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 PsalmPS 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.
AlleluiaCF. ACTS 16:14B
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Open our hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Open our hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 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."
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 (Matthew
20:1-16). 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 and gives us work for his kingdom
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 in as much effort 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 Jesus calls each one of us to serve God and his kingdom with joy and zeal and to serve our neighbor with a generous spirit as well.
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 in as much effort 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 Jesus calls each one of us to serve God and his kingdom with joy and zeal and to serve our neighbor with a generous spirit as well.
Empowered to serve with a joyful and generous spirit
The Lord Jesus wants to fill each one of us with the power and strength of the Holy Spirit so we can bear great fruit for God's kingdom (the fruit of peace, joy, righteousness, and love) and also bring the fruit of his kingdom to our neighbor as well. We labor for the Lord to bring him praise, honor, and glory. And we labor for our neighbor for their welfare with the same spirit of loving-kindness and compassion which the Lord has shown to us.
The Lord Jesus wants to fill each one of us with the power and strength of the Holy Spirit so we can bear great fruit for God's kingdom (the fruit of peace, joy, righteousness, and love) and also bring the fruit of his kingdom to our neighbor as well. We labor for the Lord to bring him praise, honor, and glory. And we labor for our neighbor for their welfare with the same spirit of loving-kindness and compassion which the Lord has shown to us.
Paul the Apostle reminds us, "Whatever your task,
work heartily, as serving the Lord and not others, knowing that from the Lord
you will receive the inheritance as your reward - you are serving the Lord
Christ" (Colossians 3:23-24). Do you perform your daily tasks 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,fill me with your Holy Spirit that I
may serve you joyfully and serve my neighbor willingly with a generous heart,
not looking for how much I can get, but rather looking for how much I can
give."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Christ our householder, author unknown,
from the 5th century A.D.
"The householder [in Matthew's parable - chapter
20] is Christ, to whom the heavens and the earth are like a single house; the
family is as it were the multitude of creatures both angelic and earthly. It is
as if he built a three-storied house: hell, heaven and earth, so that those
struggling may live upon the earth, those conquered below the earth, those conquering
in heaven. We too, set in the middle, should strive not to descend to those who
are in hell but ascend to those who are in heaven. And in case perhaps you do
not know which one you ought to shun or which one you ought to aspire to, he
has given you as it were a little taste of both while you live between light
and darkness: night as a taste of hell, daylight as a taste of heaven." (excerpt from an incomplete Commentary on the
Gospel of Matthew, HOMILY 34)
25th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle A
Note: Where a Scripture text is underlined in the body of this discussion, it is recommended that the reader look up and read that passage.
1st Reading - Isaiah 55:6-9
We know very little about the details of Isaiah’s life. To distinguish him from other men of the same name, he was called “Isaiah, the son of Amos;” later “Isaiah the prophet.” According to Jewish tradition he was of royal stock. He was of the tribe of Judah and his home was in Jerusalem. All his discourses are addressed to the people, or to certain classes and individuals, or to the women of Jerusalem. He was married and had two sons. We know from Isaiah 8:3 that his wife was known as a prophetess.
Isaiah 40:1 through 55:13 has been called the Book of Comfort. The prophet places ancient traditions in a cosmic setting. The Mosaic covenant is expanded into a world covenant by mentioning the covenants with Noah and with Abraham and Sarah. The author sees the garden of paradise emerge before his eyes. The spirit of the liturgy breaks forth into new life through his hymns, laments, and proclamation of the word.
On the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time in this cycle we heard the opening three verses of the conclusion to the Book of Comfort. Today we hear more of this opening.
6 Seek the LORD while he may be found, call him while he is near.
This phrase normally invited people to the sanctuary. Here, it encourages them to find the Lord elsewhere. This sounds a lot like Jeremiah 29:10-14.
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. 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
Man must seek God, and yet God’s ways are far beyond comprehension.
9 As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts.
These closing lines combine those mysterious opposites of divine grace: God is transcendent, yet near enough to help; man is helpless yet required to act energetically; the ways of God are exalted, yet required of man.
