My family and I would often say that the Bloomsburg Fair “is better than Christmas.” I suspect that many of us have experienced or at least heard of the Bloomsburg fair in some way. At one of my favorite apple dumpling stands the employees wore shirts that said, “Have you had your apple today?” Since then, I have been on a slight apple-binge. I credit my recent daily apple eating because I saw a shirt that reminded me to do so. We are constantly being given simple and unexpected messages that remind us to do something positive – simple or profound. Some messages we accept and others we become hostile to. In this Sunday’s gospel (Matthew 21:33-43), we are given yet another parable about a vineyard. This time we hear about a landowner who sends various messengers into his vineyard which has been overtaken by hostile tenants. These tenants go to the extreme in refusing to listen to the message they are given – resulting in the cruel treatment of the messengers. God is still speaking to us through various messages and modern-day prophets. We can choose to ignore and grow hostile to these messages or we can embrace them as we pursue God’s voice in our lives. Whether we are given a message to make a simple and healthy choice – like eating an apple – or we are reminded of something much more serious – like sharing the good news of the gospel – all of us are called to listen, put away our hostility, and respond to the voice of God.