Living in God’s Vineyard

 

By Deacon Jerry Jablonowski

In this past weekend’s Scripture readings (Isaiah 5:1-7), we hear of the Vineyard of the Lord. The place established for us to remain planted as vines tended to by God and produce good fruit. The good fruit of a life of love, compassion, and mercy. A life of generosity and selflessness. A life of kindness and justice.

However, we often encounter many who prefer to not live in God’s vineyard, but rather own the vineyard themselves and live according to their own rules and ways of life. Being nourished only by the things of this world and not always yielding the good fruits of God’s vineyard.  Those who seek the Truth in the will of the majority rather than in the will of God. Those who often confuse what is legal with what is morally right.

And sometimes we find ourselves planted in such a vineyard when we fail to live up to the Christian ideals of love as Christ has called us to do. This so often happens when we see suffering occur within God’s vineyard and find it hard to reconcile why. Or when we are confronted with the pain of those not living in God’s vineyard and tend to cast judgement on them.

In our professional lives, we  so often struggle with the suffering and dying of those planted firmly and living in God’s vineyard and those living solely in earthy vineyards. And we are bound to care for the vines growing in each. Our work must be remained focus on the health and well being of the vine, the individual, who seeks our care, regardless of where they are planted.

In this very challenging and often confusing world of gender identity, liberal abortion laws, the desire for physician assisted suicide to end one’s life out of fear of suffering, and the behaviors surrounding substance abuse and addiction, physicians and nurses of moral beliefs who keep themselves planted in God’s vineyard, must unconditionally provide care for these individuals when and if they present with health concerns. Not in feeding their desires for morally unconscionable procedures or behaviors, but, rather, helping them through the health issues that may be related to their condition and by assisting them in seeking the right guidance that may help them discover the Truth. Always tending to them with love and compassion, not moral judgment and condemnation. Even though our tendencies, at times, can be judgmental.  We must never succumb to that. This is one of the great moral challenges facing Christian physicians and nurses these days.

As Catholics, we are called to tend to all God’s creation. Our command is to hate the sin, yet love the sinner. And at the same time, with mercy and compassion, help them seek the Truth.  This, at times, is a very tough proposition, yet we must seek the strength of the Holy Spirit within us, to carry out that great command to “Love one another, as I have loved you.”