2nd Reading - Philippians 1:20c-24, 27a
Philippi is a city north of the Aegean Sea named after Philip of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great. Saint Paul founded the first Christian church in Europe at Philippi around the year 51, during his second missionary journey. Saint Paul lived in Philippi for some years and had special affection for these people, which they reciprocated. Acts 16:11-40 tells us that he suffered imprisonment and the lash on their account. The Philippians, for their part, sent Epaphroditus to Rome to look after Paul when he was imprisoned there. Epaphroditus, who was a great help at first, soon became seriously ill. Once he was on the way to recovery, Saint Paul sent him back home with a letter. This letter was written by Paul during his imprisonment in A.D. 61-63 and is addressed to the Philippians. In this letter Paul simply expresses his gratitude to the Father for all consolation, and to the Philippians for the kindness and attention they showed him and for never being a source of worry to him but rather of consolation.
In our reading today we hear Saint Paul describing his own situation.
20c Christ will be magnified
The power of the Risen Lord, operating through the Spirit in Paul, will be so effective as to demand public acknowledgment.
in my body,
Not just his physical body, but his entire outward presentation – his whole public appearance.
whether by life or by death.
Paul is talking about the gravity of his upcoming trial.
21 For to me life is Christ,
Through baptism Paul has died to his former life and now lives an existence entirely taken over by Christ; one that transcends the barrier of physical death.
and death is gain.
Not in the sense of release from bodily existence, but as an intensifying union with Christ, who has already passed through death to resurrection. Resurrection is the ultimate goal.
“It seems that for him death would be profitable and life would be more a penalty. For this reason Paul says ‘for me life is Christ, and death is gain.’ The death of the body is nothing amid the spirit of life. So we too are ready to die with Christ that we may live with Him.” [Saint Ambrose of Milan (A.D. 378), The Death of His Brother Satyrus 2,40]
22 If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me.
Remaining alive provides further opportunity for preaching the gospel and reaping its fruits.
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.
To “be with the Lord” was Saint Paul’s expectation for the parousia – the end times. Now, due to the proximity of death, he realizes that another possibility exists. Paul now reckons with an intermediate state in which the deceased Christian is “with Christ” after death and before the resurrection.
24 Yet that I remain (in) the flesh is more necessary for your benefit.
Maintain his earthly life. The demands of apostleship override his desire to join Jesus as soon as possible.
“He admits that it might be much easier to be dissolved and be with Christ. But nonetheless he knows that it is necessary for him to remain in the flesh for the benefit of the faithful, so that their glory may abound in the Lord and all may praise the Lord when they see him again. They will thereby increase their knowledge and become more deeply grounded in faith. How great was his affection for the believers, that he does not choose what he says would be much better for himself. Rather he wants what is more profitable to many, in the assurance that what conduces to the benefit of many will also please the Lord.” [The Ambrosiaster (between A.D. 366-384), Commentaries on Thirteen Pauline Epistles
Philippians 1:23]
27a Only, conduct yourselves
The original specific sense of the Greek is “discharge your duties as a citizen.”
in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ
Christian ethics flow from the status before God brought about through faith in the gospel.
“The summing up of one’s whole life for a Christian is this, to conduct oneself according to Christ’s gospel, to announce His grace steadily both to oneself and others, to have hope in Him, to do all that one does according to His commands. For this is what is means to ‘conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ.’ A person can live honestly and uprightly, but this is not adequate to Paul’s meaning. Rather we are to conduct ourselves according to Christ’s gospel regardless of what happens and to do so in a worthy manner, living according to Christ’s precepts and doing what Christ wants.” [Marius Victorinus (ca.
