October 8, 2023: Our Union With God

In this episode, Father Loomis discusses the marital language used in the reading of Isaiah where God is singing a song about a friend that owned a vineyard that yielded wild grapes. The Hebrew word used for “friend” in this context actually means “beloved”… the preferred term in Song of Songs for the royal bridegroom of a bride who is often referred to as a vineyard. Father Loomis suggests that we read the passage of Isaiah, making the groom His son Jesus, and the vineyard as us, His bride. “He clears it of the stones”… meaning “he takes away our sins.” “He spades the soil”… meaning “he proclaims the good news to till the heart.” “He plants the choicest vines”… meaning “he gives each of us the gifts of the Holy Spirit.” Father continues, “But now we have to ask ourselves- is it unreasonable for the Father to ask that His Son be loved in return?” He asks us to reflect on the question, “are we bearing the fruit intended by this nuptial union?” In the words of Saint Paul, “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” Obviously we WANT to yield good fruit, but quite often we miss that. Father asks, “what helps a good marriage be good?” and suggests three basic expectations: exclusivity, monogamy, and permanence. He identifies the ways in which we can fulfill these expectations to strengthen our bond and our union with God, one of those being in the practice of Adoration- asserting that it is the BEST way to strengthen intimacy with Christ. Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time: First Reading: Isaiah 5:1-7 Second Reading: Philippians 4:6-9 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 80:9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20 Gospel: Matthew 21:33-43