On October 8, 2023, Fr. Romke delivered the homily that follows this brief introduction, centering on the parable of the tenants. In his reflections, he underscores a profound truth: our calling is to LOVE people and USE things, steering clear of the perilous pitfall of loving THINGS and using PEOPLE. While this lesson is intended for everyone, it has a particular pertinence for leaders who, amidst the many pressures they face, may inadvertently reduce individuals to mere tools for achieving their goals.
Nonetheless, amidst this challenge, the Church's social teaching provides a steadfast reminder, expressed succinctly by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in its 2014 Vocation of the Business Leader. Drawing on the teachings of Pope John Paul II in Laborem Exercens, it states that “the subjective dimension of work acknowledges its dignity and importance. It helps us to see that work is for the person and not the other way around. Employees are not mere ‘human resources’ or ‘human capital.’” With this backdrop, Fr. Romke's homily follows.
There is really nothing that I love more than spending time visiting the grade school here at the parish. . . it’s pretty much my favorite non-sacramental thing to do as a priest because kids are awesome. They’re fun, they’re usually pretty kind, AND you never know what crazy kinds of things they could say or do at any moment! They are like a bomb of hilarity that is ready to go off at any moment!
I’ll never forget one day when I visited a classroom of 5th graders at my previous parish. As I entered the room I could tell that the room was buzzing with excitement and energy. I quickly found out why: The teacher was revealing the results of some academic competition that all of the students had participated in, and in order to have a little fun with the kids, she was counting down the top 10 scores. She began with 10 students standing in the front of the room, and when she would give the results starting with 10, then 9, then 8, the kids would sit down. At the point when I walked in there were only 4 kids left, and I immediately noticed not only that the braniac from the class was up there, but a kid who usually struggled in school was up there as well. Number 4 was read, and then number 3, and the know-it-all as well as the kid who struggled were the final two standing. Their faces were complete opposites of each other at this point: He had the biggest smile that I had ever seen on his face, as he was surprised that he had made it this far . . . she, on the other hand, looked as pale as a ghost as she worried about not being number one. . . . the teacher paused for a moment to allow the suspense to build, and then excitedly announced that the boy, after years and years of struggling in school, had achieved the highest score for their class!
Here’s where it got good . . . and I’ll tell you in advance that I had to walk out of the room in order to keep myself from laughing: The girl shot the boy a nasty look, then she burst into tears, ran up to the teacher and said: This can’t be happening, . . . how is this going to affect my college options . . . will this limit my scholarship opportunities????
In the midst of one of the happiest moments of the boy’s life, all that this girl could think about was how some meaningless competition would affect her scholarship opportunities 8 years down the road! All that she thought of in that moment was herself and how SHE would be affected. It was ALL about her.
I mention this today in light of a teaching from St. John Paul II about the way in which we are called to go about loving the people who are in our lives. He teaches that there are 2 main approaches that anyone can take when it comes to interacting with others. The first is the utilitarian approach, which looks at everything in the world simply as something to be used, and as a result, judges the value or usefulness of a thing based on the results one can get from it. This of course would make sense when we’re trying to figure out the value of a screwdriver or a car . . . or any other object . . . BUT, I’m sure we can see how this could be a problem when it comes to looking at people in this manner: simply as an object for our use. People of course have an inherent value and dignity that is not at ALL based on our usefulness for them and how they affect us, our ideas, and our plans!
This is precisely the point that St. John Paul II highlights when he promotes the 2nd approach to encountering and interacting with people, and he calls the 2nd approach the personalist approach - which says that it is perfectly OK to use things, but that we never ever ever use people. In other words in every relationship we have we NEED to seek to see the value and the dignity of the other person in themselves, and not simply for how useful they may be for benefiting us for our own sake. In other words, to sum it all up: we are called to LOVE people and USE things, and to avoid the trap of loving THINGS and using PEOPLE! And just what does it mean to LOVE another person? It means that we desire their good . . . which of course is the opposite of desiring to USE them for MY good. . . St. John Paul II actually says that the opposite of LOVE is NOT hate . . but rather that the opposite of love is "use."
This of course is a very brief overview, but the whole book seeks to teach the idea that love must be rooted in the value of the person and not in how they benefit me.
I wish in the situation that I witnessed at school, that the girl could have perceived the JOY of her classmate, because it was a truly BEAUTIFUL thing . . . I deeply wished she could have perceived this, and as a result, been able to rejoice at his achievement. But in the end, she got upset and simply viewed him as an obstacle in her way, and the look that she shot him made it clear that she wasn’t finding him very useful NOR valuable at that moment!
