Fr. Paul AKINTAYO

 

Today in the readings, we are reminded that we are workers in the vineyard of God, and the Just and Loving God will surely repay us with the same reward. It is not how long we have been Christians in the Catholic Church, but it is a matter of how well we are constantly Christ-like in everything we do. Beloved in Christ, how well is our individual Christian faith journey in the Catholic Church, the vineyard of God on earth?

 

In the first reading (Isaiah 55:6-9), the prophet calls us to seek the Lord and call on Him while He is near. This is a clarion call of faith and let us not take this for granted. We should seek the Lord always; the prophet insists that evildoers must abandon their evil ways, and seek the Lord with humility. If they do, then God, who is rich in forgiveness, will have pity on them. Verses 8 and 9 remind us that God does not think or act the way humans do, that is, he does not treat or repay us back according to our sins. Just as the sky is far above the ground, God's plans, wisdom, and love/mercy reach far beyond our limited understanding. While people often hold grudges or run out of patience, God’s higher "ways" in this context refer to His overflowing compassion and readiness to pardon most especially in the Sacrament of Penance (Confession).

The second reading (Philippians 1:20c-24.27a) presents a powerful reflection on living, dying, and finding ultimate purpose in Christ. Paul writes from a Roman prison, facing the real possibility of execution. Yet, his primary concern is not his survival, but that Christ will be magnified in his body, whether by life or by death. For Paul, everyday existence is completely wrapped up in Jesus. Breathing, working, and suffering are all opportunities to express Christ's life. Therefore, the Christian life, like that of St. Paul, is an invitation of surrendering all to Jesus.

In the gospel (Matthew 20:1-16), the parable of the workers in the vineyard teaches that God’s kingdom is run on radical grace and boundless generosity of God rather than strict human fairness. The Pharisees were very critical of Jesus because of the way he befriended sinners and outcasts. By means of this parable Jesus tells them that he is only imitating God, who is generous to, and full of compassion for the sinners and the outcasts. In the parable, the owner of the vineyard is God. The Pharisees were meant to see themselves in the workers who came in early. The latecomers were sinners and outcasts, who came in at different hours. Just as the owner of the vineyard was generous towards the latecomers, so God is generous towards sinners with his forgiveness and mercy. However, the idea that those who came in at different hours (most especially the eleventh hour), and got a full day’s wage with the first comers, was unthinkable/unjust. The parable is not about justice, it is about generosity. “Justice is a great thing, but it hasn’t the sweetness of generosity. Generosity touches the heart in a way justice never does. Though the parable is about generosity, it is not about human generosity. It is about the generosity of God. (Flor McCarthy SDB)” Beloved in Christ, let us never take the generosity of God for granted in our faith journey. God bless us. Amen.