Tobit 1:3; 2:1-8 / Mark 12:1-12
Our faith and the Church teaches us that life is sacred because God is the Creator and it is He who gives life.
Life may be sacred for us, but for the world life is cheap.
At least from the way conflicts and differences are resolved by violence and war, it is quite obvious that life is cheap and counted as nothing.
When we see footage of dead bodies of an armed conflict, we don't shudder anymore. It is like watching a movie and we don't feel the effects of the atrocity.
In both readings of today, death seems to have a prominent role and it is of a violent nature.
In the 1st reading, a man was strangled to death and left there at the market place.
In the gospel parable, the servants and eventually the son of owner of the vineyard were killed by the tenants.
Even Jesus died a violent death by crucifixion. It goes to show that mankind will violently extinguish a life (or even numerous lives) if it continues to be a problem.
But respect for life and the sanctity of life are the key tenets of our faith.
Our witnessing to love and forgiveness and reconciliation will be the only answer to those who think that life is cheap.