I mention all of this in light of the parable of the landowner, his vineyard, and the tenants to whom he leased his land. If we glance at the different pieces at play – we can see that the vineyard in itself is a THING to be used – to cultivate and bring about good in the world and produce a product that brings joy! So too, the tenants of course were able to use the vineyard to make a profit for themselves. They certainly LOVED this vineyard and there’s not a problem with that. It is GOOD that we enjoy the things and opportunities that God presents us with. And now that we’ve considered the “thing being used” – we turn our attention to the “People who ought to be loved” – and these people, of course, are the servants who were sent – the first servant was beaten. . . the second was killed . . . and the third was stoned . . . now, last time I checked throwing stones at another person with the intent to harm them ISN’T loving . . . even if the rocks being thrown are in the shape of HEARTS – isn’t not loving!!!! The tenants saw them as THREATS to their own comfortable way of life – and suddenly didn’t find these people very useful – so they wanted to do away with them – and that’s what they did!
This is BAD . . . REALLY REALLY BAD . . . but it gets worse! Because the landowner sent His Son . . . we’re told that He thought that they would RESPECT His son . . . RESPECT is a sign of love – but they didn’t choose to love the son – rather, they came to the same conclusion that he wasn’t very useful to them, and so they killed him too.
Let me say for just a moment that I’m VERY VERY glad that the girl at school didn’t make an attempt on the boy's life! But she did attempt to kill the joy within him. My question that I want all of us to honestly consider in our hearts is this: How often do I value THINGS, SITUATIONS, and CIRCUMSTANCES in my life over and above the PEOPLE who are in my life? How often do I treat people based upon how they affect my own benefits, opportunities, and comforts? And ultimately: How often do I love things and USE people rather than humbly and even sacrificially choosing to use things and love people? The most powerful vantage point to view this from requires considering what LOVE really is: Love IS being willing to sacrifice or pour one’s own self out for the good of another – in other words: love is more than just a feeling!!!! Love is nothing less than sacrificing for the good of another. So – the question becomes REAL when it’s phrased in light of this definition of Love: Do I sacrifice things in my life for the sake of the good of another . . . . OR do I do the opposite – do I at time sacrifice the good of another for the sake of myself? It is a hard question to honestly answer because it seems so harsh – but if we’re completely honest with ourselves I imagine that in some ways we all fall into this trap sometimes!
Here is what it ultimately boils down to: the tenants who killed whatever threats came against their own perceived benefits that they wanted to cling to – we’re told that they would be put to a wretched death and that the vineyard would be given to others who would give the produce to the landowner at the proper times. . . the first thing that I would say is that the evil tenants were already dead on the inside . . . clinging with a death-grip to their things essentially was choking the life out of them. But even more important to notice is that when Jesus applies this parable to our lives – He explains that the kingdom of God will be taken away from these people and given to those who will produce its fruit . . . at first glance it seems as if this is a direct comparison to the parable . . . BUT there’s actually a HUGE shift that happens. You see – the evil tenants produced physical fruit in the vineyard – and then simply wouldn’t hand it over . . . they did in fact PRODUCE it – they just wanted to cling to it . . . but at the end, when Jesus speaks of the Kingdom of God – He says that the Kingdom of Heaven will be given to those who PRODUCE its fruit. It’s taken away from those who fail to produce the fruit in the first place! 🡪 What’s happening here is that within the Kingdom of God – which is at hand and is among us right here and right now – the produce ISN’T the physical things around us . . . the produce in the Kingdom of God isn’t comprised of things to be used . . . . the produce of the kingdom of God are the souls of those whom He loves! And we need to treasure THIS produce . . . we need to LOVE the people around us – because if we don’t, then our hearts die and we lose the kingdom that God desires to have vibrantly alive within us.
So, I want to invite you today to take some time in prayer to truly and DEEPLY examine your heart and your conscience – not just on the surface – but to be honest with yourself on the level that matters and can actually make a difference in your own life . . . . ask yourself what areas in your life need to be revived? What places in your day-to-day life do you find that you not only shortchange people but even shortchange yourself by using people and love things . . . where do you at times sacrifice the good of others for your own benefit? And what opportunities present themselves each day to truly LOVE another person whom God places in your path . . . to LOVE them when circumstances seem to present them to you as nuisances and obstacles to your own plans or your own good? Ask God to help you to see every person as the produce that He desires for you to cultivate, nurture, and to help grow. Be the worker in God’s vineyard and God’s Kingdom that He's calling you to be. Be grateful for what you’ve already been given – in realizing that you’re blessed to have been called to work in God’s vineyard in the first place . . . and realize that in letting go – and not using people – that you won’t be left wanting because God will give you everything that you need . . . and know that growing in God’s love certainly won’t limit your scholarship opportunities!
About the Author
Fr., Keith Romke is a Roman Catholic Priest of the Diocese of Rockford. He was ordained in 2011 and has served in multiple parishes throughout Northern Illinois and is currently the Pastor of Saints Peter and Paul Church in Cary, IL. He is passionate about helping people claim and receive the Love that God has for them, and enabling others to understand that their value comes in who they are in God's eyes rather than being based upon the results of what they do.
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