Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 133
Lectionary: 133
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.
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.
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 2PHIL 1:20C-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.
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.
Gospel 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.”
“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.”
Scripture Study
September 21, 2014 Twenty-Fifth Sunday In Ordinary Time
This Sunday, the readings speak of the generosity of God and of
God’s amazing closeness to and involvement in His creation. Paul urges us to
live our lives in keeping with this Divine involvement. The Gospel forcefully
reminds us that God grants His generosity to whomever He wills and that such an
act on His part is not an injustice to others since no one can earn or really
deserve any favor from God. All such favors are free gifts of God.
First Reading: Isaiah 55:6-9
6 Seek the LORD while he may be found,
call him while he is near.
call him while he is near.
7 Let the scoundrel forsake his way,
and the wicked man his thoughts;
Let him turn to the LORD for mercy;
to our God, who is generous in forgiving.
and the wicked man his thoughts;
Let him turn to the LORD for mercy;
to our God, who is generous in forgiving.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
9 As high as the heavens are above the earth,
so high are my ways above your ways
and my thoughts above your thoughts.
so high are my ways above your ways
and my thoughts above your thoughts.
NOTES on First Reading:
* 55:6 The phrase, “seek the Lord,” is usually used to call
people to worship at the sanctuary but here it urges Israel to find the Lord
elsewhere. There is a strong reference back to Jer 29:10-14 which accentuates
the move away from the sanctuary.
* 55:8-9 God has been described as transcendent and hidden in
Isa 45:15, yet He is near enough to be grieved by sin as in Isa 43:24. God and
His ways are far beyond our understanding. Regardless of our abilities and
desires, in the end, we must let God be God because we are incapable of even
understanding His plan for us.
Second Reading: Philippians 1:20c-24, 27a
20 [My eager expectation and hope is that I shall not be
put to shame in any way, but that with all boldness, now as always,] Christ
will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For
to me life is Christ, and death is gain. 22 If I go on living
in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. And I do not know which I shall
choose. 23 I am caught between the two. I long to depart this
life and be with Christ, (for) that is far better. 24 Yet that
I remain (in) the flesh is more necessary for your benefit. [25 And
this I know with confidence, that I shall remain and continue in the service of
all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that
your boasting in Christ Jesus may abound on account of me when I come to you
again.]
27 Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the
gospel of Christ, [so that, whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear
news of you, that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind struggling
together for the faith of the gospel.]
NOTES on Second Reading:
* 1:20 Paul believes that the power of the Risen Christ which is
active through the Spirit in him will be so effective as to demand public
acknowledgment of Christ’s glory.
The phrase, ” in my body ,” as is typical in Paul’s writing, means ” the entire person as seen by others.” I placed the first part of this verse in brackets to show that it is not included in this reading. The brackets around verses 25, 26 and the last part of 27 mean the same thing.
The phrase, ” in my body ,” as is typical in Paul’s writing, means ” the entire person as seen by others.” I placed the first part of this verse in brackets to show that it is not included in this reading. The brackets around verses 25, 26 and the last part of 27 mean the same thing.
* 1:21 Through baptism, Paul has died to his former life and now
lives a life that belongs entirely to Christ. See Gal 2:19-20; 3:27-28; Phil
3:7-11; Rom 6:3-11. This new life transcends even the normal boundaries of
death. Death is gain because it brings about a greater union with Christ Who
has already passed through the resurrection. Resurrection to a more complete
union with Christ is the goal.
* 1:22 A longer life provides a longer time to preach the Gospel
and bring others to Christ.
* 1:23 Depart means simply to die. Paul seems to envisage some
form of “being with Christ” prior to the general resurrection (2 Cor 5:2-4).
* 1:24 This verse expresses a pragmatic need of the apostolate.
