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Gospel Reading for June 1, 2026 – Mark 12: 1-12
TOMORROW IS NEVER GUARANTEED
Jesus began to speak to the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders in parables.
“A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and left on a journey. At the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants to obtain from them some of the produce of the vineyard. But they seized him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent them another servant. And that one they beat over the head and treated shamefully. He sent yet another whom they killed. So, too, many others; some they beat, others they killed. He had one other to send, a beloved son. He sent him to them last of all, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they seized him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come, put the tenants to death, and give the vineyard to others. Have you not read this Scripture passage:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes?”
They were seeking to arrest him, but they feared the crowd, for they realized that he had addressed the parable to them. So they left him and went away.
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They say that “opportunity strikes only once,” but in this parable, the owner of the vineyard—God himself—relentlessly sent his messengers and/or prophets to the tenants to collect his share of the produce. It was rejection upon rejection. Despite the mistreatment and violence inflicted upon his messengers, God never ceased reaching out to his people, patiently calling them back to himself.
“Return, Israel, to the Lord your God.
Your sins have been your downfall!
Take words with you
and return to the Lord.
Say to him:
“Forgive all our sins
and receive us graciously,
that we may offer the fruit of our lips.”
(Hosea 14: 1-2).
Then, as a final and supreme act of love, he sent his only Son, Jesus. Surely, they would respect him. Yet instead, they rejected and killed him as well.
God continues to give us opportunities to participate in the building of his Kingdom. He sent his Son not only to save us but also to show us the way and enable us to share in his mission. Every day is an invitation to bear fruit for God and to respond to his grace.
Since none of us knows when our earthly journey will end, we cannot afford to postpone our response to God. The opportunity to love, to serve, to forgive, and to do his will is always today. TOMORROW IS NEVER GUARANTEED.
Lord Jesus, teach us to live each day as if it were our last, so that we may never take your kindness and generosity for granted, but instead make the most of every grace and opportunity you place before us!
