"The Kingdom of God will be taken away from you." The Church is the vineyard of the Lord.

"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." These words of Jesus sound threatening. They are a warning not only for the chief priests and elders of Israel but for us as well.

Today Jesus warns us not to treat the Church and faith as our own property. The Church is a gift from God. The Church is like a vineyard that belongs to God. We are only like tenants who work in the Church in order to produce good fruits. God will ask us about these good fruits at a certain time because these fruit also belong to God.

We often meet people who are like those abusive tenants from today's parable. They question the articles of faith, reject some of God's commandments and disagree with the Church's teaching. They treat the Church like a supermarket where they can choose what they like and leave on the shelf what they don't like.

Today's Gospel is not only a warning but it is also an appeal to all of us who appreciate our faith and who value being in the Church. Every one of us should be like a prophet who is ready to defend the Church and give witness to the faith through our faithfulness. This task is not easy because the world scoffs at prophets and kills them. May our Lenten prayer and penance give us courage that we may be good tenants in the vineyard of the Lord.