* 1:27 Paul begins his ethical admonition at this early point in
the letter by reminding his readers of the dignity to which they have been
called by the gospel of Jesus.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 20:1-16a
1 “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went
out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After
agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 Going
out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and
he said to them, ’You too go into my vineyard, and I will give you what is
just.’ 5 So they went off. (And) he went out again around
noon, and around three o’clock, and did likewise. 6 Going out
about five o’clock, he found others standing around, and said to them, ’Why do
you stand here idle all day?’ 7 They answered, ’Because no one
has hired us.’ He said to them, ’You too go into my vineyard.’ 8 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.’ 9When those who had started about five o’clock came, each
received the usual daily wage. 10 So when the first came, they
thought that they would receive more, but each of them also got the usual wage. 11 And
on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, 12 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.’ 13 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? 14 Take what is yours and go. What if I wish
to give this last one the same as you? 15 (Or) am I not free
to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?’ 16 Thus,
the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
NOTES on the Gospel:
* 20:1-16 This parable is found only in Matthew. It is not
certain whether the evangelist composed it or received it as part of the
traditional material that was handed on as part of the oral tradition about
Jesus. In its present location, the story’s close association with Matthew
19:30 suggests that its point is the equality of all the disciples in the
reward of inheriting eternal life. It may also be meant to refer to Gentile
Christians as late comers to the worship of the true God. After the Jews had
been God’s people for two thousand years, the Gentile Christians are “Johnny
come latelies” and yet they are welcomed into the fold of Christ.
* 20:1 The vineyard was a common Biblical symbol for Israel (Isa
5; Jer 2:10).
* 20:2 The usual daily wage for a common laborer was a denarius.
* 20:3-7 The times at which men were hired in the story are: 6
am, 9 am, noon, 3 pm, and 5 pm. Other than for the first group, the wage is not
stipulated, except to say that it will be just. The crossroads or marketplace
was the normal place where one would go to look for work or to be hired for the
day.
* 20:7 The men apparently wanted to work but were unemployed.
Their idleness is not the same as laziness. Here work seems to be more
honorable than doing nothing.
* 20:8 The phrase, “beginning with the last,” makes this a
reflection or teaching (some have called it a midrash) on 19:30.
* 20:10 These workers are victims of their own expectations. The
master kept his bargain with them.
* 20:11 Compare with Exod 16:3-8, where Israel grumbled against
God.
* 20:12 The wage is the same but they are not really equal since
the later workers are getting a greater generosity from the master. Compare
with 21:31.
* 20:13 The master is not cheating them. He is giving them what
they agreed to take.
* 20:14 This reflects a classic definition of justice which is
to render to each what is his due.
* 20:15 In this verse, the reversal of fortune is attributed to
the goodness and generosity of God. He loves whom He loves. None of the late
comers earned the full day’s pay but the householder granted it to them out of
his goodness and generosity. So too, we late comers to faith in the true God
can not earn a reward from God but rather we receive it because of God’s
generosity.
* 20:16 This verse repeats the saying of 19:30 in reverse order
forming a chiasm of sorts. A chiasm is an arrangement where each element in the
first part is echoed and elaborated by an element in the second part with the
center element expressing the main point. Chiasm means envelope or sandwich.
This verse has parallels in Mark 10:31 and Luke 13:30.
The chiasm may be described in several different ways; one example is: A Statement of proverb(19:20) B Landowner speaks and sends (20:2-6) C Workers speak (20:7) D Owner says to give them their pay and all get the same wage (20:8-10) C� Workers speak (20:11-12) B� Landowner speaks and sends (20:13-15) A� Statement of proverb in reverse order (20:16) D, the element in the center, is highlighted as the main point of the story. All get the same wage, the gift of the Kingdom.
The chiasm may be described in several different ways; one example is: A Statement of proverb(19:20) B Landowner speaks and sends (20:2-6) C Workers speak (20:7) D Owner says to give them their pay and all get the same wage (20:8-10) C� Workers speak (20:11-12) B� Landowner speaks and sends (20:13-15) A� Statement of proverb in reverse order (20:16) D, the element in the center, is highlighted as the main point of the story. All get the same wage, the gift of the Kingdom.
This verse has parallels in Mark 10:31 and Luke 13:30.
Meditation: "Do you begrudge my
generosity?"