A.D. 355), Epistle to the Philippians 1,27]
Gospel - Matthew 20:1-16
Having heard for the past two weeks of Christian discipline and forgiveness as we study Matthew’s gospel, we skip over Jesus’ teaching on the indissolubility of marriage (which is heard in the Common of Virgins Mass), the Little Children and Jesus, and the story of the Rich Young Man. Before moving into today’s reading, let’s look for a minute at the teaching on divorce (Matthew 19:1-12):
19:1 When Jesus finished these words,
The parable of the unmerciful servant which we heard last week.
he left Galilee and went to the district of Judea across the Jordan. 2 Great crowds followed him, and he cured them there. 3 Some Pharisees approached him, and tested him, saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?”
Notice where this takes place: Judea across the Jordan – the same place where John the Baptist was killed for condemning divorce. Knowing what had happened to John the Baptist, the Pharisees are setting a similar trap for Jesus.
4 He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’
Genesis 1:27
5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate.”
When Jesus says “no human being must separate (put asunder)” he is talking about the husband, who could write the bill of divorce – not about outside influences.
7 They said to him, “Then why did Moses command that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss (her)?”
Deuteronomy 24:1
8 He said to them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
Moses allowed it (Deuteronomy 24:1) so that the husband wouldn’t kill his wife in order to be free to marry another. Hardness of heart is the phrase used by God to describe pharaoh in Exodus 4:21; 7:3;10:1; and 14:4. “Blessed is the man who fears the LORD always; but he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity” (Proverbs 28:14)
9 I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery.”
The exception clause “unless...” occurs only in Matthew’s gospel. Note where the exception is placed: even though divorce may be allowed in this case, remarriage is not; remarriage would be allowed only if the exception were placed after its mention. Some translations phrase the exception clause as “except for unfaithfulness” (NIV), “except it be for fornication” (KJV), “except for unchastity” (RSV) which helps to confuse the issue. The New Jerusalem Bible says “I am not speaking of an illicit marriage”. The Greek word translated here, pornea, was used most commonly during Jesus’ time to refer to a relationship with a concubine which, when ended, did not require a bill of divorce; hence the reference to illicit or unlawful marriage.
10 (His) disciples said to him, “If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11 He answered, “Not all can accept (this) word, but only those to whom that is granted. 12 Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”
Now, let’s move on to today’s gospel reading, the parable of the laborers in the vineyard.
[Jesus told his disciples this parable:] 20:1 “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.
Employers looked in gathering places in the city for workers; unemployed men who would work for as little as the employer would pay. Such places exist today in many U.S. cities.
2 After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard.
Remember, this is a parable. The vineyard is symbolic of God’s chosen people. As we learned in last week’s gospel reading, the ususal daily wage is a denarius, a piece of silver. A normal daily wage; not stingy, but not generous either.
3 Going out about nine o’clock,
The boss hires at 6 a.m., 9 a.m., 12 noon, 3 p.m., and 5 p.m.
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.’
The wage is unspecified, but fair.
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.’
They are willing to work but remain unemployed – not to be confused with laziness. Work is more honorable than doing nothing.
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.’
It now becomes obvious that this parable is about Jesus teaching to the apostles in Matthew 19:27-30.
9 When those who had started about five o’clock came, each received the usual daily wage.
A denarius
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,
The early workers are the victims of rising expectations, hence their discontent. Grumbling is a characteristic of the Israelites.
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.’
The wage is the same, yet it is not truly equal because of the boss’ generosity. The boss has counted their willingness to work.
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.
This is the classic definition of justice: render to each his due.
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?
The capitalist of the ancient world was master of his money.
Are you envious because I am generous?’
The laborers are rebuked not for their dissatisfaction with what they have received, but for their dissatisfaction in the fact that others have received as much. By giving to one, the employer has not taken away from another.
16 Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
This parable is addressed to the Jewish people, whom God called at an early hour, centuries ago. Now the Gentiles are also being called – with an equal right to form part of the new people of God, the Church. It is a matter of gratuitous, unmerited, invitation; therefore those who were first to receive the invitation have no grounds for complaint when God calls the “last” and gives them the same reward – membership in His family.
At first reading, the laborers who were first hired seem to have a genuine grievance – because they do not realize that to have a job in the Lord’s vineyard is a divine gift. Jesus leaves no doubt that although we may all come by different paths, we all receive the same reward – the kingdom of heaven.
