🙏 SUNDAY INSIGHTS - THE 25TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 🙏

First Reading - Isaiah 55:6-9 

Second Reading - Philippians 1:20-24,27

Gospel - Matthew 20:1-16

What makes the saints so remarkable is that they are brilliant reflections of God’s extraordinary generosity. St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa) was an eloquent example of this. When she visited the many convents that she had founded, even though she was the Superior General of the Order, she had a habit of getting up early on the last day of her visit (early being 4:00AM or so), and washing the convent’s bathrooms before the rest of the nuns woke up. Fr Sebastian Vahakala, a priest connected to her Order, explains how he learned Christian generosity from her: “One day I was working at the home for the dying in Kalighat, Calcutta. The Corporation Ambulance brought in a man. I looked at him and recognized him straightaway, as he had been to our home several times. So, I told Blessed Teresa that there was no sense in taking him in again, as he would go out when he might feel a little better [he was taking advantage of their generosity]. Blessed Teresa looked at me and said: ‘Brother Sebastian, does this man need your help now or not? It does not matter that he was here yesterday or not, or that he is going to come back again tomorrow. We do not have yesterday anymore, nor do we have tomorrow yet; all that we have is today to love God and serve the poor.'” — That’s just a little glimpse of the kind of supernatural generosity that continuously overflows from God’s heart, towards each and every one of us.

Today’s readings focus us on our sense of justice and the extravagant grace of a merciful God. While God is both just and merciful, God’s mercy often seems, in our view, to override His justice, as God pardons us unconditionally and rewards us generously by opening Heaven for the Gentiles and the Jews.

In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah reminds the exiles in Babylon that their God is more merciful than they are, and more forgiving. He is ready to pardon their infidelity to God, which has resulted in their exile. Their merciful God will bless them with material and spiritual blessings. Hence, Isaiah exhorts them, and us, to seek the Lord and to put aside evil ways that we may receive His mercy and forgiveness.  

In the second reading, Paul offers himself as an example of total submission, aided by God’s grace, to His will. Paul is ready to live continuing his mission, or to die and join the Lord, whichever is God’s will.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us the strange parable of a landowner who hired laborers at five different times during the course of one day to work in his vineyard, but paid the same living wage for a full day’s work to all of them. This story presents God (the landlord), Whose love and generosity to all of us demonstrates the difference between God’s perspective and ours. God looks at us, sees our needs and meets those needs generously and mercifully. His provisions for our spiritual lives will never run out, and when we share our blessings with others, we tap into the inexhaustible Divine supply. The parable also shows the mercy, compassion, and generosity of a gracious and forgiving God in allowing the later-called Gentiles as well the first-called Jews, His Chosen People, to enjoy the same eternal bliss of His Heavenly Kingdom

Dear friends, we need to follow God’s example and show loving generosity to our neighbor. When someone else is more successful than we are, let us assume that person needs it. When someone who does wrong fails to get caught, let us remember the many times we have done wrong and gotten off free. Envy should have no place in our lives. We cannot control, and dare not pass judgment on, the way God blesses others, only rejoice that He does so, just as He blesses us.

We need to express our gratitude to God in our daily lives. God personally calls each of us to our own ministry in this world and shows us His care by giving us His grace and eternal salvation. To God, we are more than just numbers on a payroll. Our call to His vineyard is a free gift from God for which we can never be sufficiently thankful. All our talents and blessings are freely given to us by God. Hence, we should express our gratitude to God by avoiding sins, by rendering loving service to others, by sharing our blessings with the needy, and by constant prayer, listening and talking to God at all times.