The Feast of St Boniface | Monday 5 June 2023

Today is Monday the 5th of June, the feast of St Boniface, in the ninth week of Ordinary time.

Ex Cathedra, directed by Jeffrey Skidmore, sing Dulce Jesus mio. “My sweet Jesus, look with mercy on my soul.” This is not the prayer of someone proud or haughty or self-satisfied, but of a person aware that they have weaknesses and shortcomings, aware that they cannot do without the help and the love and the mercy of God.

Yya1 Jesuchrixhto,
apuk1rui
ityaku niyausus1p1
ninait1 sobi.
Dulce Jesús mío,
mirad con piedad
mi alma perdida
por culpa mortal.

Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Mark.

Mark 12:1-12


Then he began to speak to them in parables. ‘A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit for the wine press, and built a watch-tower; then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce of the vineyard. But they seized him, and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. And again he sent another slave to them; this one they beat over the head and insulted. Then he sent another, and that one they killed. And so it was with many others; some they beat, and others they killed. He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, “They will respect my son.” But those tenants said to one another, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.” So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. Have you not read this scripture:
“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is amazing in our eyes”?’

When they realized that he had told this parable against them, they wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowd. So they left him and went away.

The readings we’ll be praying with in the first part of this week are all taken from chapter 12 of Mark’s gospel. By this stage, opposition to Jesus is growing. And he knows it. He is telling the story of his own likely future here. What first strikes you as you hear him speak in this way?

Jesus is confident that God will act to overcome any human rejection. Where have you seen God working in this way, in your own life or in the lives of others?

As you hear the passage read again, notice the different ways in which the servants of the vineyard owner are treated, and perhaps recall the stories of people you know, or know about, who have suffered for their beliefs.

If you meet a Jesus who is rejected in this way, how do you want to respond to him? Take these last few moments of prayer to do that.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.