Readings: Ezekiel 34:1-11, Ps. 23, Matthew 20:1-16
“Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you.” (Matthew 20:13-14)
In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus tells the parable of the Landowner to teach us to avoid pride in our lives, whether based on our material possessions or our spiritual wealth. Jesus wants us to know how equal we are before God, our creator.
A landowner recruits people to his vineyard and agrees with each how much he would pay at the end of the day’s work. Each person could bargain for their pay before they started. Everyone got exactly what he bargained for at the end of the day’s work. The problem started when those who had earlier agreed to be paid a denarius in the morning realised that even those who started work in the evening got the same denarius.
Like these workers in the vineyard, what separates us from each other is unimportant. There is no need to look down on anyone or make anyone a god because even if it seems we are better or worse than others, we are all equal before God. Jesus has said it all: “The last will be first, and the first will be last.”
The essence of the Christian life is COLLABORATION, not COMPETITION. Why engage in fights with others? A few years from now, we will all have become dust under the ground. Avoid looking down on anyone, as no one can see the future. Imagine workers employed in the morning mocking (or even maltreating) those employed in the evening, not knowing they were no better off.
In our first reading, God tells Ezekiel to prophesy against the bad shepherds leading the people astray. The progress and destruction of any society depend heavily on the quality of its leadership. In a society like ours, where politics is conceived as the most viable business, we have a lot of shepherds who, rather than feed the sheep, feed on the sheep. Let us examine ourselves: “What kind of shepherd am I? Is God proud of me?
Let us pray: O God, who have prepared for those who love you good things which no eye can see, fill our hearts, we pray, with the warmth of your love, so that, loving you in all things and above all things, we may attain your promises, which surpass every human desire. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. May God’s abundant blessings be upon us all. (Wednesday of week 20 in Ordinary Time. Liturgical Colour: Green. Bible Study: Ezekiel 34:1-11, Ps. 23, Matthew 20:1-16)
@Rev. Fr. Evaristus E. Abu