把福音之子从社会中赶出去，会发生什么呢？那句名言流传已久：“天主死了，我们杀了祂。”这谋杀的后果摆在所有人面前。我们看到人脱离福音、脱离基督所产生的后果：恐怖、孤独、生命意义的缺失、暴力、破坏受造物、傲慢，以及许多其他的乱象——有些正在进行，有些已在计划中。

比喻以戏剧性的一幕结束：那最后来要求上主所期待果子的儿子，被人杀了。儿子一死，一切就结束了。他们打赢了这场仗。他们会永远霸占葡萄园吗？我们继续听比喻：

耶稣问司祭长和法利赛人说：“葡萄园的主人来的时候，会怎样处置那些佃户呢？”他们回答说：“他要凶狠地除灭那些恶人，把葡萄园另租给那按时交果子的佃户。”耶稣对他们说：“你们从来没有读过圣经吗：‘匠人弃而不用的石头，反而成了屋角的基石；这是上主所做的，在我们眼中神妙莫测’？所以我告诉你们：天主的国要从你们手中夺去，交给那结果实的人。”司祭长和法利赛人听了这些比喻，知道祂是在讲他们。他们虽然想逮捕祂，但又怕群众，因为群众把祂看作先知。

在比喻的结尾，耶稣直接对听众说，他们这些长老、大司祭就是葡萄园的看守者。祂直接问他们：“如果你站在葡萄园主人的位置，你会怎么做呢？”答案立刻就出来了，我相信和我们大多数人会给出的答案很相似：“他要把那些恶人除灭，把葡萄园租给别的、按时交果子的佃户。”耶稣回答说：“你们没有读过圣经吗？天主不会这样做的。”天主只做爱的工作，祂不毁灭任何人。天主会做什么呢？祂会把匠人弃而不用的石头，立为奇妙新建筑的基石，一座有祭献升到天上的圣殿。唯一中悦天主的全燔祭，就是爱德的工程。耶稣的意思是：天主会把人犯下的最严重的罪行，变成祂爱与救赎的杰作。

结论给我们展示的画面虽然震撼，却是喜讯，传递的是喜乐与希望。耶稣看似是被击败的那一位；被弃绝的石头，让人以为邪恶已经得胜。但事实并非如此。比喻用这些戏剧性的画面告诉我们：那跌在这石头上的，必要被砸得粉碎。注意：这是闪族语的表达方式，告诉我们羔羊比狼更强壮；那爱并献出生命的人，比夺去祂生命的人更强壮。因此，这是一个喜乐的宣告，一个邪恶永不能得胜的盼望。

这羔羊，这被丢弃的石头，比狼更强壮。

祝大家主日喜乐，一周平安！

© 全属于祢 & 乐仁出版社（中国香港）
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica 2026

TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR A

Matthew 21:33-46

Commentary of Fr. Fernando Armellini

Greetings to all.

In the last Sundays we have listened to two parables that had the vineyard as their theme and today Jesus takes up the theme with a third parable. To understand it, we must remember the famous Song of the Vineyard which is found in chapter 5 of the book of Isaiah and which the liturgy offers us today as the first reading. It is a song that was composed and probably performed by Isaiah himself in a small square in the city of Jerusalem. Already at that time, there were singer-songwriters, and when one felt he had some poetic vein and some story to tell, he would interpret in these small squares in the city of Jerusalem.

It is precisely the case for Isaiah; we can imagine him surrounded by a group of young friends because Isaiah, when he composed this song, was in his early twenties. It begins by telling a love story of a farmer for his vineyard. His young listeners immediately understand that, behind the picture the farmer in the vineyard hides a yearning love of some young man from the village for a beautiful girl. So, they are pretty intrigued by the story. Isaiah tells how this love began and how it was then cultivated with a thousand attentions and care. The vine was not chosen at random; the farmer went to a foreign country and chose it well. Then he prepared the land, cleared it of thorns, weeds, and stones, and planted this vineyard in a sunny place because it should bring forth grapes and good and strong wine. He also built a surrounding wall to protect it. In short, he showered it with every care and attention.

At this point, we are also involved and want to know the outcome of this love story. Did the vineyard respond to this attention and care? Here is the surprise: the vinedresser was expecting bunches of excellent grapes and instead, at harvest time, he found four sour and inedible grapes; a bitter disappointment.

We know that great loves betrayed always give rise to great hatred. And so, this farmer is a prisoner of uncontainable anger and resentment. He tears down the wall of separation, he wants the passers-by to trample the vineyard; he wants the wild boars—which are wild (“worldly”) animals—to enter the vineyard and devastate it; let the brambles overrun it, and choke it, and let the clouds pour not a drop of water upon this vineyard.