Note: Where a Scripture text is underlined in the body of this discussion, it is recommended that the reader look up and read that passage.
1st Reading - Isaiah 55:6-9
We know very little about the details of Isaiah’s life. To distinguish him from other men of the same name, he was called “Isaiah, the son of Amos;” later “Isaiah the prophet.” According to Jewish tradition he was of royal stock. He was of the tribe of Judah and his home was in Jerusalem. All his discourses are addressed to the people, or to certain classes and individuals, or to the women of Jerusalem. He was married and had two sons. We know from Isaiah 8:3 that his wife was known as a prophetess.
Isaiah 40:1 through 55:13 has been called the Book of Comfort. The prophet places ancient traditions in a cosmic setting. The Mosaic covenant is expanded into a world covenant by mentioning the covenants with Noah and with Abraham and Sarah. The author sees the garden of paradise emerge before his eyes. The spirit of the liturgy breaks forth into new life through his hymns, laments, and proclamation of the word.
On the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time in this cycle we heard the opening three verses of the conclusion to the Book of Comfort. Today we hear more of this opening.
6 Seek the LORD while he may be found, call him while he is near.
This phrase normally invited people to the sanctuary. Here, it encourages them to find the Lord elsewhere. This sounds a lot like Jeremiah 29:10-14.
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. 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
Man must seek God, and yet God’s ways are far beyond comprehension.
9 As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts.
These closing lines combine those mysterious opposites of divine grace: God is transcendent, yet near enough to help; man is helpless yet required to act energetically; the ways of God are exalted, yet required of man.
2nd Reading - Philippians 1:20c-24, 27a
Philippi is a city north of the Aegean Sea named after Philip of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great. Saint Paul founded the first Christian church in Europe at Philippi around the year 51, during his second missionary journey. Saint Paul lived in Philippi for some years and had special affection for these people, which they reciprocated. Acts 16:11-40 tells us that he suffered imprisonment and the lash on their account. The Philippians, for their part, sent Epaphroditus to Rome to look after Paul when he was imprisoned there. Epaphroditus, who was a great help at first, soon became seriously ill. Once he was on the way to recovery, Saint Paul sent him back home with a letter. This letter was written by Paul during his imprisonment in A.D. 61-63 and is addressed to the Philippians. In this letter Paul simply expresses his gratitude to the Father for all consolation, and to the Philippians for the kindness and attention they showed him and for never being a source of worry to him but rather of consolation.
In our reading today we hear Saint Paul describing his own situation.
20c Christ will be magnified
The power of the Risen Lord, operating through the Spirit in Paul, will be so effective as to demand public acknowledgment.
in my body,
Not just his physical body, but his entire outward presentation – his whole public appearance.
whether by life or by death.
Paul is talking about the gravity of his upcoming trial.
21 For to me life is Christ,
Through baptism Paul has died to his former life and now lives an existence entirely taken over by Christ; one that transcends the barrier of physical death.
and death is gain.
Not in the sense of release from bodily existence, but as an intensifying union with Christ, who has already passed through death to resurrection. Resurrection is the ultimate goal.
“It seems that for him death would be profitable and life would be more a penalty. For this reason Paul says ‘for me life is Christ, and death is gain.’ The death of the body is nothing amid the spirit of life. So we too are ready to die with Christ that we may live with Him.” [Saint Ambrose of Milan (A.D. 378), The Death of His Brother Satyrus 2,40]
22 If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me.
Remaining alive provides further opportunity for preaching the gospel and reaping its fruits.
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.
To “be with the Lord” was Saint Paul’s expectation for the parousia – the end times. Now, due to the proximity of death, he realizes that another possibility exists. Paul now reckons with an intermediate state in which the deceased Christian is “with Christ” after death and before the resurrection.
24 Yet that I remain (in) the flesh is more necessary for your benefit.
Maintain his earthly life. The demands of apostleship override his desire to join Jesus as soon as possible.
