And he began to speak to them in parables:

‘A man planted a vineyard and put around it a wall, and dug a trench for its wine press and he built a watchtower and he rented it to tenant farmers and went on a journey.

‘And at the proper time he sent a slave to the tenants to receive from the tenants part of the produce of the vineyard. And they took him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed.

‘Again he sent another slave to them. They beat that one over the head and treated him dishonourably.

‘And he sent another slave. That one they killed, and many others – some were beaten and others were killed.

‘Still he had one, a beloved son. He sent him last to them saying: “They will respect my son.”  But those tenants said to themselves:  “This is the heir. Come let us kill him, and we will be the heir.”

‘And having taken him, they killed him and threw him out of the vineyard.

‘What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. Have you not read:

“The stone which the builders rejected
this became the main cornerstone.
This is from the Lord, 
And it is amazing in our eyes” (Ps 118:22)?

And they were seeking to seize him, yet they feared the crowd, knowing that he spoke the parable against them. And they left him and went away.

O Love, O God who created me, in your love recreate me.
O Love, who redeemed me,
fill up in me whatever part of your love
has fallen into neglect within me.
O Love, O God, who first loved me,
grant that with my whole heart,
and with my whole soul,
and with my whole strength,
I may love you.

Gertrude the Great