What is Isaiah talking about? What is hidden behind the images of the farmer and the vineyard? I mentioned that the young men who listen to him certainly think of a boy and a girl of the city and also certainly make their assumptions. At the end of the song, the prophet reveals the riddle: The lover is the Lord, and the vineyard is Israel, the people whom He went to buy in Egypt and were transplanted in the land of Canaan, a people who have disappointed his love. And in the end—says the song—God expected justice and found bloodshed; he expected righteousness and instead, he heard only the cries of oppressed people. What will the Lord do with this vineyard that has betrayed his expectations? We have heard its rapture, the will to destroy it. Let us beware; God does not, naturally, do these things; they are images with which the poet wants to tell us to what extent the Lord is involved in this passion of love for man.

Let us now listen to Jesus’ parable in which we can immediately appreciate references to Isaiah’s Song of the Vineyard. Let us listen:

“Hear another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.”

In the time of Jesus, there were vineyards of modest size, of family character; each family, next to its own house, had a few vine plants. And as the vineyard is very long-lived and can live even for centuries, it was loved almost like a family member because it accompanied several generations of the same family. Psalm 128 uses this image: “Your wife is like a fruitful vine in the privacy of your home.” And when one planted a vine, it meant that he was convinced that he and his children and grandchildren would remain a long time in that place, and life thus became a sign of peace and prosperity.

And some large landowners owned very extensive vineyards; they didn’t work them; they gave them to tenant farmers, and they went to live in the big cities of the Roman Empire, in Rome, Antioch, Alexandria, or Ephesus. They would come back at harvest time to gather the fruits. And Jesus is inspired in this social and economic reality of his time to compose his parable and introduces one of these large landowners.

In the analysis of the parable, we will proceed on two levels; we will refer first to the immediate meaning of the parable because Jesus tells it to the religious authorities before him, and he wants to make them reflect on the unprecedented crimes they are about to commit. But we will also notice that this parable is very topical for us. Speaks to the community of the baptized, of the Church, the vineyard of the Lord, even though the Church has not replaced Israel: the vineyard of the Lord is still the same, but it is no longer limited to Israel. It has now involved all humanity.

The owner represents God; we have heard the description of all his attention and care, very similar (and Jesus compares them) to the Song of Isaiah. Let us review these cares of the Lord. The first one: he surrounded the vineyard with a hedge; he wanted to delimit his property well because he did not want strangers to set foot in his field, he wanted to protect it. This is what God did with Israel, his vineyard. In chapter 19 of the book of Exodus, God says: “You are my property among all the peoples of the earth” and this is repeated in many places in the Old Testament. The Israelites at that time believed that each people had their own God and each God its people whom it protected and from whom they received sacrifices, burnt offerings, prayers, and incense. Thus, Chemosh had his people, the Moabites; Milcom had his people, the Ammonites, the Syrians of Damascus; Baal had his people, the Canaanites…

The Lord had his people, his vineyard well delimited—Israel—and he wanted to protect it from the idolatrous mentality, from the immoral practices of the pagans. We know that in the Roman Empire, the Jews were known to be not only for their monotheism but, above all, for their strict morals, especially in the sexual sphere. The Lord had protected his people well. What was the hedge of protection? The Torah, the Law, which continually reminded the Israelites how true people behave.

Today the vineyard of the Lord needs this hedge of protection because the surrounding world reasons and lives not according to the Beatitudes of Jesus of Nazareth but according to pagan logic; the prevailing thought does not refer to evangelical values and proposals. If this worldliness manages to infiltrate into the mind and in the hearts of Christians, it infects and damages this vineyard. Even the best plants are affected. What is the hedge with which the Lord today protects his vineyard? It is his Word; it is the Gospel.

The second concern of the Lord is to dig a hole to press the grapes. The crusher that I put at the back is from two centuries before Jesus, so it is very old. Notice there are two basins: in the larger one, the grapes were pressed. And you can also imagine the crushers because there are two holes in the rock where they inserted two sticks and on top of them, they put a beam to which they tied ropes the crushers used to hold on to and not to slip while they were working. And, while they did so, they sang, they danced, and this is the sign that from the vineyard, the Lord expects only joy, celebration, singing, and love. I have pointed out in the background that crusher and you also see that there is a smaller vat where the grape juice was collected. The prophet Jeremiah remembers in chapter 25, the shouts of joy of the crushers.

Today God expects from the vineyard—which is the Church— to produce joy for all humanity. If the disciples of Christ are united as branches to the vine, who is Jesus of Nazareth and let his Spirit circulate in them, they will produce the only fruit that interests God: the works of love. Christians are to give the world proof by their lives that those who live according to the Gospel live in joy and produce joy.

