"Do you not know that if you yield yourselves to any one as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? "
Romans 6:16

Pope Benedict at the World Youth Day said " 'Freedom is not simply about enjoying life in total autonomy, but rather about living by the measure of truth and goodness so that we ourselves can become true and good.' "

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mt 21:28-32

September 18 2005

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mt 20:1-16a - Laborers in God’s vineyard.


We must never presume to have an exclusive claim on God’s blessings.
God works in his own unique way: always absolutely free, beyond questioning, unbelievably generous with all.
All the workers receive the same wage: it appears absurd, the absurdity of Love.

“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”


I still remember when my Dad, a peasant in South Italy, was going out early in the morning to find somebody that could hire him to work in the fields for that day. It meant getting up at dawn and if it was a lucky day, somebody would hire him for the day, working all day till dusk. It was usually around 6:00PM that he was coming back at home.

“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.’”

It is quite unusual to be hired to work in the fields at nine o’clock in the morning but I do remember my Dad being hired a couple of times at this unusual time.

“And he went out again around noon, and around three o’clock, and did likewise.”

There must have been a lot of work to hire people well in the day! I think at the amount of work that our Lord wants us to be involved in order to establish the Kingdom of Heaven. He could do it in a femto-second but He wants us to be involved… He looks like a Mom that helps her daughter to cook, actually ending her doing everything. But the daughter is happy because… she cooked the meal for Daddy. So it is our Lord. We believe we are doing the hard work but actually He does 99.999999%. We don’t have a clear vision of the Work for the Kingdom of Heaven and it is good that we don’t have it, because as St. Therese of the little flower used to say we would be killed by the overwhelming vision of such task.

“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?’”

This hyperbole of our Lord’s generosity always struck me, forcing me to stare in owe at the depth of His mercy.
Is it right what the landowner is doing?
Isn’t he unjust towards all who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day?
Asking these kinds of questions is asking the wrong question. It reveals how our mind is still strongly tied to this concept of do ut des, give in order to receive. The right question is:
How great is your Mercy to give the same Mercy to whom who doesn’t deserve? Where do You get all this Mercy?

“The LORD is good to alland compassionate toward all his works.
…..
Great is the LORD and highly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable”

Let’s live our day completely immersed in His greatness because
is greatness is unfathomable and His anger slow.
Rich in Love to all who call upon Him in Truth.

Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed;
save me and I will be saved,
for you are the one I praise.
Jeremiah 17:14