Reading 1
Seek the LORD while he may be found,
call him while he is near.
Let the scoundrel forsake his way,
and the wicked his thoughts;
let him turn to the LORD for mercy;
to our God, who is generous in forgiving.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
As high as the heavens are above the earth,
so high are my ways above your ways
and my thoughts above your thoughts.
Gospel
Jesus told his disciples this parable:
"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.
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.'
So they went off.
And he went out again around noon,
and around three o'clock, and did likewise.
Going out about five o'clock,
the landowner found others standing around, and said to them,
'Why do you stand here idle all day?'
They answered, 'Because no one has hired us.'
He said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard.'
When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman,
'Summon the laborers and give them their pay,
beginning with the last and ending with the first.'
When those who had started about five o'clock came,
each received the usual daily wage.
So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more,
but each of them also got the usual wage.
And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying,
'These last ones worked only one hour,
and you have made them equal to us,
who bore the day's burden and the heat.'
He said to one of them in reply,
'My friend, I am not cheating you.
Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?
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?'
Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last."
Reflection
Today’s Gospel, with the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, challenges our idea of fairness, and can leave us unsettled. Our first reading, which emphasizes that “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the LORD,” is an apt pairing with this story. However, these Scripture passages are really messages of hope, if only we remember that God is not a calculated businessman, but rather, a loving Father.
Indeed, God’s ways are not our ways — but this is good news. If Our Lord ran the Kingdom of Heaven the way earthly leaders run their countries and businesses, then our lives would be measured by our comparative productivity, influence, and usefulness. Instead, this parable reveals that God calls us individually and gives to us generously, without comparing us to others.
Whether we are cradle Catholics, late-life converts, priests, religious, married or single persons, students, or workers, God wants to give each of us the same “daily wage,” that is, the gift of eternal life. Thankfully, He does not compare our holiness or fruitfulness to the people around us, but rather, He considers if we answered His call when it came, and whether we lived and worked accordingly.
God is a loving Father, and we need to trust in His plan for His children, remembering that “As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are [His] ways above [our] ways and [His] thoughts above [our] thoughts.” His plan might not make sense to us, nor might it seem fair in the heat of the moment. Yet, we have confidence that Our Father always does what is best for us, and that He has prepared a place for us in Heaven that will leave no room for envy. He will always give us everything we need to achieve our joy-filled destiny; we need not be concerned with what He does or does not give to others in this life.
Today, we marvel at the wisdom, justice, and generosity of God. Join me in praying for the grace to trust in Him fully. Rather than envying or comparing ourselves to others, let us rejoice in Our Father who looks at each of His children with individual and infinite love, and is guiding each of us to our Heavenly home.
Please be assured of my prayers for you before Our Lord, present in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
+ Bishop Schlert
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