Third concern: He built a tower. If one visits Israel and passes, for example, through the fields of Samaria, you often see in the fields some ruined towers like the one you see behind me; some are very old and before the time of Jesus, you can also appreciate the reconstruction of the most common model of these towers. This one is located in the biblical garden of Jada Scemonat near Jerusalem. In these huts, the peasants kept their work tools, and on the roof was the observation point for surveillance.

What is the meaning of this tower? It is the symbol of the Lord’s gaze that protects and watches over his vineyard, his people, with a maternal solicitude. Watch because thieves and bandits are always ready to jump over the wall and the hedge, and if you let them enter, they steal, kill, and devastate the vineyard.

How does the Lord watch over his vineyard today? He does not do it directly, but he sends his angels, the mediators of his care. We know many of these angels who are present in our communities; they are the ones who see to it that no one messes up the vineyard of the Lord, that no anti-evangelical proposals are introduced. And when this occurs, these angels watching over the tower immediately intervene, raising their voices, awakening the attention.

After having entrusted the vineyard to the peasants, the great owner has left, and now begins the time of the harvesting of the fruits. The hearers of the parable are the Pharisees, the spiritual leaders of the people, the high priests are those who offer burnt offerings to the Lord. They must have been thinking as they listened to the parable: “If the Lord comes to ask us for the fruits, we have them in abundance. Just look at the esplanade of the Temple… is full of pilgrims praying, bringing chosen lambs to offer them to the Lord… The Lord will certainly be satisfied if he comes to us to gather the fruit”…

However, let’s listen to how the parable continues:

“When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned. Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way.”

Who do these envoys represent, whom the vineyard’s owner sends to gather the fruits? They represent the prophets. Jeremiah, in chapter 7 of his book, refers to his people, saying: “Since they came out of the land of Egypt, the Lord has always sent his servants, the prophets, to show them the right decisions to make; but they have not listened to them and have decreed their ruin.”

Jesus distinguishes between two groups of envoys. He was probably referring to the prophets sent by God before the exile and those sent after the exile. And what did these prophets ask of the people of Israel? They continually asked for the fruits that the Lord expects. Isaiah says so in the first chapter of his book: “Learn to do right; seek justice, help the oppressed, defend the fatherless, protect the widow” (Is 1:17). And what did these envoys find instead? They found solemn liturgies and sacrifices, lambs, incense, prostrations, burnt offerings. These were not the fruits that God wanted from his people. These were external practices by which they deceived themselves into thinking they were right with the Lord. The prophet Isaiah says at the beginning of his book: “Bring me no more worthless offerings; the smoke of the incense is detestable… your solemnities and feasts I detest… I close my eyes when you stretch out your hands” (Is 1:13). He is not interested in these things. He wants justice.

In chapter 58, Isaiah always mentions the fruits that God desires. Instead of the false fast, he wants the true fast that pleases God: “You bend your head like a reed, to lie down on matting and ashes. Do you call that fasting? The fact that I want is this: to open unjust prisons, to break the bars of the stocks, to let the oppressed go free; to share your bread with the hungry, to give hospitality the homeless poor, clothe him whom you see naked, and do not neglect your brother, who is your flesh” (Is 58:3-7). They are your brothers.

These calls of the prophets, however, annoyed the Israelites. And what did they then do with the envoys? Exactly what Jesus tells in the parable: some they beat, some they stoned, some they killed. The most hated of all was Jeremiah, who was stoned and cast into a cistern; Uriah was killed; Zechariah was stoned in the Temple courtyard. This happened to Israel. This was how they treated the prophets who continually came to ask for the fruits that God wanted: Justice, love, and attention to the poor.

And today, the Lord continues to send his prophets, who call and demand the same fruits. How are these prophets treated? Let us try to think how their brothers of faith received them: Primo Mazzolari (an Italian priest who worked in the peripheries), Don Lorenzo Milani (prophet of a Church going out), Oscar Romero (Salvadoran bishop who defended the option for the poor), Tonino Bello (Italian bishop, pacifist), and Turoldo (servant of the Word). Let us try to ask ourselves what is happening today with those who ask for a more evangelical attitude, with those who demand the end of political climbing in the Church. What happens with those who denounce how the goods of the Church are managed today, a way contrary to the Creator’s plan? What about those who denounce a hypocritical religiosity that only appeases consciences but does not give the Lord what he wants? What happens with the prophets who denounce the incoherence of certain religious practices, certain traditions that have nothing to do with the Gospel? They are persecuted.