What can work and wages, welfare and the
unemployed tell us about the kingdom of God? In the parable of the laborers in
the vineyard we see the extraordinary generosity and compassion of God. There
is great tragedy in unemployment, the loss of work, and the inability to earn
enough to live and support oneself or one's family. In Jesus' times laborers
had to wait each day in the marketplace until someone hired them for a day's
job. No work that day usually meant no food on the family table. The laborers
who worked all day and received their payment complain that the master pays the
late afternoon laborers the same wage. The master, undoubtedly, hired them in
the late afternoon so they wouldn't go home payless and hungry.
God is generous in opening the doors of his
kingdom to all who will enter, both those who have labored a life-time for him
and those who come at the last hour. While the reward is the same, the motive
for one's labor can make all the difference. Some work only for reward. They
will only put as much effort in as they think they will get back. Others labor
out of love and joy for the opportunity to work and to serve others. The Lord
calls his disciples to serve God and neighbor - his heavenly kingdom and our
earthly community - with generosity and joy. Do you perform your work and
responsibilities with cheerfulness and diligence for the Lord's sake? And do
you give generously to others, especially to those in need of your care and
support?
"Lord Jesus, may I serve you and my
neighbor with a glad and generous heart, not looking for how much I can get but
rather looking for how much I can give."
TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME,
SEPTEMBER 21,
MATTHEW 20:1-16a
(Isaiah 55:6-9; Psalm 145; Philippians 1:20c-24, 27a)
MATTHEW 20:1-16a
(Isaiah 55:6-9; Psalm 145; Philippians 1:20c-24, 27a)
KEY VERSE: "Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last" (v 16).
READING: The grape harvest in Israel ripened toward the end of September, and was soon followed by the rains. If the harvest was not gathered before the rain came, it was ruined. Any worker was welcome, even if he could give only an hour. The men who stood in the market-place were waiting for work. These men were hired laborers and were at the mercy of chance employment. The pay was a denarius or a drachma, the normal day's wage for a working man. Jesus told his disciples a parable about divine justice in which God was compared to a landowner who called forth workers for his vineyard. The first to respond were promised the expected day's wages. Those who came later were promised "what is just" (v 4). When it was time to pay the workers, the owner began with the last and paid them a full day's wages. When those who worked all day were paid the same amount, they complained that they had been treated unfairly. The vineyard owner told them that he had done them no injustice. Jesus' parable put forth two great truths. First, the right of every person to work and to earn a living wage. And second, what God gives is not pay, but a gift; it is not a reward, but grace offered from the goodness of God's heart.
REFLECTING: In what ways do I work for justice in the marketplace?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, thank you for your generosity to all your children.
NOTE: On May 15, 1891, Pope Leo XIII issued his encyclical Rerum Novarum ("Condition of Labor"), the Church's position on modern day labor. Although the Encyclical follows the lines of the traditional teaching concerning the rights and duties of those possessing property and the relations of employer and employee, it applies the old doctrines specifically to modern conditions. As the years go by, an increasing number of persons look upon this statement of Leo XIII as the most fruitful and effective principle of industrial justice that has ever been enunciated.
The Lord is near to all who call him
Today’s psalm is a canticle of praise for the love and mercy of
our Father and his wonderful care of us.Pope Francis wants us to hear the Father and embrace and share that loving care as he explores for us the path of evangelisation as leaders and witnesses. In the familiar vineyard story, Jesus reassures us that, no matter how late we arrive, there is work for us all to do and be justly rewarded. Christians who give their lives joyfully will be sustained in their effort, however small it appears. Through our closeness to God we can share his mercy with others. Dear Lord, stay with us and all we meet today.
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
Appealing Invitation
The most appealing invitation to embrace the religious life is the
witness of our own lives, the spirit in which we react to our divine calling,
the completeness of our dedication, the generosity and cheerfulness of our
service to God, the love we have for one another, the apostolic zeal with which
we witness to Christ’s love for the poorest of the poor.
September
21
St. Matthew
St. Matthew
Matthew was a Jew who worked for the occupying Roman forces,
collecting taxes from other Jews. The Romans were not scrupulous about what the
"tax farmers" got for themselves. Hence the latter, known as
"publicans," were generally hated as traitors by their fellow Jews.
