Franciscan Gospel Reflection for the 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time 2026 is here for your prayer. Do you or your family have favorite stories that get told over and over?
The Gospel background and reflection questions are prepared and distributed by Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity Sister Anne Marie Lom, OSF and Joe Thiel, as edited from Reflections authored by Fr. Paul Gallagher, OFM. The excerpts from the Sunday readings are prepared by Joe Thiel. To read or download the complete pdf with excerpts for your prayer, please click here: 27th Sunday Franciscan Gospel Reflection 2026
Photos: Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity; Queen of the Apostles, Pewaukee, Wisconsin
Matthew 21:33-43
Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people: “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. 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. 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.
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.
Background:
In last week’s Gospel, Jesus told the parable of two sons who were asked to work in their father’s vineyard. This week’s Gospel directly follows that, as Matthew presents another parable that Jesus addressed to the temple authorities. This parable speaks of a landowner who has personally done the difficult work of setting up the vineyard. It is speculated that the earliest form of this parable may have been simpler, without all the elements it ultimately has as presented by Matthew. Compared to Mark’s version, Matthew’s includes more detail, and thus makes clear what each element represents.
A basic understanding is that God, represented by the landowner, has generously created all things, and expects each person to fulfill the responsibilities God has bestowed on them. At the same time, the lived experience of the people of Jesus’ time was that very few worked on land that was their own. Most labored for landowners, many of whom lived elsewhere. After covering the costs of social and religious taxes, and whatever was necessary to maintain the land’s productivity, perhaps 20% of the crop’s yielded value was left to sustain the families of the tenants that worked the vineyard. There was an even smaller amount for those who needed to share the proceeds with an absent landowner.
Even in this parable’s most original form, Jesus spoke of the care God had provided in creation, and God’s trust in the people by letting them be the stewards of God’s work. Those in the parable who were sent to collect the rightful owner’s portion represent prophets of the Old Testament who point to the coming of God’s son. The son who died becomes Jesus, outside of Jerusalem, on the cross. The misguided tenant farmers were the religious leaders of the day.
The present-day reader might wonder where in the parable do we look to find meaning, and God speaking in our present lives. If we truly believe that God is actively at work in our history and our lives, then God is working in the scriptures and the parable as it was originally told by Jesus. God provided meticulous care in the course of creation, and then trusts the people to be the stewards of the work made available to them. God works in our lived reality now, and in our lives as we hear the scripture today. God desires to be present to us, and reminds us that our lives are to reflect God’s faithful presence for all.
Reflection Questions:
1. Do you or your family have favorite stories that get told over and over?
2. In the retellings, do you ever find new meaning or new details of the stories that were not apparent earlier? Are you aware of changes in the story, depending on things like who is the teller, or the circumstances in which the story is being told?
3. Have you ever had to ask someone to care for something of yours (house, garden, pet, child) while you were away? Were emotions present within you as you made your request? Did the one you asked fulfill your expectations?
4. The landowner in the parable has done the difficult work of preparing the vineyard. Does the nature of the metaphor give you insight into your role in God’s world? How does your life reflect the reality that God is the creator and you have been entrusted with care of creation?
5. Have there ever been times when you acted as if that which has been entrusted to your care belongs to you? Are there also times when your actions express your belief that God is the creator and you are God’s steward?
6. Who are your heroes whose lives reflect a respect for God as the creator and that we are to be faithful stewards of God’s creation?
7. In the parable, the landowner keeps sending his messengers, and, finally, his own son, to the tenants, even though they are treated cruelly each time. What does it say to you about God’s relationship to you?
8. Can you talk to God as the Creator and your role as steward, the gift of creation with which God has blessed you, or some other aspect of this parable that is meaningful for you?
The Gospel background and reflection questions are prepared and distributed by Sister Anne Marie Lom, OSF and Joe Thiel, as edited from Reflections authored by Fr. Paul Gallagher, OFM. The excerpts from the Sunday readings are prepared by
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