25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
The parable of the workers in the vineyard makes it pretty clear that God’s ways are not the same as ours. Of course, we would expect those who worked all day to get more than those who only worked a little. Fair is fair and just is just! After all, we operate on a Bottom-Line system. Those who invest more get more. They come in first, and those who are last, well, they just didn’t give enough, or they are too late.
This parable speaks to the Jews who felt they had been living the Covenant longer than the newcomers who followed Jesus. They should be rewarded for their fidelity. Rather than rejoicing that more believers support the Covenant, a sense of entitlement prevails. Is this not similar to our reluctance to reach out to those who are new to our communities?
What happens when we read the parable not as about money, but as about inclusive love? It is not about earning our way into heaven or into God’s embrace. It is more about rejoicing in a love that gives us life and hope, whether we have been here since birth or recently found our way to this love. It is about conducting ourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ. It is about replacing being owed with being grateful.
The readings today bring to mind the following quotation: Mercy is not getting what we deserve. Grace is getting what we do not deserve. Each time we receive the Eucharist, we are once again touched by the Lord’s mercy and filled with grace. Having been immersed in the Lord’s ways, we are sent forth to work to bring compassion to all.
Let Us Pray:
Good and gracious God, thank you for inviting us into the vineyard of your love. We ask you to send your Spirit into our hearts to help us change our thoughts and ways, so we may learn to be generous, compassionate, and merciful to others. Amen.