The Pharisees lumped them with "sinners" (see
Matthew 9:11-13). So it was shocking to them to hear Jesus call such
a man to be one of his intimate followers.
Matthew
got Jesus in further trouble by having a sort of going-away party at his house.
The Gospel tells us that "many" tax collectors and "those known
as sinners" came to the dinner. The Pharisees were still more badly
shocked. What business did the supposedly great teacher have associating with
such immoral people? Jesus' answer was, "Those who are well do not need a
physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, 'I desire
mercy, not sacrifice.' I did not come to call the righteous but sinners"
(Matthew 9:12b-13). Jesus is not setting aside ritual and worship; he is saying
that loving others is even more important.
No other
particular incidents about Matthew are found in the New Testament.
Stories:
We
imagine Matthew, after the terrible events surrounding the death of Jesus,
going to the mountain to which the risen Lord had summoned them. “When they saw
him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them
[we think of him looking at each one in turn, Matthew listening and excited
with the rest], ‘All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go,
therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all
that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of
the age’ ” (Matthew 28:17–20).
Matthew would never forget that day. He proclaimed the Good News
by his life and by his word. Our faith rests upon his witness and that of his
fellow apostles.
Comment:
From such an unlikely situation, Jesus chose one of the foundations of the Church, a man others, judging from his job, thought was not holy enough for the position. But he was honest enough to admit that he was one of the sinners Jesus came to call. He was open enough to recognize truth when he saw him. "And he got up and followed him" (Matthew 9:9b).
From such an unlikely situation, Jesus chose one of the foundations of the Church, a man others, judging from his job, thought was not holy enough for the position. But he was honest enough to admit that he was one of the sinners Jesus came to call. He was open enough to recognize truth when he saw him. "And he got up and followed him" (Matthew 9:9b).
Quote:
Patron Saint of:
Accountants
Bankers
Bookkeepers
Tax collectors
Accountants
Bankers
Bookkeepers
Tax collectors
LECTIO DIVINA:
25TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (A)
Lectio:
Sunday, September 21, 2014 (All day)
Parable of the laborers sent to the vineyard
The absolute gratuitousness of the love of God
Matthew 20, 1-16
The absolute gratuitousness of the love of God
Matthew 20, 1-16
1. Opening prayer
Oh Father, your Son Jesus, whom you have given to us, is our
kingdom, our richness, our Heaven; He is the Master of the house and of the
earth in which we live and He goes out continuously to search for us, because
He desires to call us, to pronounce our name, to offer us His infinite love. We
will never be able to pay Him back, never repay the superabundance of His
compassion and mercy for us; we can only tell him our Yes, ours: “Here I am, I
come”, or repeat with Isaiah: “Here I am Lord, send me!”. Lord, allow this word
to enter into my heart, in my eyes, into my ears and that it changes me,
transforms me, according to this surprising incomprehensible love that Jesus is
offering me today also, even at this moment. Lead me to the last place, to
mine, that which He has prepared for me, there where I can truly and fully be
myself. Amen.
2. Reading
a) To insert the passage in its context:
This passage places us within the section of the Gospel of
Matthew, which directly precedes the account of the Passion, death and
Resurrection of Jesus. This section begins in 19, 1, where it is said that
Jesus definitively leaves the territory of Galilee to go to Judea, beginning in
this way the path to get close to Jerusalem and this is concluded in 25, 46,
with the account on the coming and the judgment of the Son of God. More in
particular, chapter 20 places us also along the road of Jesus towards the holy
city and its temple, in a context of teaching and of polemics with the wise and
the powerful of the time, which he carries out through parables and encounters.
b) To help in the reading of the passage:
20, 1a: with
the first words of the parable, which are a formula of introduction, Jesus
wants to accompany us into the most profound theme about which he intends to
speak, he wants to open before us the doors of the kingdom, which is He himself
and he presents himself as the Master of the vineyard, which needs to be
cultivated.
20, 1b-7: These verses constitute the first part of the parable; in it Jesus tells about the initiative of the Master of the vineyard to employ the laborers, describing the four times he went out to look for laborers, in which he establishes a contract and the last time he goes out is at the end of the day.
