The vineyard is not ours

Father Cyrain Cabuñas reflected on the Gospel parable of the wicked tenants in a commentary for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time. He noted that the landowner in the parable entrusts a vineyard to tenants without giving them ownership, a distinction he said the tenants eventually forget.

Cabuñas connected this biblical theme to the Philippines, suggesting that the local tendency to view blessings as personal possessions can lead people to act like owners rather than stewards. He observed that while Filipino culture excels at communal sharing and receiving blessings, the concept of ownership can sometimes shift from communal to individual.

The reflection also remembered the late Resil Mojares, a Cebuano National Artist for Literature. Cabuñas stated that Mojares dedicated his life to looking beyond official histories to recognize the experiences of ordinary people, such as farmers, fishermen, and laborers.