Twenty Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Mt. 20:1-16a) “The Needs of Today”
Twenty Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Mt. 20:1-16a) “The Needs of Today”
The parable of the workers in the vineyard is a story of Jesus that makes us very uncomfortable. We want to cry unfair, unfair! A similar feeling comes when we remember the story of the Prodigal Son. How can the boy who is so irresponsible be welcomed back while the son who works hard for his father has his feelings ignored? When we have such discomfort, we realize that we are bumping up against the values of the Kingdom of God.
The story of the workers in the vineyard follows upon two episodes in the Gospel of Matthew that raise two questions we must wrestle with if we are going to live in the Kingdom. One question revolves around how we are to handle wealth if we are going to act in charity. The other question involves what we will receive if we make sacrifices to serve Jesus.
In the chapter of Matthew, before the one we read from today, we meet a rich young man who comes to Jesus asking what he must do to inherit eternal life. As we remember, he tells Jesus he has kept all the commandments. He believes himself to be a moral and upright person. What else is necessary? “Sell what you have and give it to the poor,” Jesus says. The answer makes the young man sad because he has many possessions. The young man’s values collide with the values of the Kingdom of God.
The story that follows upon the heels of the story of the Rich Young Man concerns a conversation Jesus has with Peter. Peter is distraught by the thought of giving up all security to follow Jesus. He asks the question, “What is in if for us if we follow you?” Peter is disturbed by the precepts of the new faith that Jesus is proclaiming. The system that the Rich Young man and Peter are comfortable with revolves around reward and punishment. The world says we should earn what we receive. And if we work hard, we should be rewarded. If people are lazy or undisciplined, there are consequences. But is that the philosophy of the Kingdom of God, a kingdom that revolves around mercy and charity?
The parable we hear today has several aspects that reflect this tension. We hear how the workers are hired at certain parts of the day. We remember how these workers are day laborers. A worker like this realizes that in twenty-four hours they will be scrambling again for wages to feed themselves and their family. Always there is a sense of uncertainty.
Another aspect of the parable that challenges us is the idea that some workmen seem less than energetic. We get a sense that they don’t step forward at the beginning of the day, but that they kind of lounge around waiting for someone to offer them a job. We would surmise that they weren’t ambitious.
All the laborers share one value. All of them want the highest wages that they can receive. Someone once speculated that we could add another episode to the parable saying that the owner went out at 5:30 p.m. to hire whoever was standing around. If those workers only worked for a half hour and got the same wages the 5 o’clock workers, those men would have been as unhappy as the workers hired at the beginning of the day. The human belief about fairness is predictable.
What is it that should take our anxiety away? The words in the parable that describe the workers’ pay might help us understand Jesus. The owner says, “My friend I am not cheating you. Didn’t you agree to the usually daily wage?” A daily wage meets the needs of the day. The sense was that if you come back tomorrow, the situation will be the same. I will be here for you. We remember in the Our Father we pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” We don’t say give us wealth in abundance, so we never have to worry again.
We might ask, given all this, what is so great about life in the Kingdom. The answer is that Jesus says if we all live sharing the values of the Kingdom, we will have what we need. We will be secure. He is also telling us that at the end of the time all of us will have the same reward. The door into the Kingdom of God doesn’t swing on the hinges of fairness. No, it swings open on the hinges of mercy. We need not fear that we won’t have what we need. If we believe that, why do we need to worry about tomorrow? Each moment of the day becomes a celebration of grace.
Reflection Questions:
Do I think I earn my way to heaven? Do I think salvation is a gift?
If I believe that God is paving the way to my eternal salvation how does that make me feel? Am I at peace?
Dear Parishioners,
The first week of October you should receive a financial report from the parish. The finance committee of Sacred Heart has several goals. The first goal is to be transparent. We want to share as much information as possible about how money is being spent in the parish. We keep it simple. When you pick up the report you should be able to assess the financial condition of the parish in a matter of minutes.
There are three areas we report on so that everyone will be able to understand. We report on the operating budget (our day-to-day bill paying), we have information on our ongoing capital campaigns, and we report on our endowment performance.
Another goal that we have is to promote stewardship. If people feel that a charity is using money wisely then there will be greater trust in that charity. We need extraordinary income. This comes from our endowment funds and from the bequests we receive. Charities rely on this sort of revenue. You will notice hospitals, colleges, etc. are constantly promoting capital campaigns, deferred giving and other ways of donating. This is the only way they can meet their financial needs. This is true for Sacred Heart as well.
On the weekend of October 7th and 8th , members of our finance committee will give an oral report. Thank you again for your ongoing generosity to your parish.
May Our Lady Pray for us,
Fr. Mark