20200920 PARABLE OF GRACE
20 September, 2020, Sunday, 25th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Green.
First reading | Isaiah 55:6-9 © |
My thoughts are not your thoughts
Seek the Lord while he is still to be found,
call to him while he is still near.
Let the wicked man abandon his way,
the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn back to the Lord who will take pity on him,
to our God who is rich in forgiving;
for my thoughts are not your thoughts,
my ways not your ways – it is the Lord who speaks.
Yes, the heavens are as high above earth
as my ways are above your ways,
my thoughts above your thoughts.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 144(145):2-3,8-9,17-18 © |
The Lord is close to all who call him.
I will bless you day after day
and praise your name for ever.
The Lord is great, highly to be praised,
his greatness cannot be measured.
The Lord is close to all who call him.
The Lord is kind and full of compassion,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
How good is the Lord to all,
compassionate to all his creatures.
The Lord is close to all who call him.
The Lord is just in all his ways
and loving in all his deeds.
He is close to all who call him,
who call on him from their hearts.
The Lord is close to all who call him.
Second reading |
Philippians 1:20-24,27 © |
Life to me is Christ; but death would bring me more
Christ will be glorified in my body, whether by my life or by my death. Life to me, of course, is Christ, but then death would bring me something more; but then again, if living in this body means doing work which is having good results – I do not know what I should choose. I am caught in this dilemma: I want to be gone and be with Christ, which would be very much the better, but for me to stay alive in this body is a more urgent need for your sake.
Avoid anything in your everyday lives that would be unworthy of the gospel of Christ.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Lk19:38,2:14 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessings on the King who comes,
in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven
and glory in the highest heavens!
Alleluia!
Or: | cf.Ac16:14 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Open our heart, O Lord,
to accept the words of your Son.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Matthew 20:1-16 © |
Why be envious because I am generous?
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner going out at daybreak to hire workers for his vineyard. He made an agreement with the workers for one denarius a day, and sent them to his vineyard. Going out at about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place and said to them, “You go to my vineyard too and I will give you a fair wage.” So they went. At about the sixth hour and again at about the ninth hour, he went out and did the same. Then at about the eleventh hour he went out and found more men standing round, and he said to them, “Why have you been standing here idle all day?” “Because no one has hired us” they answered. He said to them, “You go into my vineyard too.” 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.” So those who were hired at about the eleventh hour came forward and received one denarius each. When the first came, they expected to get more, but they too received one denarius each. They took it, but grumbled at the landowner. “The men who came last” they said “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.” He answered one of them and said, “My friend, I am not being unjust to you; did we not agree on one denarius? Take your earnings and go. I choose to pay the last comer as much as I pay you. Have I no right to do what I like with my own? Why be envious because I am generous?” Thus the last will be first, and the first, last.’
PARABLE OF GRACE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ISA 55:6-9; PS 145; PHIL 1:20-24,27; MT 20:1-16 ]
Most of us have been brought up with the idea of justice and meritocracy in life. Today, people are always demanding for their rights and for justice. In the minds of most people, justice means fair play. One is rewarded or punished according to one’s actions, conduct or performance. We speak of human rights, labour rights and gender rights. In the name of justice, the world promotes meritocracy. However, is the world’s justice really just? Is meritocracy fair? How could it be so when we are all born with different natural gifts, of talents, intelligence and health? How could it be when we all have different social backgrounds, financial standing, and social connections? We might have gone through the same school system and the same criteria to compete for a job, yet we know that some will always have more advantages than others. So let us begin with the fact that life is not fair!
Unfortunately, such worldly ideas of justice and meritocracy also creep into our faith and the way we conduct ourselves with respect to fellow Christians, non-Christians and God. The parable is precisely directed at believers who consider themselves the Chosen People of God. We are like the labourers who were hired at daybreak. We are the first to enter the Church, the Kingdom of God. Some of us have been baptized for many years. Some have been helping in the church since young, contributing their time, talents, resources and even money to help build the church and the community. Those of us who have given much may feel that we should be treated differently. Indeed, some demand special seats in the church, not just on special occasions. They feel they deserve to be honoured and be invited for all big celebrations and be seated at the VIP table. Is it not true that we always reserve the best tables at celebrations to acknowledge the generosity of those who paid the most? This is because they have given so much to the church, whereas for others who have given less, they should be accorded a lower table.
