25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
Isaiah 55:6-9/Psalm 145/Philippians 1:20c-24, 27a/Matthew 20:1-16a
The Lord Jesus explains to us the generosity of God by using a parable in today's Gospel. The parable in our Gospel reading is about the workers in the vineyard. By this parable, Jesus shows us how God is generous. God is being personified as the owner of the vineyard. The owner of the vineyard pays the workers equally, despite the workers working in different hours.
As the saying goes, "It is better late than never." Well, we say a case of this saying in today's Gospel. In the beginning of the Gospel, the owner of the vineyard hires the first group of workers and makes an agreement that they will be paid the daily wage. The first group of workers started to work at the earliest time, let's say at 4:30, 5:00 or 5:30 in the morning.
While the day went by, the owner of the house still recruited more workers. At the very last hour before the work day ended, like approximately 5:00 in the afternoon, the owner hired another group of workers. He could have been contented with the workers that would work for the whole day under the heat of the sun. But no. The owner chose to look for more workers because he is very compassionate.
Once the work day ended, the owner of the vineyard paid the workers. This time, the order of those being paid were reversed. The last group who worked for only one hour were paid first and they received the daily wage. The very first group, the group that worked the longest, thought that they would receive a larger pay because of their hard work for the whole day. But, instead of what they were expecting, they received the same pay as the last group. Each group of workers received the same pay.
In our eyes, this would deem to be unfair. If we think according to human judgement, what the owner of the vineyard did was an injustice. The workers worked very hard for a very long time in order to earn that right. Why did the owner of the vineyard pay them the same way as he paid the other groups? Why? How come their pay was not raised for their hard work for the full day? This is an injustice. This is corruption. If we base our thinking according to human justice, this in not right. What the owner did was very unfair.
But, the owner of the vineyard cleared the misunderstanding. The owner of the vineyard said that he did not cheat on them. Why? First and foremost, that was their agreement. How could there be an injustice if they both made an agreement? So, no injustice whatsoever on the part of the owner. The workers and the owner of the vineyard made an agreement. So, there is no injustice in what he did.
Second, he is the owner of the vineyard. The owner of the vineyard is the boss. He gets the final say on a particular thing, like in payment. The workers were probably jealous because the owner of the vineyard is very generous. Despite all the riches the owner had, he still is very generous. Take the very last group that worked in the vineyard for example. The owner still hired the very last group because of his generosity. No one would accept them. But, the owner of the vineyard accepted them and paid them the daily wage.
God continually expresses His generosity towards us. Even though we are late in turning back to the Lord, the Lord will still express His generosity towards us. Nothing would hinder or stop the Lord from being generous towards us. The Lord God will not do anything unjust or cheat us. Instead, the Lord will show us how generous He is towards us. God is very generous towards us out of His love for us. God continues to show us His generosity, mercy and compassion towards us each and everyday of our lives.
23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
Ezekiel 33:7-9/Psalm 95/Romans 13:8-10/Matthew 18:15-20
Jesus teaches us how to deal with people who we have misunderstandings or problems with. We could not get rid of misunderstandings or problems in life. It is part of life. A problem big or small could cause a lot of trouble. There are a lot of times whenever we have problems or misunderstandings, especially with other people. It is not always easy. There are lots of times whenever we encounter problems. Although we try hard to avoid this, we can't because there are times that we have big problems, especially with one another.
Jesus gives us three ways in order to fix our misunderstandings or problems with others. The first thing to do when a person sins is to talk to him personally. By talking to him personally, you get to explain to him what he did and why it was wrong. This reminder would help him realize his mistake. No one is born for himself. We have a responsibility. Our responsibility is our neighbor. We have to correct their mistakes. We have to fix our problems together.
The second thing we have to do is to bring a witness, if he still does not listens. Witnesses will help you in correcting the person who has done wrong. Sometimes, it would take two or three people to enlighten someone's mind. If he did not change his mind when you personally talk to him (just the two of you), probably two other people would help. The witnesses you take would help him enlighten his mind and change his ways. You would be able to fix your problems with the help of others.
If the second thing does not work, Jesus tells us not to surrender. Don't give up. There is a third thing to do that could help the person who has done wrong change his ways. Take him to the congregation of the Church. The Church is a welcoming community. Ask the community to pray for him. Through prayer, the one who has done wrong might change his ways. Prayer works all of the time. Prayer could possibly help resolve problems.
But, if the third does not work as well, the Lord tells us to treat those who we cannot resolve our problems with as Gentiles. We can set them free. They do not belong with us. They are outsiders. So, does that mean that we don't get to care for them? No. Instead, Jesus shows us an example on how to treat people who are outsiders. Examples are St. Matthew the Apostle and Zacchaeus. They were tax collectors. They did not belong to the people at that time. But, Jesus showed mercy and compassion towards them. He visited and dined with them. Through Christ, sinners have changed their lives and turned back to God.
God does not stop showing mercy and compassion towards us. The Lord is patient towards us. He will wait for us and will not stop waiting until we go back to Him and repent. Just as how the Lord God is merciful and patient towards us, let us become patient and merciful towards our neighbors. Even though some of us are hard-headed, let us not cease in showing one another love and mercy. Just as how the Lord does not stop showing love and mercy towards us, let us not stop loving and being merciful to one another.
Lord God, teach us how to be merciful and loving towards one another, just as how You never cease to show mercy and love towards us. Amen.
