TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
24 SEPTEMBER 2017
This
parable of Jesus grabs our attention, as it grabbed the attention of his
original listeners. It was not easy to
make a living in that world. A father
who wanted to feed his family had to show up at the marketplace early in the
morning. With luck, a landowner would
hire him to begin working at 6:00. He
would work all day under the hot sun until 6:00 that evening. In return for his hard work, he would receive
one denarius – enough to feed his family for one day. He would have to repeat this every day,
except for the Sabbath.
The parable
does explain why there are more workers showing up in the marketplace
throughout the day. Maybe they have
difficulties that keep them from coming earlier, or maybe they do not have a
good work ethic. Whatever the reason,
the landowner invites the latecomers to work in his vineyard at 9:00, at noon,
at 3:00, and even one hour before quitting time. That is when Jesus gets their attention. The landowner hands out the daily wage –
beginning with the last ones hired. They
receive the usual wage of one denarius.
The word spreads quickly through the line of those waiting to be paid. Those at the end of the pay line are shocked
to hear that those who had labored only one hour receive the same wage as they
who had worked all day. It is not fair,
they complain. And we have to shake our
heads in agreement. It is not fair.
But Jesus
is not talking about fair labor practices.
He is talking about the kingdom of heaven. Like the landowner, the Lord is more
interested in calling people to work in his vineyard than what their labor can
produce. At this Mass, we thank God for
calling us to labor in his vineyard, in this parish community. It is not always easy, but we are learning
how to work together, to worship together, and to enter into a community of
faith together.
For
whatever reason, there are still lots of folks out there who are still waiting
to be invited to work in the Lord’s vineyard.
Maybe they live in the same cul-de-sac and surprised us when they showed
up at church with their second grader for First Communion. Maybe they are so
busy with travel teams that they can’t find time to join us. Maybe they are members of our family who have
lost interest in any kind of organized religion. Maybe they were hurt by someone or something
in the parish and stay away because they are angry.
Whatever
the reason their reason for staying away, the Lord is inviting us to be
landlords going out into the marketplace searching for workers in the vineyard,
because we are the Body of Christ in this time and in this place. The Lord has given us some important
tools. The Rite of Christian Initiation
of Adults is a wonderful way for people to take a step in faith and begin the
process of inquiring whether the Catholic Church is the right place for
them. We have found that Christ Renews
His Parish has been an effective tool in renewing the faith of lots of people
in this parish and connecting them more firmly with the parish community. If you have participated in one of these
processes or another ministry that has drawn you more closely into the mystery
of Christ’s love, go into the marketplace, go to what Pope Francis calls the peripheries. To do that, we have to go beyond our comfort
zones and risk rejection. Don’t yell at
them. Don’t preach to them. Don’t judge them. Just tell them what a great joy it is to be
in relationship with Jesus Christ.
Invite them to come and see for themselves, as the Samaritan woman at
the well did after her encounter with Jesus Christ. Maybe they have been waiting to be invited.
The prophet
Isaiah is correct. God’s ways are not
our ways. We can proclaim God’s ways and
help people understand that laboring in the Lord’s vineyard is a wonderful
opportunity. It does not matter when they respond to the invitation. When they do, they learn that putting
themselves last will allow the Lord to put us first in the kingdom of heaven.
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