29, 8-15: This second part includes, instead, the description of the payment to the workers, with the protest of the first one and the answer of the Master.
20, 16: At the end is given the conclusive sentence, which is included with 19, 30 and which reveals the key of the passage and the its application: those who in the community are considered the last ones, in the perspective of the Kingdom and of God’s judgment, will be the first ones.
20, 1b-7: These verses constitute the first part of the parable; in it Jesus tells about the initiative of the Master of the vineyard to employ the laborers, describing the four times he went out to look for laborers, in which he establishes a contract and the last time he goes out is at the end of the day.
29, 8-15: This second part includes, instead, the description of the payment to the workers, with the protest of the first one and the answer of the Master.
20, 16: At the end is given the conclusive sentence, which is included with 19, 30 and which reveals the key of the passage and the its application: those who in the community are considered the last ones, in the perspective of the Kingdom and of God’s judgment, will be the first ones.
c) Text:
20, 1°: 1
'Now the kingdom of Heaven is like a landowner …..
20, 1b-7: .... going out at daybreak to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He made an agreement with the workers for one denarius a day and sent them to his vineyard. 3 Going out at about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place 4 and said to them, "You go to my vineyard too and I will give you a fair wage." 5 So they went. At about the sixth hour and again at about the ninth hour, he went out and did the same. 6 Then at about the eleventh hour he went out and found more men standing around, and he said to them, "Why have you been standing here idle all day?" 7 "Because no one has hired us," they answered. He said to them, "You go into my vineyard too."
20, 8-15: 8 In the evening, the owner of the vineyard said to his bailiff, "Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last arrivals and ending with the first." 9 So those who were hired at about the eleventh hour came forward and received one denarius each. 10 When the first came, they expected to get more, but they too received one denarius each. 11 They took it, but grumbled at the landowner saying, 12 "The men who came last have done only one hour, and you have treated them the same as us, though we have done a heavy day's work in all the heat." 13 He answered one of them and said, "My friend, I am not being unjust to you; did we not agree on one denarius? 14 Take your earnings and go. I choose to pay the lastcomer as much as I pay you. 15 Have I no right to do what I like with my own? Why should you be envious because I am generous?"
20, 16: 16 Thus the last will be first, and the first, last.'
20, 1b-7: .... going out at daybreak to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He made an agreement with the workers for one denarius a day and sent them to his vineyard. 3 Going out at about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place 4 and said to them, "You go to my vineyard too and I will give you a fair wage." 5 So they went. At about the sixth hour and again at about the ninth hour, he went out and did the same. 6 Then at about the eleventh hour he went out and found more men standing around, and he said to them, "Why have you been standing here idle all day?" 7 "Because no one has hired us," they answered. He said to them, "You go into my vineyard too."
20, 8-15: 8 In the evening, the owner of the vineyard said to his bailiff, "Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last arrivals and ending with the first." 9 So those who were hired at about the eleventh hour came forward and received one denarius each. 10 When the first came, they expected to get more, but they too received one denarius each. 11 They took it, but grumbled at the landowner saying, 12 "The men who came last have done only one hour, and you have treated them the same as us, though we have done a heavy day's work in all the heat." 13 He answered one of them and said, "My friend, I am not being unjust to you; did we not agree on one denarius? 14 Take your earnings and go. I choose to pay the lastcomer as much as I pay you. 15 Have I no right to do what I like with my own? Why should you be envious because I am generous?"
20, 16: 16 Thus the last will be first, and the first, last.'
3. A moment of prayerful silence
so that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.
