A time of Lexio devena for the discerning heart.

Monday of the ninth week in ordinary time.

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly.

For the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of the stay to the Lord. Say slowly from your heart, Jesus, I trust in you. You take over. Become aware. Become aware that he is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within your heart.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark, chapter 12, verses 1 through 12.

Jesus began to speak to the chief priest, the scribes, and the elders, in parables.

A man planted a vineyard. He fenced it around, dug out a trough for the wine press, and built a tower.

Then he leased it to tenants and went abroad.

When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce from the vineyard.

But they seized the man, thrashed him, and sent him away empty-handed.

Next he sent another servant to them.

Him they beat about the head and treated shamefully.

And he sent another and him they killed.

Then a number of others, and they thrashed some and killed the rest.

He had still someone left, his beloved son.

He sent him to them last of all.

They will respect my son, he said.

But those tenants said to each other, this is the heir.

Come on, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.

So they seized him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard.

Now what will the owner of the vineyard do?

He will come and make an end of the tenants and give the vineyard to others. Have you not read

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