We may ask ourselves: How can these prophets be recognized? These are some signs that make them recognizable: They are people who never seek personal benefit; they do not act to obtain favors, recognition, honorary titles, and promotions in their career. A passion for the Gospel always dictates their words, for justice; their call are always centered on the fruits that the Lord expects: love and care for the poor. They are people who are always on the side of the last and, in fact, always have problems with those in power, both political and religious. One last criterion: Prophets are the ones who always pay with their own life.

After the prophets, the Lord decided to send his Son. Let us listen:

“Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’ They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.”

As the prophets had done, the son asked for the vineyard’s fruit. And what did he find? The synoptic evangelists tell us another parable: the parable of the barren fig tree. The fig tree, like the vine, is one of the symbols of the people of Israel, a people that produce tasty fruits to offer to their God. What did Jesus find in this fig tree? The evangelists say that in the morning, Jesus was hungry and went to a fig tree looking for fruit and found only leaves. Of course, it is only a parable. The leaves indicate the appearances of religiosity that Jesus found in Israel; he did not find the only fruits that the Lord wants, and the leaves deceive because they hide the lack of the fruits, which are the only thing that God is interested in.

The son also disturbed those in charge of the vineyard. And what did they do? They cast him out and killed him. The parable describes exactly what they did to Jesus, not the people of Israel, of course, but those who considered themselves the owners of the vineyard and wanted to increase their prestige over the simple people, to maintain their privileges. That is why they got rid of the son that bothered them.

Let us be careful because today we can make the same mistake, lord it over the vineyard, drive away the Son… The parable certainly offers reasons for reflection. In the first place, those who have a great responsibility in the ecclesial community can forget that the Gospel is the point of reference for every choice. They are not the masters of the vineyard. Today, a danger exists because it already existed in the primitive Church. Peter, in his first Letter, writes to the elders of the communities and says to them: “I, an elder like yourselves, commend to you that you lead the flock of God not out of shameful self-interest, but in a generous spirit.” Do not become masters but become models of the flock. It is not only the ecclesiastical hierarchies who must rethink their way of living and administering the Lord’s vineyard. Every baptized person runs the risk of driving the Son out of the vineyard.

We can give some examples: If we introduce the mentality that justifies the accumulation of goods as it is done in the justice of the world; if we do this, we drive out Christ and his Gospel from the vineyard because Jesus says blessed are the poor, not those who accumulate. This is the mentality of the world; if we introduce it in the vineyard, we expel the Gospel. If we justify wars by saying: “not all, of course; only the necessary ones,” we drive Christ and his Gospel out of the vineyard because Jesus did not think so. If we conform to the present mentality regarding sexuality and forget the proposal of the family, which is a testimony of fidelity and unconditional love, we move Christ and his Gospel out of the way to make way to a pagan conception of sexuality.

What happens when we expel the Son of the Gospel from society? The famous phrase has been circulating for some time: “God is dead; we have killed him.” The consequences of this murder are before the eyes of all; we see what is produced by man detached from the Gospel, detached from Christ: horror, loneliness, lack of sense of life, violence, destruction of Creation, arrogance, and many other aberrations, some already in progress and others programmed.

The parable ends with the dramatic scene of the murder of the son, the one who came last to ask for the fruits that the Lord expects. With the killing of the son, it is all over. They have won the battle. Will they keep the vineyard forever? Let’s listen to how the parable continues:

Jesus asked the chief priests and Pharisees: “‘What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?’ They answered him, ‘He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Did you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes’? Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.’ When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them. And although they were attempting to arrest him, they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet.”

At the end of the parable, Jesus addresses his listeners directly and tells them that they, the elders, the high priests are the caretakers of the vineyard. And he asks them directly: “If you were in the place of the vineyard’s owner, what would you do?” The answer immediately emerges and I believe it is very similar to the one we would have given: “He will put an end to those wicked ones and will lease the vineyard to other vinedressers who will give him its fruit in due season.” Jesus replies: “Have you not read the scriptures? God does not behave like that.” God only does works of love; he does not destroy anyone. What will God do? He will take the stone rejected by the builders and lay it as a cornerstone of a wonderful new building, a temple from which sacrifices will be raised to heaven, the only burnt offerings pleasing to God, which are works of love. Jesus meant that God would transform the greatest crime committed by people into a masterpiece of love and salvation.

The conclusion presents us with dramatic images that may shock us but are good news, a proclamation of joy and hope. Jesus is a defeated one; the stone has been rejected and induces us to think that evil has conquered. But no. What the parable is telling us with these dramatic images is that, whoever falls under this stone will perish, will be crushed by it. Attention: These are Semitic images to tell us the lamb is stronger than the wolves; he who loved and gave his life is stronger than those who took it from him. And, therefore, this is a proclamation of joy, of hope that evil will never prevail.

This lamb, this stone that has been cast away, is stronger than the wolves.

I wish you all a good Sunday and a good week.

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