4. Some questions
to help us in our personal reflection.
a) The
passage opens with a connecting particle, “in fact”, which is very
important, because it sends us to the preceding verse (Mt 19, 30), where Jesus
affirms that “the first will be the last and the last the first”, with the same
words that he will repeat at the end of this parable. Therefore, words of
utmost importance, fundamental, which indicate to me the direction which I
should take. Jesus is the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven; He is the new
world, into which I am invited to enter. But his is an overturned world, where
our logic of power, gain, reward, ability, effort, is defeat and substituted by
another logic, that of absolute gratuitousness, of merciful and superabundant
love. If I think that I am first, that I am strong and capable; if I have
already placed myself in the first place at the table of the Lord, it is better
that now I rise and go and take the last place. There the Lord will come to
look for me and calling me, he will raise me and take me towards him.
b). Here,
Jesus compares himself to a landowner, the Master of the house, using
a particular figure, which he repeats several times in the Gospel. I try to
follow it, being attentive to the characteristics which it presents and trying
to verify which is my relationship with Him. The Master of the house is the
owner of the vineyard, who takes care of it, surrounding it by a wall, digging
a press there, cultivating it with love and fatigue (Mt 21, 33 ff), so that it
can bear a better fruit. It is the Master of the house who offers a great
supper, and invites many, calling to his table the most forlorn or forsaken,
the cripple and the lame, the blind (Lk 14, 21ff). And the one who returns from
the wedding and for whom we have to wait keeping watch, because we do not know
the hour (Lk 12, 36); is the Master of the house who left on a trip, who has
ordered us to keep watch, so as to be ready to open the door for him, as soon
as he returns and knocks, in the evening, or at midnight, or at the rooster’s
crow, or in the morning (Mk 13, 35). I understand then, that the Lord expects
the good fruit from me; that he has chosen me as a guest to his table; that he
will return and seek to look for me and will knock at my door... Am I ready to
respond to him? To open the door for him? To offer to him the fruit of the love
which He expects from me? Or rather, am I sleeping, weighed down by a thousand
other interests, enslaved by other masters of the house, diverse and far away
from him?
c) The
Lord Jesus, the Master of the house and of the vineyard, repeatedly goes out to
call and to send; at dawn, at nine o’clock, at noon, at three o’clock in the
afternoon, at five, when the day is almost ended. He does not get tired: he
comes to look for me, to offer me his love, his presence, to seal a pact with
me. He desires to offer me his vineyard, its beauty. When we will meet, when
he, looking at me fixedly, will love me (Mk 10, 21), What will I answer? Will I
be sad because I have many other goods belonging to me (Lk 18, 23)? Will I ask
him to consider me justified, because I have already taken on other commitments?
(Lk 14, 18?). Will I flee, naked, losing also that small cloth of happiness
that has remained in order to cover myself (Mk 14, 52)? Or, rather will I say:
“Yes, yes”, and then I will not go (Mt 21, 29)? I feel that this word causes me
to be in crisis, it peers into the depth of myself, it reveals to me who I am
... I remain dismayed, fearful for my freedom, but I decide, before the Lord
who is speaking to me, to do as Mary did and also say: “Lord, may it be done to
me according to your word”, with humble availability and abandonment.
d) Now
the Gospel places me before my relationship with others, the brothers and
sisters who share with me the journey of the following of Jesus. We are all
convoked to Him, in the evening, after the work of the day: he opens his
treasure of love and begins to distribute it, to give grace, mercy, compassion,
friendship, himself totally. He does not stop, the Lord continues only to
overflow, to pour out, to give himself to us, to each one. Matthew points out,
at this point, that someone murmurs against the Master of the vineyard, against
the Lord, Indignation springs up because he treats everyone equally, with the
same intensity of love, with the same superabundance. Perhaps what is written
in these lines also applies to me: the Gospel knows how to bring out and make
evident my heart as it is, the most hidden part of myself. Perhaps the Lord is,
precisely, addressing these words filled with sadness: “Perhaps you are
jealous?” I should allow myself to be questioned, I have to allow him
to enter within me and to look at me with his penetrating eyes, because only if
he looks at me, I will be able to be healed. Now I pray as follows: “Lord, I
ask you, come to me, put your word in my heart and let new life germinate, let
love germinate”.
5. A key for the reading
The Vineyard
In the image of the vineyard, apparently very simple and
ordinary, Scripture condenses a very rich and profound reality, always more
dense in significance, gradually as the texts get closer to the full revelation
of Jesus. In the first book of Kings, chapter 21, is narrated the violent
attack against Naboth, a simple subject of the corrupt King Ahab, who possessed
a vineyard, planted, unfortunately, precisely next the to palace of the King.
