The Vineyard of the World and Our Very Lives

Last week I attended a conference on professional guardianship that was chock full of useful information about this practice by experts from fields that spanned the spectrum from geriatrics to animal hoarding. As relevant and insightful as the presentations were, they were all bested by the final keynote talk given by two diminutive nuns who spoke about the importance of self-regard, self-care, and self-love in seeking to provide guardianship services to persons who are truly vulnerable and at the mercy of their caregivers. After the hour-and-a-half talk which included a number of practical exercises and a great deal of laughter, one could perceive a palpable, positive energy coursing through the room - it was truly a great way to end the conference.


The metaphor that the nuns wrapped their talk around was the notion of having a positive, loving impact on one's little corner of "the vineyard." This is a scriptural metaphor that can be found in both the Old and New Testaments. The readings for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time (two weekends ago) actually focus on this metaphor. What is interesting about the metaphor is that it refers to both a place (Mt. 21:33-43) and a people (Isaiah 5:1-7). In other words, the Lord's vineyard is both the world in which we work and live and our very selves. We are not only called by God to cultivate, tend, and transform the world but to be cultivated, tended, and transformed as a part of the world. We are not mere laborers working on a project but equally a project that is labored upon.


The value of suggesting that our lives are akin to a vineyard and project that is being cultivated by God is that it can help us to approach all the events of our lives in a spirit of hope - especially the challenging ones. Just as a grape endures the intensity of the sun in order to mature and ripen, so our lives mature, ripen, and deepen when we allow them to be exposed to all that life has to offer. If one reflects on the events of ones life that led to growth, maturation, and depth, it is likely the case that the events were intense, difficult, challenging, or, perhaps, even painful. When we grow in the awareness that we are not mere laborers in the vineyard but a part of the vineyard itself, we needn't shy or back away from the intense, challenging, or even daunting aspects of life: it is precisely such conditions that will lead to the full-maturation of our lives and produce a vintage of unequaled beauty, depth, and richness.