Sunday, September 20, 2020

The Call to the Vineyard

Homily for the 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sept. 20, 2020. Gospel of St. Matthew 20:1-16. Theme: The Call to the Vineyard

When people hear today’s Gospel most come away thinking, "That sure doesn't sound very fair to me! The guys who put in an hour's work ended up getting as much money as those who sweat it out in the sun all day long!"  Now, if Jesus had intended to give us a course in business ethics and hiring practices, then these people would be right!  But we must remember that this story is a parable, that is, a story told to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson. Parables were the main teaching tool that Jesus used because they make people stop and think.

So then, what is the lesson of this story? Well, to begin to understand it, we have to look at the symbolism used by Jesus. In this parable, the landowner is God. The vineyard is the Kingdom of Heaven. And the workers are you, me, and everyone on planet Earth. Now, it is also important to realize that Jesus told this parable while on his way to Jerusalem, where he knew he would be arrested, tortured and crucified. The reason why the time and place of the telling of this parable is important, is because it has to do with our ultimate destiny: salvation, eternal life, a right relationship with God.

So, with all this in mind I think we can say that the meaning of the parable is actually threefold.  

First, we have to realize that the call to the vineyard originates with God, it is his initiative. This is important to remember because it teaches us something that, it seems to me, most people I meet - including many Catholics - seem to forget: that we have no right to Heaven, to eternal life. We often hear people speak as if Heaven is something we earn or something we deserve because we lived a "good life".  I'm sure some of you have encountered this when hearing about someone who has died. People might say something like, "He was such a good man, surely he’s in Heaven." Or "She was always so good to others, if she’s not in Heaven I don't know who is!" 

But we humans, as a result of the free decision of our first parents, Adam and Eve, said “no thanks” to God's original invitation to Paradise, to the Vineyard.  They chose to live life on their own terms and according to their own desires instead of in obedience to God. And we cannot simply blame Adam and Eve for this loss, because each time we personally choose to sin, we show that we are in agreement with their reply.

And that brings us to the second point I would like to make. God gives each one of us a second chance - or in reality many chances - to think about and change our reply from that which was given by Adam and Eve. He calls each one of us in a particular and individual way and at a particular time in our lives when we might be most open to saying “yes” to his invitation. He does this because he is so very eager for us to say yes and RSVP with all our hearts!

We see this marvelous mystery of God’s selection all the time, even within our own little slice of life. I have seen it in my own family.  My wife was called as an infant, born into a practicing believing Catholic family and raised to live life daily in awareness of God. On the other hand, I was called a bit later in life as a young adult, influenced by my Evangelical Protestant classmates and following a round-about route to becoming a practicing Catholic Christian. And there are still those who are called at the eleventh hours, such as my father at 86 years of age, just a month before leaving this world for the next. That’s one of the great mysteries of salvation, of the free and unmerited call of God. So, it shows me that we must never give up on anyone! The last sentence, of the last chapter, in the story of their life might be a real game-changer!



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