This account makes us understand how important the vineyard was, an inviolable
property: for nothing in the world Naboth would have given it up, as he says:
“Yahweh forbid that I should give you my ancestral heritage!” (I Kings 21, 3).
Out of love for it, he lost his life. Therefore, the vineyard represents the
most precious good, the family heritage, in a certain part, the identity itself
of the person; he cannot sell it, cede it to others, barter or trade it for
other goods, which would never succeed to equal it. It hides a vital, spiritual
force.
Isaiah 5 tells us clearly that under the figure of the vineyard
is signified the people of Israel, as it is written: “Now, the vineyard of
Yahweh Sabaoth is the House of Israel; and the people of Judah the plant he
cherished” (Is 5, 7). The Lord has loved these people with an infinite and
eternal love, sealed by an inviolable covenant; He takes care of it, just as a
vine-dresser would do with his vineyard, doing everything possible so that it
can bear more beautiful fruit. Each one of us is Israel, the whole Church: the
Father has found us as dry, arid land, devastated, filled with rocks, and he
has cultivated it, he has dug around it, fertilized it, watered it always; he
has planted us as a chosen vineyard, all with genuine vines (Jer 2, 21). What
else could he have done for us, which he has not done? (Is, 5, 4). In his
infinite lowering, the Lord has become vineyard Himself; He has become the true
Vine (Jn 15, 1ff), of which we are the branches; He united himself to us, just
as the vine is united to its branches. The Father, who is the vine-dresser,
continues his work of love in us, so that we may bear fruit and he waits
patiently. He prunes, He cultivates, but then he sends us to work, to collect
the fruits to offer to him. We are sent to his people, to his sons, as sons
that we are ourselves, as his disciples; we cannot draw back, refuse, because
we have been created for this: that we may go and bear fruit and that our fruit
may remain (Jn 15, 16). Lord, turn to us; look down from Heaven and visit your
vineyard (Psalm 79, 15).
The promise: one denarius
The Master of the vineyard establishes as the payment for the
work of the day a denarius; a good sum, which allowed to live with dignity.
More or less it corresponds to the drachma agreed upon by the old Tobit with
the one who accompanied his son Tobias towards the Media (Tb 5, 15).
But in the evangelical account this denarius is immediately
called by another name; by the Master; in fact, he says: “that which is just I
will give you” (v4). Our inheritance, our salary is what is just, what is good:
the Lord Jesus. He, in fact, does not give, does not promise other than
himself. Our reward is in Heaven (Mt 5, 12), with our Father (Mt 6, 1). It is
not the money, the denarius which was used to pay the tax per-capita to the
Romans, on which was the image and the inscription of King Tiberius Caesar (Mt
22, 20), but which is the face of Jesus, his name, his presence. He tells us:
“I am with you not only today, but all days, until the end of the world. I
myself will be your reward”.
The sending out
The text offers to our life a very strong energy, which springs
from the verbs “to send, to order” to go”, repeated twice; both
concern us, they touch us deeply, they call us and put us in movement. It is
the Lord Jesus who sends us, making of us his disciples: “Behold, I send you”
(Mt 10, 16). He calls us every day for his mission and repeats to us: “Go!” and
our happiness is hidden precisely here, in the realization of this Word of his.
Also where he sends us, in the way in which He indicates it, towards the
reality and the persons whom He places before us.
