Lectionary: 133

Reading 1:

IS 55:6-9

Seek the LORD while he may be found,

call him while he is near.

Let the scoundrel forsake his way,

and the wicked his thoughts;

let him turn to the LORD for mercy;

to our God, who is generous in forgiving.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.

As high as the heavens are above the earth,

so high are my ways above your ways

and my thoughts above your thoughts.

Responsorial Psalm:
PS 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18

R. (18a) The Lord is near to all who call upon him.

Every day will I bless you,

and I will praise your name forever and ever.

Great is the LORD and highly to be praised;

his greatness is unsearchable.

R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.

The LORD is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger and of great kindness.

The LORD is good to all

and compassionate toward all his works.

R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.

The LORD is just in all his ways

and holy in all his works.

The LORD is near to all who call upon him,

to all who call upon him in truth.

R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.

Reading 2:

PHIL1:20C-24, 27A

Brothers and sisters:

Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.

For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.

If I go on living in the flesh,

that means fruitful labor for me.

And I do not know which I shall choose.

I am caught between the two.

I long to depart this life and be with Christ,

for that is far better.

Yet that I remain in the flesh

is more necessary for your benefit.

Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ.

Alleluia

ACTS 16:14B

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Open our hearts, O Lord,

to listen to the words of your Son.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

MT 20:1-16A

Jesus told his disciples this parable:

“The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner

who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.

After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage,

he sent them into his vineyard.

Going out about nine o’clock,

the landowner saw others standing idle in the marketplace,

and he said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard,

and I will give you what is just.’

So they went off.

And he went out again around noon,

and around three o’clock, and did likewise.

Going out about five o’clock,

the landowner found others standing around, and said to them,

‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’

They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’

He said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard.’

When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman,

‘Summon the laborers and give them their pay,

beginning with the last and ending with the first.’

When those who had started about five o’clock came,

each received the usual daily wage.

So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more,

but each of them also got the usual wage.

And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying,

‘These last ones worked only one hour,

and you have made them equal to us,

who bore the day’s burden and the heat.’

He said to one of them in reply,

‘My friend, I am not cheating you.

Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?

Take what is yours and go.

What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?

Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?

Are you envious because I am generous?’

Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Well, isn't this about the most unfair parable you've ever heard? The workers who spent an entire day out in the hot sun wind up getting paid the same amount as those who worked only an hour! How can this be fair?

But let's think about this a little bit. I’d like to look at it from a few different perspectives. Like a finely cut diamond, this parable has many facets and lessons to be learned.

Perspective #1: Salvation

It’s probably obvious The vineyard owner is Christ and we are the workers. The wages he offers is eternal life in heaven. So, right away you can see that, in this parable, Jesus offers eternal life to everyone, even those who worked only an hour.

It is tempting to think that God expects us to slavishly earn merit in God’s eyes, much the way we earn a paycheck. This is heresy. Our relationship with God is not like a “bank account” where we accumulate grace that can be cashed in at the end of the day. This parable teaches us that God’s grace, God’s mercy, is given lavishly, not according to our ordinary notions of what’s fair, but according to the generosity and providence of God.

Another important takeaway about salvation in this parable is that, as Jesus says in Luke 12:48: “Every one to whom much is given, of him will much be required. “Remember those who worked all day? They were, no doubt, the young, the healthy, the strong. They were the “gifted” to whom much was given, so much was expected of them.

Perspective #2: Human Dignity

The people that Jesus addressed this parable to knew a completely different workday reality than we know today. In their day, life expectancy was about 50 years old and there existed little or no medical care therefore much of the workforce had some type of physical limitation. So many people couldn’t work all day out in the hot sun, and as a result, many times the elderly, widows & handicapped went without.

So it was typical that, in Jesus’ day, business owners that needed labor would pick first young men who were strong and could work the whole day.

As the day wore on, older people, maybe in their thirties and forties would show up at noon or early afternoon because they couldn’t work all day. Late in the afternoon, the old and the people who simply couldn't work long at all would show up. This was the reality that all those who heard this parable understood — that you showed up for work but many or most couldn’t work all day.

So why does the owner pay them all the same amount? It’s because Jesus is teaching us the essential dignity of ALL people, regardless of who they are or their ability to be productive. All people are created equal in God’s eyes and have equal human dignity. Note here to stay-at-home moms: I am sure you’ve all heard you should consider getting a job instead of making a home and raising your kids. Here Jesus is clearly telling us that productivity, in the economic sense, just isn’t as important raising children who understand human dignity.

Perspective #3: Envy

At the end of the parable, we find that the worker’s complaint was not that they were defrauded their rightful pay. Rather, they were envious of the workers who worked fewer hours yet received the same pay. Envy is a terrible thing, corrosive to everyone involved. That’s the reason God gave us the 9’th and 10’th commandments which are: Thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s wife and thy neighbor’s goods. God recognized the human tendency toward envy.

I think if Jesus were here at this ambo speaking instead of me, he would remind all of us how gifted and blessed we are to be alive at this point in human history. He would remind us to not only be thankful for all He has given us and to repent and to accept His gift of salvation. He would ask us to remember all of those who died young in wars, diseases, childbirth, natural disasters and today, abortions. He would remind us that to those whom much is given, much will be required.

Let us bow our heads in prayer.

Lord Jesus, we know You are just in all Your ways and holy in all Your works. We give You thanks for your gift of salvation which we know we cannot earn on our own. Please help us to always remember the overarching importance of the dignity of human life and we ask you to forgive us for those times we gave in to the sin of envy. In your name we pray, Amen.