“He admits that it might be much easier to be dissolved and be with Christ. But nonetheless he knows that it is necessary for him to remain in the flesh for the benefit of the faithful, so that their glory may abound in the Lord and all may praise the Lord when they see him again. They will thereby increase their knowledge and become more deeply grounded in faith. How great was his affection for the believers, that he does not choose what he says would be much better for himself. Rather he wants what is more profitable to many, in the assurance that what conduces to the benefit of many will also please the Lord.” [The Ambrosiaster (between A.D. 366-384), Commentaries on Thirteen Pauline Epistles
Philippians 1:23]
27a Only, conduct yourselves
The original specific sense of the Greek is “discharge your duties as a citizen.”
in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ
Christian ethics flow from the status before God brought about through faith in the gospel.
“The summing up of one’s whole life for a Christian is this, to conduct oneself according to Christ’s gospel, to announce His grace steadily both to oneself and others, to have hope in Him, to do all that one does according to His commands. For this is what is means to ‘conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ.’ A person can live honestly and uprightly, but this is not adequate to Paul’s meaning. Rather we are to conduct ourselves according to Christ’s gospel regardless of what happens and to do so in a worthy manner, living according to Christ’s precepts and doing what Christ wants.” [Marius Victorinus (ca.
A.D. 355), Epistle to the Philippians 1,27]
Gospel - Matthew 20:1-16
Having heard for the past two weeks of Christian discipline and forgiveness as we study Matthew’s gospel, we skip over Jesus’ teaching on the indissolubility of marriage (which is heard in the Common of Virgins Mass), the Little Children and Jesus, and the story of the Rich Young Man. Before moving into today’s reading, let’s look for a minute at the teaching on divorce (Matthew 19:1-12):
19:1 When Jesus finished these words,
The parable of the unmerciful servant which we heard last week.
he left Galilee and went to the district of Judea across the Jordan. 2 Great crowds followed him, and he cured them there. 3 Some Pharisees approached him, and tested him, saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?”
Notice where this takes place: Judea across the Jordan – the same place where John the Baptist was killed for condemning divorce. Knowing what had happened to John the Baptist, the Pharisees are setting a similar trap for Jesus.
4 He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’
Genesis 1:27
5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate.”
When Jesus says “no human being must separate (put asunder)” he is talking about the husband, who could write the bill of divorce – not about outside influences.
7 They said to him, “Then why did Moses command that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss (her)?”
Deuteronomy 24:1
8 He said to them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
Moses allowed it (Deuteronomy 24:1) so that the husband wouldn’t kill his wife in order to be free to marry another. Hardness of heart is the phrase used by God to describe pharaoh in Exodus 4:21; 7:3;10:1; and 14:4. “Blessed is the man who fears the LORD always; but he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity” (Proverbs 28:14)
9 I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery.”
The exception clause “unless...” occurs only in Matthew’s gospel. Note where the exception is placed: even though divorce may be allowed in this case, remarriage is not; remarriage would be allowed only if the exception were placed after its mention. Some translations phrase the exception clause as “except for unfaithfulness” (NIV), “except it be for fornication” (KJV), “except for unchastity” (RSV) which helps to confuse the issue. The New Jerusalem Bible says “I am not speaking of an illicit marriage”. The Greek word translated here, pornea, was used most commonly during Jesus’ time to refer to a relationship with a concubine which, when ended, did not require a bill of divorce; hence the reference to illicit or unlawful marriage.
10 (His) disciples said to him, “If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11 He answered, “Not all can accept (this) word, but only those to whom that is granted. 12 Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”
Now, let’s move on to today’s gospel reading, the parable of the laborers in the vineyard.
[Jesus told his disciples this parable:] 20:1 “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.
Employers looked in gathering places in the city for workers; unemployed men who would work for as little as the employer would pay. Such places exist today in many U.S. cities.
2 After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard.
Remember, this is a parable. The vineyard is symbolic of God’s chosen people. As we learned in last week’s gospel reading, the ususal daily wage is a denarius, a piece of silver. A normal daily wage; not stingy, but not generous either.
