Sundays Readings & Reflection: September 21, 2014 First Reading: Isaiah 55:6-9 Seek the LORD while he may be found, call him while he is near. Let the scoundrel forsake his way, and the wicked his thoughts; let him turn to the LORD for mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts. Responsorial Psalm: (PS 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18) R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him. 1) 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. 2) 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. 3) 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. Second Reading: (Philippians 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. Gospel: Matthew 20:1-16a (THE WORKERS IN THE VINEYARD) 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.” REFLECTION: HIRED HANDS or FAMILY MEMBERS? Hired laborers were some of the poorest persons in Jesus time. They were usually peasants who had lost their ancestral lands through debt. Survival was difficult. They drifted into cities and villages hoping that some rich people would hire them. The sense of honor in their culture prevented them from looking for work; they had to be approached and asked to work. In the parable, the landowner does not treat the workers in the same way. To those hired first, he acts as an employer: he promises the usual daily wages, one denarius. And at the end of the day he does exactly that: he gives them their due. However, to those hired last, the owner chooses to act as a patron: a person of means who treats other people as if they were members of his family. Such treatment is free and gratuitous; it is not earned by the workers. That those hired last are paid first is an important narrative point: it prepares for the expectation on the part of those hired first, and their disappointment when they are treated as hired hands rather than family members. Because of this they turn envious. Literally, the Greek expression means casting an evil eye on, or desiring, the owners wealth (i.e. his very vineyard). However, the evil intention does not work because the owner is good/generous. The parable shows us something about God from the perspective of Mediterranean people. God acts as our patron: he deals with us not according to what we truly deserve but according to his gracious mercy. God does not owe us anything. But then when we humble ourselves and see ourselves as more hired laborers, God will raise us up and treat us as family members. - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops / 365 days w/ the Lord (Liturgical Biblical Diary 2014). Have a blessed Sunday everyone!
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 12:56:42 +0000
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