Sometimes it is very difficult to remain faithful to our spiritual way of life. The world is a difficult place, and it brings us many challenges, temptations, and obstacles. Fortunately, Jesus has given us everything we need for godliness, especially knowledge of God. He has also made us sharers in the divine nature. We have such powerful resources, but we must use this goodness, knowledge, and discipline to form ourselves spiritually. Our spirituality is not a self-help program - it is living out the gifts that God has given us.

Mark rewrote a parable from Isaiah 5 - the song of the vineyard. He was trying to show his listeners that God had continually sent messengers to warn people and to call them to justice and holiness. They had not responded - they had even rebelled and abused the prophets. Now they were going to pay the consequences. This parable is also aimed at us, for this is a human problem. Do we listen to the voices of saints, sages, and teachers that God sends to us? Are our hearts and minds open and prepared to see things in a new way? Merely being rigid and unchanging is not fidelity but listening to the Spirit is. God has not ceased sending us messengers - let us keep our eyes and hearts open to their presence.