Sometimes, we think that Catholics who are longer in the faith should be given preference in leadership as well. We are not welcoming of newcomers to our faith. We think that just because we are senior and have been longer in the faith or in the church, we should be more experienced as a leader. This was the situation of the Jews and the Christians in the early Church. The Jews considered the Gentiles as late-comers to the faith and thus second-class citizens. They failed to realize that they were originally a motley crowd of slaves in Egypt before they became a nation. So, too, the early Christians who were Jews still had that mentality of regarding the Gentile Christians as second-class Christians. We think we know more than those who are new in the faith. One of the reasons why the Church does not grow is because we do not welcome new blood and new leaders into our community. We tend to be protective of our turf, honours and privileges.
However, this way of worldly thinking also affects our relationship with God as well. We tend to equate divine justice with human justice. The latter is based on the principle of “an eye for an eye” and love those who love you. So we think that those who are good and virtuous, who live holy lives and have been generous to the Church and to their fellowmen deserve to have a higher place in heaven when they die. Whereas those who did not live a good life but were converted perhaps later in their life and even at their deathbed would not be able to enjoy the reward of those who lived longer as a Christian. The truth is that divine justice does not work in this manner. Divine justice is founded purely on grace. We are justified not by good works but by God’s grace and mercy. Everything is based on God’s grace. Even the ability to do good depends on God’s grace because unless He has provided us the resources and the means, we would never have been able to do good or be fruitful.
Clearly, the way the Lord regards us is different from the standards of justice in the world. For God, everyone is equal and everyone is welcome. St Paul reiterated this in his letter to the Galatians. “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal 3:27f) In His eyes, whether we are old or new in the faith, we are all loved equally by Him because He has no favorites. (cf Acts 10:34) In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah said the Lord welcomes all sinners. “Seek the Lord while he is still to be found, call to him while he is still near. Let the wicked man abandon his way, the evil man his thoughts.” If he were to turn back to the Lord, God will take pity on him for he “is rich in forgiving. The Lord says, “my thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways not your ways. Yes, the heavens are as high above earth as my ways are above your ways, my thoughts above your thoughts.”
This is the intent of the parable of the labourers in the vineyard. Jesus wants to emphasize that God’s grace and mercy prevails over human justice. This is because of God’s compassion for us. When the master took in the labourers in the later hours of the day, it was out of compassion for them because they were without work. They were not idling in the market place but they were waiting for someone to employ them. In those days, a daily-rated labourer went to the market and waited to be called. So, too, there are many people waiting to be called to the vineyard of the Lord. There are many who live aimless and meaningless lives because they have not yet found the Lord. These are people the Lord wishes to invite. Indeed, if we were invited earlier, we should be grateful to receive that grace.
Secondly, God’s mercy is not only gracious but also generous. The daily-rated pay for a labourer was just one denarius, which was a day’s living wage for the labourer. If he did not receive that one denarius, his family would have to starve. So the labourer was living from hand to mouth each day. Hence, the master decided to be generous and gave them one denarius like the rest, because he felt for them. His generosity made him go beyond strict justice of paying them less, according to the work they did. This is how God regards us as well. Those who are late enjoy the same benefits as those who came in earlier. Is God unjust? The gospel is clear, “My friend, I am not being unjust to you; did we not agree on one denarius? Take your earnings and go. I choose to pay the last-comer as much as I pay you. Have I no right to do what I like with my own? Why be envious because I am generous?” The master did not pay those whom he contracted earlier less, but according to their agreement. So we should never grudge those whom God blesses because it is His sovereignty and freedom to do what He likes with His gifts.
What is important for us as Christians is that we must not reduce the grace of God to merits. God has graced all of us and all that we have belong to Him. Therefore, we have nothing to boast about. We should not be thinking of rewards and privileges for all that we have done for the Lord and our fellowmen. We must be like the latecomers in today’s gospel. They agreed to work in the vineyard without any contract. They were contented to receive what the master wanted to give to them. They trusted in the master and were grateful that they were gainfully employed for the day. We, too, should thank God that we are able to serve Him and our fellowmen. The greatest reward is not some tangible reward or earthly reward of glory and privileges. It is the joy of service or making a difference in the lives of our fellowmen.
Today, St Paul is our exemplar of gratitude for the grace of God. He was not seeking any reward but simply to be with our Lord, sharing in His life and love. His whole life, he said, was to glorify Christ in his body “whether by my life or by my death.” He was happy to continue serving the people so long as Christ was glorified, even though what ultimately mattered to him was his union with the Lord. Hence, his motto and advice to us all is simply this; “Life to me, of course, is Christ, but then death would bring me something more”. “Avoid anything in your everyday lives that would be unworthy of the gospel of Christ.”
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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