The murmuring, the grumbling
Words of utmost importance, true and very much present in our
experience of daily life; we cannot deny this: they dwell in our heart, in our
thoughts, sometimes they torment us, disfigure us, get us terribly tired, drive
us away from ourselves, from others, from the Lord. Yes, we are also among
those workers who complain and grumble, murmuring against the Master. The rumor
of the murmuring comes from very far away, but equally it succeeds to join us
and to insinuate our heart. Israel in the desert murmured heavily against its
Lord and we have received as inheritance those thoughts, those words: “The Lord
hates us, that is why he brought us out of the land of Egypt to hand us over to
the Amorites and to destroy us” (Dt 1, 27) and we doubt concerning his capacity
to nourish us, to lead us ahead, to protect us: “Can God make a banquet in the
desert?” (Ps 78, 19). To murmur means not to listen to the voice of the Lord,
not to believe anymore in his love for us: Therefore, we become scandalized,
upset, strongly against the merciful Lord and we get angry against his way of
acting and we wish to change it, to make it smaller according to our own
schema: He went to the house of a sinner! He eats and drinks with tax
collectors, with sinners!” (Lk 5, 30; 15, 2; 19, 7). If we listen well these is
the secret murmuring of our heart. How to heal it? Saint Peter suggest this
way: “Practice hospitality with one another, without murmuring” (I Pt 4, 9);
only hospitality, that is acceptance can, little by little, change our heart
and open it to be receptive, capable of bearing within it persons, situations,
the reality which we find in life. “Accept one another” says Scripture. And it
is precisely like that: we have to learn to accept, above all, the Lord Jesus,
as He is, with his way of loving and of remaining, of speaking with us and of
changing us, of waiting for us and of attracting us. To accept him is to accept
the one who is at our side, who comes to meet us; it is only this movement
which can overcome the harshness of murmuring.
Murmuring is born from jealousy, from envy, from our evil eye,
as the Master of the vineyard says, Jesus himself. He knows how to keep us
inside, he knows how to penetrate our look and reach our heart, in the spirit.
He knows how we are, he knows us, loves us; And it is out of love that He
brings out of us the evil within, takes off the veil from our evil eye, he helps
us to become aware or conscious of how we are, of that which is within us. At
the moment when he says: “Perhaps your eye is evil?” as he is doing today in
this Gospel, He heals us, he takes the balm and spreads it, takes the clay made
with his saliva and puts it on our eyes, to the very depth.
6. A moment of prayer: Psalm 135
Refrain: Your love for us is infinite!
Alleluia! Give thanks to Yahweh for he is good,
for his faithful love endures for ever.
Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his faithful love endures for ever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his faithful love endures for ever.
He alone works wonders,
for his faithful love endures for ever.
for his faithful love endures for ever.
Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his faithful love endures for ever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his faithful love endures for ever.
He alone works wonders,
for his faithful love endures for ever.
He struck down the first-born of Egypt,
for his faithful love endures for ever.
He brought Israel out from among them,
for his faithful love endures for ever.
With mighty hand and outstretched arm,
for his faithful love endures for ever.
He split the Sea of Reeds in two,
for his faithful love endures for ever.
Let Israel pass through the middle,
for his faithful love endures for ever.
And drowned Pharaoh and all his army,
for his faithful love endures for ever.
He led his people through the desert,
for his faithful love endures for ever.
for his faithful love endures for ever.
He brought Israel out from among them,
for his faithful love endures for ever.
With mighty hand and outstretched arm,
for his faithful love endures for ever.
He split the Sea of Reeds in two,
for his faithful love endures for ever.
Let Israel pass through the middle,
for his faithful love endures for ever.
And drowned Pharaoh and all his army,
for his faithful love endures for ever.
He led his people through the desert,
for his faithful love endures for ever.
He kept us in mind when we were humbled,
for his faithful love endures for ever.
And rescued us from our enemies,
for his faithful love endures for ever.
He provides food for all living creatures,
for his faithful love endures for ever.
Give thanks to the God of heaven,
for his faithful love endures for ever.
for his faithful love endures for ever.
And rescued us from our enemies,
for his faithful love endures for ever.
He provides food for all living creatures,
for his faithful love endures for ever.
Give thanks to the God of heaven,
for his faithful love endures for ever.
7. Final Prayer
Thank you, Oh Father, for having revealed to me your Son and for
having made me enter in his inheritance, in his vineyard. You have rendered me
a branch, have rendered me a grape: now I only need to remain in Him, in you
and allow myself to be taken as good fruit, ripe, to be placed in the press.
Yes, Lord, I know it: this is the way, I am not afraid, because you are with
me. I know that the only way to happiness is the gift of self to you, the gift to
the brothers. That I may be a branch, that I may be good grapes, to be
squeezed, as you wish! Amen.
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