TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
24 SEPTEMBER 20
The
Prophet Isaiah says that God’s ways are not our ways. In the Gospels from the last few Sundays, Jesus
has made that point clear in his teachings and parables. He has been talking about God’s endless mercy
and stated that we must imitate that mercy.
Today’s parable takes another step in reminding us that God’s ways are
not our ways.
He does not
say why day laborers are still waiting to be hired throughout the day. We automatically think that they are lazy and
wanted to sleep in. But, maybe they do
not have the skills that caused the landowner to hire the workers at dawn. Maybe they had some kind of disability. When the landowner pays the laborers, who had
worked only one hour the usual amount, the word goes up the line, raising the
expectations that those who had been hired at dawn would receive more. However, they grumble against the landowner
and accuse him of being unfair. The
landowner calls one of them “friend,” and defends his incredible generosity to
all, even to those who have worked in the vineyard all day or just one hour.
This
parable makes it clear that Jesus is not talking about an earthly kingdom. The United Auto Workers would never have
hired him to negotiate with the auto makers!
Jesus explains that we are all invited to share fully in the eternal joy
of the Kingdom of Heaven, whether we have practiced our faith all our lives or come
to faith at the very end. In the
Kingdom, God is more interested in generosity than in fairness, in mercy more
than justice, and in the surprises of graces more than predictable rules of
precedent.
We who
preach the Gospel in our parish on a regular basis are entrusted with the task
of making sure that everyone is invited to be part of the Kingdom of
Heaven. We are not alone in an isolated
parish. We are supported by the Bishop
and the wider Diocese. Please turn your
attention to this video and listen as Bishop Rhoades explains how our funds for
the Annual Bishop’s Appeal are used.
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