Friends, welcome to Word on Fire Catholic Ministries. Word on Fire is an

apostolate dedicated to the mission of evangelization using media both old and

new to share the faith on every continent and to facilitate an encounter with

Christ and His Church. The efforts of Word on Fire engage the culture and bring

the transformative power of God's Word where it is most needed. Today we invite

you to join Bishop Robert Barron as he preaches the gospel and shares the

warmth and light of Christ with each one of us. Peace be with you. Friends, our

first reading for this weekend is taken from the fifth chapter of the prophet

Isaiah. Isaiah is probably the prophet we read from the most in the Old Testament

throughout the liturgical years. So again, when you have a chance, take out your

bibles and maybe get a good commentary, but read your way through the prophet

Isaiah. He is featured prominently in many of the liturgical readings. And the

image from today's reading is a classic trope within the Israelite tradition.

And what I mean here is the image of the vineyard as an evocation of the people

Israel. You know, it's funny since I came out here to Southern California. I live

in vineyard country because I'm in Santa Barbara and just north of me a bit. You

have some of the most famous vineyards and you know, wine tasting centers and

all of that. So as I make my way around the region, I go past vineyards all the

time. So the imagery from this sings to me a little bit more now that I'm here.

What we have Isaiah tells us is a kind of love song between the maker of the

vineyard and his and his vineyard. But it's a love song that emphasizes if I

might put it this way, the demand of love. Now here's what I mean. Listen to

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