Homily Twentieth Wednesday of Ordinary Time (Mt. 20:1-16) “The Common Good
Homily Twentieth Wednesday of Ordinary Time (Mt. 20:1-16) “The Common Good
When we read the parable that we share at Mass today, we are probably uncomfortable. As Americans, we feel that everyone should get a fair treatment. And we don’t like to think of people getting paid the same wages when they are doing different amounts of work.
The people that Jesus was using as an example in his story, were day laborers. They would be people who were doing seasonal work. Maybe they were harvesting crops for example. If you need to get the grape harvest in, you had a small window of opportunity to do that. Once the crop was harvested you would not want to employ the seasonal workers anymore.
The people who were hired each day would work for subsistence wages. They would make just enough to feed their family for the day. There were no savings and there was no unemployment.
What was the employer thinking? It is anybody’s guess. If he had a good heart, he was aware that the workers all needed a day’s wages if their families were not going to go to be hungry. For that reason, he wanted to pay the people who were anxiously waiting in the town square for work all day the full daily wage. We can imagine the him looking out at the sea of faces in the square and seeing gaunt faces with a look of hopelessness.
The employer was moved with concern for the people before him. He might have been a tough businessman, but he was not cruel. He was merciful. He was a symbolic of our generous God. God, in justice, wants everyone to have the minimum amount they need so they can survive for the day. Millions of people around the world live in poverty. The Our Father says, God wants all to have their daily bread and that is something that we all should want.
Reflection Questions:
- Have I ever been desperate for work? What did I pray for?
- Do I get angry at people who are getting subsidized so that they might have their minimum needs met? What would Jesus say about the welfare poor people receive?
Dear Parishioners,
Today, school started at Seton and Alleman and Moline schools will start Monday. There is much anxiety about what is going to happen. The children, as we all know, are better served when they are in school. At the same time, we want them to be safe. Let’s pray for all school administrators who will continue to have many hard choices to make.
It is good to fast and pray on Fridays during our Novena for all those who are suffering because of COVID 19 crisis. This Friday is the fifth Friday of our nine Friday Novena. It is never too late to participate. God will hear our voices whenever we raise them.
May Our Lady and all the Angels and Saints watch over you today.
Fr. Mark