25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
My dear parishioners.
God Is Good!!! All the Time!!! And All the Time !!! God Is Good!!!
In previous oracles, Isaiah has challenged people to replace idolatry with service to God. He holds up for their admiration the ideal servant of God who gave his life to heal the wounds of so many others (Is 53). At one time, these others were inclined to dismiss such a servant as insignificant. Now, they recognize what benefits they have gained by his sacrifice. Taking full advantage of this spiritual awakening, the prophet urges people to proceed further along the path of life.
This parable is traditionally designated as “the workers in the vineyard.” However, a close reading of the parable shows that the main character is the landowner. This is a story about his actions and reactions with day laborers he has hired throughout the day. Keep in mind that this is a parable and not a document on fair labor practices. In fact, the focus of the parable is on the last judgment. What will happen when that time comes? Should we be afraid of that last judgment, or should we await it with joyful expectation? That is the parable’s main concern.
The landowner. The first half of the parable describes a landowner hiring dayworkers for his field throughout the day (9:00 a.m.; 3:00 p.m.; 5:00 p.m.). We are not told why he needed so many workers at these various times. All of these workers agreed to receive “the usual daily wage.” Ordinarily, this would be a denarius (a Roman coin). So far everything seems to be in order and the landowner gets his workers and the day laborers have work. The landowner seems generous and the laborers are pleased to have been hired.
The payment. All of this changes in the second half of the parable where the paying of the workers is described. Day laborers usually received their pay at the end of each day and such is the case here. However, the usual manner of issuing pay was to start from the first hired and end with the last. This landowner does just the opposite so that the first hired can see how much pay those hired last received. Each worker received the same amount of pay regardless of how long he had worked. This was the amount each agreed to. Those hired first, however, felt strongly that they should have received more than those hired last. After all, they worked longer. The landowner rightly de-clares that he has done nothing wrong and nothing not agreed to by all. He accuses the grumblers of resenting his generosity toward those who only worked a few hours. When did generosity become a sin?
This parable. This parable is really about how God will act at the final judgment. The landowner’s vineyard is a symbol for Israel. The good news is that God will be generous. The last will be first, and the first will be last but it will not matter. God’s mercy and generosity will extend to all in the vineyard.
Excerpts from “Sunday Homily Helps”, is used by permission of Franciscan Media. www.FranciscanMedia.org. All rights reserved
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Aloysius