3 Going out about nine o’clock,
The boss hires at 6 a.m., 9 a.m., 12 noon, 3 p.m., and 5 p.m.
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.’
The wage is unspecified, but fair.
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.’
They are willing to work but remain unemployed – not to be confused with laziness. Work is more honorable than doing nothing.
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.’
It now becomes obvious that this parable is about Jesus teaching to the apostles in Matthew 19:27-30.
9 When those who had started about five o’clock came, each received the usual daily wage.
A denarius
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,
The early workers are the victims of rising expectations, hence their discontent. Grumbling is a characteristic of the Israelites.
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.’
The wage is the same, yet it is not truly equal because of the boss’ generosity. The boss has counted their willingness to work.
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.
This is the classic definition of justice: render to each his due.
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?
The capitalist of the ancient world was master of his money.
Are you envious because I am generous?’
The laborers are rebuked not for their dissatisfaction with what they have received, but for their dissatisfaction in the fact that others have received as much. By giving to one, the employer has not taken away from another.
16 Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
This parable is addressed to the Jewish people, whom God called at an early hour, centuries ago. Now the Gentiles are also being called – with an equal right to form part of the new people of God, the Church. It is a matter of gratuitous, unmerited, invitation; therefore those who were first to receive the invitation have no grounds for complaint when God calls the “last” and gives them the same reward – membership in His family.
At first reading, the laborers who were first hired seem to have a genuine grievance – because they do not realize that to have a job in the Lord’s vineyard is a divine gift. Jesus leaves no doubt that although we may all come by different paths, we all receive the same reward – the kingdom of heaven.
St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church,
Picayune, MS http://www.scborromeo.org
WENTY-FIFTH
SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, MATTHEW 20:1-16a
(Isaiah 55:6-9; Psalm 145; Philippians 1:20c-24, 27a)
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 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).
TO KNOW: 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.
TO LOVE: In what ways do I work for justice in the marketplace?
TO SERVE: 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.
Sunday 24
September 2017
Psalter Week I. 25th Sunday in
Ordinary Time.
Isaiah
55:6-9. Psalm 144(145):2-3, 8-9, 17-18. Philippians 1:20-24, 27. Matthew
20:1-16.
The Lord
is near to all who call him — Psalm 144(145):2-3, 8-9, 17-18.
A canticle
of praise
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.
BLESSED ANTON MARTIN SLOMSHEK
Anton
Martin Slomshek who was born November 26, 1800 at Ponikva, Slovenia is the
first Slovenian to be beatified.
Slomshek
is known as a great educator, largely responsible for the nearly 100% literacy
rate among Slovenians, a remarkable turn around from the very poor state of the
nation's educational levels at the beginning of the nineteenth century.
In
the late 18th and early 19th century, the Slovenian education system had been
crippled by the Austrian empire's suppression of their native language and
culture. This left them without their own schools, texts and magazines and
newspapers.
As
bishop, Anton Martin Slomshek reformed the schools in Slovenia, and rebuilt the
education system, giving it Catholicism and Slovene history as a foundation.
He wrote many textbooks, began a weekly review, and wrote many books and
essays concerning whatever questions he considered relevant to the intellectual
needs of his people.
He
founded a society for the spread of Catholic literature, an organization
responsible in large part for making possible the rejuvenation of the Catholic
cultural base of the Slovenian nation.
He
was known as a simple and humble man, possessed with a childlike purity, and
was loved by his priests and his flock.
Blessed
Anton once remarked, "When I was born, my mother laid me on a bed of straw,
and I desire no better pallet when I die, asking only to be in the state of
grace and worthy of salvation."
Blessed
Anton died September 24, 1862 in Maribor, Slovenia and was beatified September
19, 1999 by Pope John Paul II.
LECTIO DIVINA: 25TH SUNDAY OF
ORDINARY TIME (A)
Lectio Divina:
Sunday, September 24, 2017
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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