SUNDAY: 25TH SUNDAY HOMILY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR A

SUNDAY: 25TH SUNDAY HOMILY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR A

BY: Fr. Luke Ijezie

HOMILY Theme: Christian Life as Work in God’s Vineyard

Isaiah 55:6-9;
Psalm 145:2-3,8-9,17-18;
Philippians 1:20-24.27;
Matthew 20:1-16.

Life is meaningful only when it is devoted to their service of God. This may be derived as a central message in all the readings of today. As Christians, we are hired labourers in God’s vineyard. What is expected of hired labourers is that they must accomplish the job for which they are hired. The point is that our vocation is to work in God’s vineyard. If one is not yet doing any work for God, one can be accused of being idle and living a wasted life, whatever else one may pretend to be doing.

1. The Gospel narrates the parable of the Householder and his hired labourers. Jesus likens the kingdom of God to this Householder who goes out during the day to hire labourers for his vineyard. Here God is pictured as an employer of labour who wants to employ as many people as possible. For God, the harvest is always plentiful but the labourers are few. So, many more labourers are ever needed. The story is a very difficult and contentious one, given the issues involved. It ends in a misunderstanding between many of the labourers and the employer. He is accused of paying the last comers the same wage as the early workers. He even pays them before the early workers. Everyone who reads the story may be inclined to sympathize with these aggrieved workers, as the employer seems to be guilty of favouritism. Of course, many labour unions today find this parable a difficult one to accept. But, one may ask, Is the employer really at fault? Much depends on the yardstick one uses to measure his action. In fact, following strictly the terms of the agreement, he is not guilty of breaching any labour contract. He paid his workers what they had agreed he would pay, and they did not work overtime. The only problem is that in his generosity he decided to pay the last workers the same amount. So he is guilty of generosity and not of unjust payment. In fact, this parable can be called the parable of the merciful employer.

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2. But there is another aspect of the story that is often either forgotten or not given much attention. Here, very instructive is the dialogue between the owner of the vineyard and those employed last at the eleventh hour. He said to them, “Why do you stand here idle all day?” They replied: “Because no one has hired us,” Then he said to them: “You go into my vineyard too.” From this dialogue, one finds that the last workers were not really lazy. They were standing there all day, but no one employed them. So, it was not their fault that they came late to work. They were victims of unemployment. There are many such victims among us today. They are ready to work, but no one employs them. The vineyard owner was very magnanimous in employing these workers at the late hour and paying them a just wage.

3. What makes the story special is that it is a parable of God’s Kingdom. Human logic, sometimes, cannot understand the way God works. The First Reading from Isaiah 55:6-9 puts it very well: “My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways.” God’s way of thinking is understood only by those who are open to the Spirit of God. What God demands of us is that we remain loyal to his bidding, no matter the situation. The Isaian text invites us to abandon our wicked human ways and always seek God’s way. We find real fulfilment in aligning our ways to His own and working daily as labourers in His vineyard. God, on His part, is always faithful with His promises.

4. In the second reading from Paul’s letter to the Philippians (1:20-24,27), the Apostle makes a very interesting point when he says: “If it is to be life in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me.” What does he mean? For Paul, the most important thing is to belong to Christ. If we die while belonging to Christ, then it is a great gain. But if we are to remain alive, it is a great opportunity to keep working for Christ. So neither death nor hardship frightens us. Life is a joy as long as it is spent working for God.

5. At this point, we can ask ourselves individually and collectively: Am I really working for God? Can I consider what I am doing with my life as a labour in God’s vineyard? Is the work of my community in line with the will of God? No matter how hard things become, as they are today, we shoud never compromise our Christian calling by abandoning the service of God to serve diabolical forces. Paul admonishes us in the second reading: “let your manner of life be worthy of the Gospel of Christ!”
May the Spirit of God continue to inspire us to make our daily lives a continuous service to God and His creatures!

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